A year ago, the rapid growth of Lake Center Christian Junior-Senior High School’s athletics program had gotten slightly ahead of its facilities. The Tigers had track & field teams, but no track.

No problem.

Like a good neighbor, Lake High athletic director Bruce Brown and the Blue Streaks were there. They welcomed LCCS to use their facility.

“I can’t say enough good about the people at Lake,” Lake Center Christian athletic director and track coach John Fuller said. “Bruce sent me their practice schedule and meet schedule and said the rest of the time is yours. He let us use their high jump equipment. Anything I’ve needed.”

According to Fuller, a spirit of cooperation between private and public high schools of the same community is the exception rather than the rule.

“Private schools many times are looked upon as recruiters and taking away athletes,” Fuller said. “Yes we’re private, but we are a Christian school, hoping young people are coming to school here for Christian values, and if they happen to be basketball players, or baseball players, or track athletes that’s fine. But, we’re not stealing athletes from the public school. Lake understands that, and appreciates it, and we have a great relationship. It couldn’t be better.”

Founded in 1947, Lake Center Christian has momentum and Fuller enthusiastically communicates the bright future for the school, which offers a Christ-centered education to students in kindergarten through 12th grade. LCCS graduated its first class of 34 seniors last May and is moving toward a goal of 75 students per grade.

This season, the Tigers have a new crushed limestone track to meet their practice needs. The 19 boys and girls on the varsity track teams and 30 members of the junior high teams are looking forward to their first practice on the new surface.

The track encircles the school’s soccer field and in order to maintain the proper width for soccer the track is more oval in shape.

“Eventually we will have an all-weather track, but it’s not high on the priority list,” said Fuller, who heads up the school’s development efforts as well. For the time being, the Tigers will go on the road for their meets.

The LCCS baseball team won a Division IV sectional championship last spring and the girls’ soccer team won two Division II playoff games last fall. The boys’ basketball team, led by 1,000-point scorer Cody Miller, won a Division IV sectional title during the recently completed season.

Lake Wrestling
Sixteen seniors at Lake High helped to make it the most successful season in Mike Mattingly’s 12 years as head coach.

The Blue Streaks tied Wadsworth for eighth place (40 points) in the OHSAA Division I standings as junior Scott Mattingly (125), senior Tyler Rasho (215), and junior Zack Cline (135) placed 3-4-5, respectively.

“Our seniors provided great leadership,” Mattingly said. “Everybody worked hard, they were good teammates, and they set a good example for the younger kids.
“Often times if a senior can’t be in the starting lineup, then they don’t want to be a part of the team.

“That was not the case. We had a very unselfish group, a tight group, and that’s why we did so well. They were pushing each other and making each other better.”

Coach Mattingly (father of Scott) and assistant coach Dave Cline (father of Zack) devised a good model for coaching their sons. “It’s a fine line when to be the dad and when to be the coach,” Mattingly said. “So, we coach each other’s son.”

Cline had coached at Springfield High for 10 years before joining the Lake staff six or seven years ago.

“We have a great situation here,” Mattingly said. “There is a lot of parental support.”
Lake was 13-1 in dual meets and won the sectional team championship, with 10 wrestlers qualifying for districts. Including the team’s three state placers, six Blue Streaks finished among the top six at the rugged Perry district. Seniors Jared Lijoi (140), Ryan Jones (285), and Chad Rhoades (145) placed 4-5-6, respectively, as Lijoi was the team’s fourth state qualifier.

Lijoi intends to major in physical therapy at Cleveland State and wrestle for the Vikings.

Notes

Miami University junior infielder Jordan Petraitis (Manchester) is a returning first-team All-MAC baseball performer from last spring. Petraitis batted .318 and enjoyed a 27-game hitting streak from March 21-May 9, 2007. …
Junior forward Ian Pfouts (Green) started 22 games for the Hiram College men’s basketball team (8-18). Pfouts averaged 7.2 points and 3.7 rebounds per game. … Junior guard Jeff Johnson (Coventry) appeared in 21 games and scored 35 points for the men’s basketball team at Notre Dame College (14-15).
…
The 2008 Collegiate Basketball Invitational features the nation’s top 64 men’s players from NCAA Divisions II and III, as well as from NAIA Divisions I and II. The second annual event is Apr. 24-26 at Wadsworth High School. A Tip-Off Banquet is slated for Wednesday, Apr. 23, and the concluding All-Star Game will be shown live on ESPNU.