Lake (13-7) took an early lead and held Green's (15-8) offense in check to secure a 8-2 win in the Div. I sectional final round of the playoffs at Green Thursday.

Justin Wagler was the star of the game for the Blue Streaks, as it was his two-run home run in first inning that got them off to a good start.  He also earned a save by pitching three scoreless innings in relief of Wes Kemp, whose RBI double scored the third run in the first that would eventually stand as the margin of victory.

Lake High School senior track athlete Karli Oprian has committed to attend Malone University this fall and run track for the Pioneers.  
She is a four-year letter winner for the Blue Streaks and has achieved multiple awards for her track accomplishments.

In 2011, Karli was an district champion in Div. I in both the 100-meter and 200-meter dash.  She went on to qualify for the OHSAA State Championships, finishing seventh in the state in the 100 and eighth in the 200.

For those efforts, she earned a berth on the All-Ohio Track and Field team.  

She currently holds the Lake High School record in the 100 and 200 and anchors the 4x100 meter relay team.  Karli also holds several meet records at various invitationals held throughout northeast Ohio.

“Karli has been exceptional to work with over the past few years. She has developed into an outstanding person, student and athlete,” Lake track and field coach Matt Pinion said.

“She leads by example with hard work and determination both in the classroom and on the track with a great attitude. She is self-driven to continuously improve, and has taken her natural talent and put the effort into getting better each season.”

Karli earned Academic All-Ohio honors last year with a GPA over 3.5. She plans to major in social work at Malone in addition to her involvement with the Pioneers’ track program.

The Mount Union men's golf team ended strong with 304 on Sunday to finish second at the 2012 Ohio Athletic Conference Men's Golf Championships at River Greens Golf Course in West Lafayette.

Van Nostran-Young and Associates in Hartville and the Lake athletic department have selected the “Student-Athletes of the Month” for April. Named to receive the awards are junior softball player, McKenna Stephens and junior track and field participant, Phil Burt.

The field was brutal at the Stark County Championships track meet.

For the Div. III Lake Center Christian Tigers, success against the likes of Canton McKinley, Louisville, Jackson and Perry was measured not by racking up points and scaling the overall leader board at the meet, but by individual successes and personal triumphs.

Mount Union freshman Tyler Mettille (Canfield/Canfield) and sophomore Levi Simmons (Uniontown/Lake) were named  Ohio Athletic Conference Men's Track & Field Athletes of the Week.

Inside the new Hartville Hardware store is a 1800s-era cabin that was once the home to the area’s first Amish bishop. There’s also a 37,000 square-foot, three-lane drive through lumberyard, a full-service repair shop, 100,000 items including tools, hardware, electrical, clothing, paint, home decor, flooring, appliances, plumbing, garden and outdoor needs, a feed store and a gym – all beneath skylight’s fitted with photocells smart enough to determine how much power is needed to illuminate the nearly seven-acre home decor and builder’s supply store.

Audrey Myers commenced her 2011-12 basketball season on the Malone University basketball floor with her future Pioneers head coach Jason Mishler watching.
She concluded her Lake career with a victory, helping the Stark All-Stars defeat the Summit All-Stars in the 24th annual Stark-Summit Plain Rotary All-Star Classic 85-67.

Mount Union senior Colin Broughton (Hartville/Lake) won his first collegiate tournament in leading the Mount Union men's golf team to a third place finish at the Muskingum Spring Invitational at Eaglesticks Golf Club in Zanesville.

Broughton shot consecutive career-low rounds of 67 to earn medalist honors with a 134. He finished six strokes ahead of Denison's Taylor Ford, who finished second with a 140.

Board approved renewal of three-year contract agreement with Rea & Associates Inc. to assist in its GAAP Conversion for fiscal years 2012, 2013 and 2014 at a fixed cost of $10,500 for each of the three years with no additional charges. The board has worked with Rea & Associates Inc. since 2003.

    A Walsh University alumnus has launched a think tank at the university to help cities adapt to this new economic world order:  The Intelligent Community Forum Institute for the Study of the Intelligent Community. Co-founded by Walsh 1978 graduate Louis Zacharilla, the ICF institute will use technology and a consortium of academics, politicians and businesses leaders to work on ways to keep local economies growing after large industries have left town.

    In practical terms, the job of the ICF Institute at Walsh will be to find the best ways teachers are educating students for the global economy and make those models available to teachers and universities, wherever the institutions are located.

 The Lake Blue Streaks were able to find their way out of many holes. Whether it was a slow start or an early double-digit deficit, they were able to successfully navigate their way out of that abyss and turn it into a victory.
March 3, however, was not their night.

It's election day in Summit and Stark County. Check the Summit County Board of Elections and  the Stark County Elections Board if you don't know your precinct.

Check The Suburbanite for a recap of local issues.

Congratulations to Manchester on their win Saturday over Hoban in the Div. II  finals. The girls play again at 7 p.m. Tuesday in the regionals against Clyde High School, the Bucyrus District champs at Ontario High School. The Panthers are now 24-0. It was their first district title 11 years.

The Lake Athletic Booster Club (LABC) is now accepting applications for the William “Chief” Fetters Scholarship.  Four $1,000 scholarships are awarded each year by the LABC to graduating senior student-athletes. Eligible student-athletes for this scholarship include all participants of Lake Local School District-sponsored sports.  Such participants may be athletes, managers, statisticians (including “Mat Stats”) and student videographers.

The Malone University baseball team, under the direction of ninth-year head coach Tom Crank, will begin the 2012 season by competing in 15 varsity games at the RussMatt Invitational in Arizona March 3-10.