2018 High School Season

The blog has been silent for a while. Club season is well underway with HS open gyms in progress. Let's discuss the upcoming season.

Regional Updates - Who are the teams to beat in each region?
Impact of reclassification - Mt Vernon to D1, Lasalle to D2
What are the State Tourney Regional match-ups this year?
Preseason favorites?
Team discussions. Some items to get discussions going:
Impact of coaching change at Darby?
Does Moeller have depth? Top end talent from 18-1s but not a lot of presence on rest of 18s and 17-1s. Will they need depth?
 
 
Well let's start from the top.

In Division 1, the teams to beat in each region will be:
North - Defending State Champion, St Ignatius
South - Moeller, right behind them St X and Elder
East - Darby, behind them ??
West - Beavercreek, with Northmont and Lakota East being there

Regional Matchups should be the same as 2015 which were:
W1 vs. N2 - Beavercreek vs. St Edward
E1 vs. S2 - Hilliard Davidson vs. Moeller

N1 vs. W2 - St Edward vs. Centerville
S1 vs. E2 - St Xavier vs. Hilliard Darby

Preseason favorites:
Moeller, Darby, St X and the next tier includes St Ignatius, Beavercreek and Elder
 
My top 5 would be:
1. St X
2. Elder
3. Beavercreek
4. Darby
5. Moeller

List of contending teams along with returning starters:
St X - 4
Elder - 3
Beavercreek - Mikesch and at least 1 or 2 others I believe
Darby - 3
Moeller - 2
Ignatius - 2? (Flanagan and Catanzaro?)
Northmont - 2? (Foy and Walker)
 
My top 5 would be:
1. St X
2. Elder
3. Beavercreek
4. Darby
5. Moeller

List of contending teams along with returning starters:
St X - 4
Elder - 3
Beavercreek - Mikesch and at least 1 or 2 others I believe
Darby - 3
Moeller - 2
Ignatius - 2? (Flanagan and Catanzaro?)
Northmont - 2? (Foy and Walker)
Predicted lineups of the GCL, returning starters denoted with an *...

X-
S Kastner (Attack 17-1)
OH1 Pung* (Vanguard 18-1)
OH2 McCarthy* (Attack 18-1) or Hilvert* (Attack 18-2)
MH1 Mauch* (Attack 17-1)
MH2 Thaxton (Attack 17-1) or Ostendorf (Attack 18-2)
RS Connaughton (Attack 17-1), Hilvert, or Moeller (Attack 17-2)
L- Huber* (Attack 18-1)
DS- Zelczak (Attack 18-1)

Moeller-
S Peed* (Attack 18-1)
OH1 Owens (N/A) or Gallagher (N/A)
OH2 Fuller (Attack 16-1) or Haas (Attack 16-1)
MH1 C. Kiser* (Attack 18-1)
MH2 B. Kiser (Attack 18-1)
RS Devolve* (Attack 18-1)
L- Burnett (N/A), Callahan (Attack 17-1), Haas, or Stradley (Attack 16-1)

Elder-
S- Daeschner* (Attack 18-1)
S2- Wauligman (Attack 17-2) or Koewler (Attack 16-1)
OH1- Albers* (Attack 18-1)
OH2- Hargett (Attack 17-2)
MH1- Schatzman* (Attack 18-1)
MH2- Murphy (Attack 17-2), Hicks (Attack 18-2), or Eary (Attack 18-3)
RS- Stapleton (Attack 18-2) or Hoffman (Attack 18-3)
L- Bernard (Attack 17-1) or Dirr (Attack 18-2).

Peed/Kiser is gonna be a tough combination for anyone to stop and I haven't seen a team block Albers since he entered Elders starting lineup just before Centerville Elite last year. But I don't see anyone beating X this year. They're too good, too experienced, and too deep.

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I think LaSalle moving down to D2 is interesting... Was that voluntary?

Anyway, with the team they had last year, LaSalle could have made a serious run at the D2 title I think - but this year, they don't return many guys who contributed last year. Will be interesting to see if a new coach can get them ready for the D2 South regional tournament by the end of the season where they'll have McNick and Badin as the top competition.

I see St. X as the top South region team, Moeller and Elder just behind. I'll give the #2 south spot to Elder based on more experience all around, but Moeller is right there...

Beavercreek will be powered by Mikesch again, and I would venture that he can carry them through to the final 8 again - they will need another couple of guys to step up (Abbitt and others?).

Darby will reload again and be the cream of the crop in the East I think. We will see over the next few years how the coaching change affects the program, but I doubt you see much of a change this year. The #2 spot in the East is up for grabs, I think, since Westerville South graduated a lot of talent. Probably between Olentangy and Dublin Scioto.

Ignatius seems to have quietly built a very fundamentally sound program in the North, and I expect them to be #1 for the North region again. I think St. Ed's could be down a bit (lost Margevicius) and could be beat out by Jackson for the #2 seed.
 
Predicted lineups of the GCL, returning starters denoted with an *...

X-
S Kastner (Attack 17-1)
OH1 Pung* (Vanguard 18-1)
OH2 McCarthy* (Attack 18-1) or Hilvert* (Attack 18-2)
MH1 Mauch* (Attack 17-1)
MH2 Thaxton (Attack 17-1) or Ostendorf (Attack 18-2)
RS Connaughton (Attack 17-1), Hilvert, or Moeller (Attack 17-2)
L- Huber* (Attack 18-1)
DS- Zelczak (Attack 18-1)

Moeller-
S Peed* (Attack 18-1)
OH1 Owens (N/A) or Gallagher (N/A)
OH2 Fuller (Attack 16-1) or Haas (Attack 16-1)
MH1 C. Kiser* (Attack 18-1)
MH2 B. Kiser (Attack 18-1)
RS Devolve* (Attack 18-1)
L- Burnett (N/A), Callahan (Attack 17-1), Haas, or Stradley (Attack 16-1)

Elder-
S- Daeschner* (Attack 18-1)
S2- Wauligman (Attack 17-2) or Koewler (Attack 16-1)
OH1- Albers* (Attack 18-1)
OH2- Hargett (Attack 17-2)
MH1- Schatzman* (Attack 18-1)
MH2- Murphy (Attack 17-2), Hicks (Attack 18-2), or Eary (Attack 18-3)
RS- Stapleton (Attack 18-2) or Hoffman (Attack 18-3)
L- Bernard (Attack 17-1) or Dirr (Attack 18-2).

Peed/Kiser is gonna be a tough combination for anyone to stop and I haven't seen a team block Albers since he entered Elders starting lineup just before Centerville Elite last year. But I don't see anyone beating X this year. They're too good, too experienced, and too deep.

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Great list! Would be cool if someone could do the same for teams like Beavercreek, Darby, and Ignatius. Certainly seems to show X has the most top level (18-1 and 17-1) talent and depth compared to Moe and Elder.
 
Great list! Would be cool if someone could do the same for teams like Beavercreek, Darby, and Ignatius. Certainly seems to show X has the most top level (18-1 and 17-1) talent and depth compared to Moe and Elder.


I’ll try—— off top my head...

Darby- all VanGuard

Buelow 18-1
Dom 18-1
Platfoot 18-1
Ansel 17-1
Byrd 18-1/18-2
Geise 17-1
Hill 18-2
Hermesia 17-1







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Now that club has officially ended for the summer does anyone have any thoughts on how this high school season might play out?
 
Quite a few predictions above. I'll throw out some guesses for 1st team all state. I will only guess at Division 1

POY - Mikesch, Beavercreek
Pung, X
Huber, X
Daeschner, Elder
Walker, Northmont
Catanzaro, Ignatius
Buelow, Darby

2nd Team
Kiser, Moeller
Albers, Elder
Giller, Upper Arlington
Skerl, Centerville
Foy, Northmont
Burke, Gahanna
*TBD from North Region*
 
List of Vanguard Gold Players, to watch for the 2018 High School Season and the honors they got in 2017

Parker Mikesch Sr. Beavercreek D.I- 18 Gold, 1st team All-League (POY),
1st team All-Region 1st team All-State

Kevin Gallagher Sr. St. Charles D.II- 18 Gold, 1st team All-League (POY),
1st team All-Region 1st team All-State

Ben Pung Sr. St Xavier D.I- 18 Gold, 1st team All-League, 2nd team All-Region, HM All-State

Russell Burke Sr. Gahanna D.I- 18 Gold, 1st team All-League, 2nd team All-Region HM All-State

Alex Mclean Jr. St. Charles D.II- 17 Gold, 1st team All-League, 1st team All-Region HM All-State

Justin Sharfenaker Jr. Briggs D,II- 18 Gold, 1st team All-League (POY),
2nd team All-Region.

Nathan Lancia Jr. St. Charles- 17 Gold, 1st team All-League, 2nd team All-Region

Jack Proctor Jr. Coffman D.I- 17 Gold 1st team All-League, HM All-Region

Gage Giller Sr. Upper Arlington D.I- 18 Gold 1st team All-League, HM All-Region

Tommy Poole So. Jerome D.I- 17 Gold- 1st team All-League, HM All-Region
Noah Platfoot So. Darby D.I- 18 Gold- 2nd team All-League, HM All-Region
Aaric Gossett Sr. Olentangy D.I- 18 Gold- 2nd team All-League
Scott Broadright Sr. Westerville Central D.I- 18 Gold 2nd team All-League
Mark Burns Sr. Upper Arlington D.I- 18 Gold 2nd team All-League
Collin Buelow Sr. Darby D.I- 18 Gold 2nd team All-League
 
Last edited:
Tryouts are over, rosters are set:

What are some of the matches to keep an eye on in the early part of this season?

Friday 4/6 is Moe vs Elder @ Elder - should be a early indicator of how both teams have bounced back. Wouldn't be surprised to see Moe win this, as the usually come out of the gates a bit quicker, and Elder seems to gain steam going into the tourney.

Any under the radar type players that will shine during the HS season? (Younger guys on Varsity, guys who don't play club, etc.)

I'm looking forward to a fun season of boys volleyball in Ohio. Also happy about it's continued growth (and hopefully OHSAA sanctioning soon).
 
Tryouts are over, rosters are set:



What are some of the matches to keep an eye on in the early part of this season?



Friday 4/6 is Moe vs Elder @ Elder - should be a early indicator of how both teams have bounced back. Wouldn't be surprised to see Moe win this, as the usually come out of the gates a bit quicker, and Elder seems to gain steam going into the tourney.



Any under the radar type players that will shine during the HS season? (Younger guys on Varsity, guys who don't play club, etc.)



I'm looking forward to a fun season of boys volleyball in Ohio. Also happy about it's continued growth (and hopefully OHSAA sanctioning soon).



Quad match this Saturday between what I’d think will be the top 4 teams from central Ohio.

Mt Vernon (now Div I and host)
Hilliard Davidson
Olentangy
Hilliard Darby


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Quad match this Saturday between what I’d think will be the top 4 teams from central Ohio.

Mt Vernon (now Div I and host)
Hilliard Davidson
Olentangy
Hilliard Darby


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This Saturday? Are they scrimmages?
 
Preseason Rankings are out

http://www.ohioboysvolleyball.com/index.php/team-ranking
Div 1
Archbishop Moeller (6) - 203
2. - Elder (3) - 198
3. - St. Xavier (8) - 182
4. - Hilliard Darby (2) - 158
5. - Beavercreek (1) - 140
6. - St. Ignatius (4) - 138
7. - Centerville - 62
8. - Olentangy - 56
9. - Lakota East - 26
10- Northmont - 26
..... Hilliard Davidson - 20
..... St. Edward - 13
..... Jackson - 12
..... Westerville South - 12
Div 2
1. - Archbishop Alter (22) - 236
2. - Archbishop Hoban - 169
3. - Bishop Fenwick - 129
4. - Walsh Jesuit (1) - 126
5. - St. Charles - 111
6. - Archbishop McNicholas (1) - 110
7. - St. Francis DeSales - 98
8. - Dublin Scioto - 70
9. - Carroll - 56
10- Roger Bacon - 34
..... Bishop Watterson - 30
..... Chaminade-Julienne - 27
..... Kent Roosevelt - 16
..... Worthington Kilbourne - 13

Region Polls
East Region
1. - Hilliard Darby - 59
2. - Olentangy - 52
3. - St. Charles - 32
4. - Gahanna Lincoln - 30
5. - Hilliard Davidson - 30
6. - Mt. Vernon - 27
7. - St. Francis DeSales - 24
8. - Dublin Scioto - 22
9. - Olentangy Liberty - 19
10- Pickerington North - 11
North
1. - St. Ignatius - 60
2. - Archbishop Hoban - 52
3. - Walsh Jesuit - 46
4. - Jackson - 39
5. - Hudson - 28
6. - Kent Roosevelt - 19
7. - Stow - Munroe Falls - 19
8. - Brecksville-Broadview Hts. - 17
9. - Brunswick - 17
10- St. Edward - 15
South Region
1. - St. Xavier - 54
2. - Elder - 52
3. - Archbishop Moeller - 45
4. - Archbishop McNicholas - 38
5. - LaSalle - 37
6. - Oak Hills - 25
7. - Fairfield - 21
8. - Loveland - 14
9. - Mason - 14
10- Princeton - 14
West
1. - Beavercreek - 58
2. - Archbishop Alter - 51
3. - Northmont - 44
4. - Lakota East - 40
5. - Centerville - 36
6. - Bishop Fenwick - 33
7. - Carroll - 30
8. - Kettering Fairmont - 17
9. - Chaminade-Julienne - 11
10- Middletown - 5
 
Week Ending 4/1/2018

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State Poll 4/1/2018


Division 1

1. - Archbishop Moeller (10) - 198
2. - St. Xavier (8) - 173
3. - Elder (1) - 163
4. - Olentangy (1) - 123
5. - Hilliard Darby - 115
6. - Beavercreek (1) - 111
7. - St. Ignatius (1) - 105
8. - Centerville - 45
9. - Northmont - 41
10- Lakota East - 34
..... Mt. Vernon - 32
..... Upper Arlington - 12
..... Gahanna Lincoln - 6
..... Oak Hills - 6

Division 2
1. - Archbishop Alter (18) - 213
2. - St. Charles (2) - 157
3. - Archbishop Hoban - 152
4. - Bishop Fenwick - 139
5. - Walsh Jesuit - 101
6. - LaSalle (1) - 90
7. - Archbishop McNicholas (1) - 81
8. - St. Francis DeSales - 75
9. - Carroll - 56
10- Chaminade-Julienne - 42
..... Dublin Scioto - 27
..... Bishop Watterson - 22
..... Roger Bacon - 10
..... Briggs - 7
 
D1:

Surprised with Olentangy---defeating Elder over the weekend but dropping their opening match to St. Charles. Darby went 2-3 at the Tiger Classic, which is a tough tournament. Big week in D1 with some big matches that can shake up the poll:

Northmont @ Beavercreek - Tuesday
Moeller @ Beavercreek- Wednesday
Moeller @ Elder - Friday
St. X vs Hoban/Walsh/St. Iggy over the weekend

D2: not much movement there, but surprised Alter dropped a match to Mt. Vernon who is 3-3 now.
 
The Olentangy-Elder result is also curious because then Olentangy dropped a set against Mount Vernon and Fairmont that same day. Does this say more about Olentangy's ability to compete with the best in the state or maybe is Elder not as good as people thought? Time will tell, think these two play again in a Tri-match later this month.

Did Moeller not go to Chicago this year for the Tiger Classic? I know typically they and Darby are the only Ohio teams that go.
 
The Olentangy-Elder result is also curious because then Olentangy dropped a set against Mount Vernon and Fairmont that same day. Does this say more about Olentangy's ability to compete with the best in the state or maybe is Elder not as good as people thought? Time will tell, think these two play again in a Tri-match later this month.

Did Moeller not go to Chicago this year for the Tiger Classic? I know typically they and Darby are the only Ohio teams that go.



Just Darby in Chicago


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Has anyone seen Elder, X, Moeller, Darby, or Olentangy that could provide starters for each team?



Starters For Darby

Buelow Sr
Platfoot SO
Hart SO
Ansel SO
Dom JR
Hermasia JR

7 SO on Varsity- 5 playing regularly



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Seen on Elder's Yappi page:

S - Daeschner
OH- Albers
OH- Hargett
MH - Schatzman
MH - Hicks
OPP - Stapleton
L - Dirr
DS - Bernard (For Stapleton)

St. X

Looks like they are still deciding between a 5-1 and 6-2 when looking at online stats.

S - Kastner
S - Sorce
OH - Pung
OH - McCarthy
MH - Mauch
MH - Thaxton
OPP - Hilvert
L - Huber
DS- Zelczak
 
Week ending in 4-8-2018

Division 1

1. - Archbishop Moeller (15) - 211
2. - St. Xavier (7) - 200
3. - Elder - 151
4. - Olentangy - 132
5. - Beavercreek - 124
6. - Hilliard Darby - 119
7. - St. Ignatius - 92
8. - Centerville - 63
9. - Northmont - 37
10- Mt. Vernon - 25
..... Lakota East - 24
..... Gahanna Lincoln - 7
..... Jackson - 7
..... Westerville Central - 7

Division 2
1. - Archbishop Alter (20) - 217
2. - St. Charles (1) - 188
3. - Archbishop Hoban (1) - 160
4. - Bishop Fenwick - 147
5. - Walsh Jesuit - 127
6. - LaSalle - 101
7. - Archbishop McNicholas - 72
8. - St. Francis DeSales - 66
9. - Carroll - 41
10- Chaminade-Julienne - 24
..... Kent Roosevelt - 18
..... Bishop Watterson - 11
..... Dublin Scioto - 11
..... Briggs - 9

East
1. - Olentangy - 39
2. - Hilliard Darby - 37
3. - St. Charles - 32
4. - Gahanna Lincoln - 26
5. - Hilliard Davidson - 22
6. - Mt. Vernon - 22
7. - Olentangy Liberty - 8
8. - St. Francis DeSales - 8
9. - Pickerington North - 7
10- Dublin Jerome - 5

North
1. - St. Ignatius - 60
2. - Archbishop Hoban - 51
3. - Walsh Jesuit - 47
4. - Jackson - 37
5. - Brecksville-Broadview Hts. - 25
6. - Kent Roosevelt - 25
7. - Stow - Munroe Falls - 21
8. - Hudson - 20
9. - Brunswick - 18
10- St. Edward - 15

South
1. - Archbishop Moeller - 58
2. - St. Xavier - 54
3. - Elder - 50
4. - LaSalle - 32
5. - Oak Hills - 32
6. - Fairfield - 31
7. - Archbishop McNicholas - 19
8. - Loveland - 19
9. - Mason - 13
10- Milford - 7

West
1. - Beavercreek - 58
2. - Archbishop Alter - 53
3. - Centerville - 47
4. - Lakota East - 40
5. - Northmont - 38
6. - Bishop Fenwick - 31
7. - Kettering Fairmont - 21
8. - Carroll - 20
9. - Chaminade-Julienne - 14
10- Lakota West - 4
 
Seen on Elder's Yappi page:

S - Daeschner
OH- Albers
OH- Hargett
MH - Schatzman
MH - Hicks
OPP - Stapleton
L - Dirr
DS - Bernard (For Stapleton)

St. X

Looks like they are still deciding between a 5-1 and 6-2 when looking at online stats.

S - Kastner
S - Sorce
OH - Pung
OH - McCarthy
MH - Mauch
MH - Thaxton
OPP - Hilvert
L - Huber
DS- Zelczak
X runs a 5-1 with Kastner. Sorce's high assist tally comes from the fact that they've been destroying teams and frequently bench starters in 2nd and 3rd sets.

Only lineup tweak they've tinkered with is sliding Hilvert to MH to replace Thaxton, who's the only weak spot of their lineup. Connaughton plays the RS when that happens.

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