Here’s a quick look at youth and high school teams competing.
Jackson schedules hockey rematch with Hoover
Jackson hockey coach Bill Houmard announced that his Polar Bears will play arch-rival Hoover for a second time this season Sunday afternoon at Center Ice. The game was not on the original schedule, but both teams found an open date and will face off at 3:40. Jackson won the first meeting 4-2 and Houmard says “the second game should be just as good.” Jackson entered play this week with a record of 15-7-1.
Middle school basketball teams winning big
The future of the Jackson boys basketball program is attending classes on Mudbrook Drive. The 7th and 8th grade middle school teams have combined for a 24-7 overall record at the midway point of the season.
The 7th grade “Gold” squad, coached by Mike Heidy, is riding a two game winning streak that pushed their record to 4-3. Head Coach Teal Harvey has his 8th grade “Gold” team at 5-2. The 7th grade “Purple” team have won three in a row for Coach Tim Hulse and are currently 6-2. Head Coach John Telloni and the 8th grade “Purple” squad are a perfect 8-0.
Last season Jackson’s 7th grade teams made Federal League history when they met for the conference championship. That was the first time two teams from the same school had met in the title game.
Youth travel teams win league titles
Justin Greenfelder, director of travel teams for the Jackson Youth Basketball Association, is smiling after watching four of his teams walk away with first place trophies after winning the Tallmadge Recreation Travel League.
The 6th grade “Gold” team coached by Tom Kingsbury won the league championship with a perfect 8-0 record. Team members included Jonathon Conkle, Nate Kingsbury, Kevin Lyons, Zach Mottice, Jake Pallotta, Dan Platek, Mitchell Rife and Chandler Shutey.
The 5th grade “Purple” team coached by Scott Hawkins finished first in the “A” league with a record of 7-1. Team members included Jonathon Bender, Jake Gmerek, Bryce Hawkins, Logan Maier, Clark Mikesell, Zach Pence, Michael Rath, Sam Shew, Brady Thompson and Kyle Young.
The 4th Grade “Gold” team coached by Todd Pallotta was undefeated in winning the “A” Division title. Team members included Brett Bossart, Cameron Boyer, Ronny Brooks, Davis Graham, Grant Miller, Jaret Pallotta, Drew Peterson, Nick Shatrich and Ethan Stanislawski.
The 3rd grade travel team “played up” in the 4th grade “B” Division and won the championship with a 7-1 record. Head Coach Mike Mazzeo’s roster consisted of Jake Johnston, Dylan Johnson, Ethan Kulich, Aaron Matthus, Anthony Mazzeo, Cameron McCreary, Kurt Peterson, Sean Reed, Spencer Stanton and Wyatt Wright.
“All of our teams will now embark on their tournament season,” Greenfelder said. “It all leads to the annual Polar Bear Classic on February 11-14 at the Jackson schools.”
