Predictions for State semi finals

[soccerfan17]

Thoughts for wednesdays games???

D1
Ignatius Vs Medina
Moeller vs St Charles

D2
Waterson vs Tippecanoe
Mentor Lake Catholic vs Revere

D3
Osbourne vs Ottovile
Waynesville vs Worthington Christian

 

[DAWGS08]

D1
Ignatius Vs Medina (2-1 OT)
Moeller vs St Charles (1-0)

D2
Waterson vs Tippecanoe (2-1)
Mentor Lake Catholic vs Revere (3-1)

D3
Osbourne vs Ottovile (2-1)
Waynesville vs Worthington Christian (3-1)

 

[WHS1991]

Let’s go Waynesville!

 

[soccerdad72]

Some of these will be total guesses (I don't follow Columbus or Cincy soccer):

D1
Ignatius Vs Medina
Moeller vs St Charles

D2
Waterson vs Tippecanoe
Mentor Lake Catholic vs Revere

D3
Osbourne vs Ottovile
Waynesville vs Worthington Christian

This might be the year for Medina, but I'm not completely sold on this year's team, despite being ranked #1 for most of it. Ignatius is young and has had some losses this year, but they just seem to have Medina's number year after year.

Lake Catholic has been steamrolling everyone this year, but I think Revere is a more complete team and plays a tougher schedule, so they should be ready.

Other games are total guesses - I assume that Andrews Osborne's crop of international kids this year is really good, but their team is completely different every year, so nobody knows what to expect.

 

[winbypin]

D1
Ignatius
Moeller

D2
Tippecanoe
Revere

D3
Osbourne
Worthington Christian

 

[tcgobucks]

Can someone explain to me how a team like Andrews Osborne was put together? Read today that they have players from 11 different countries......with 11 players from Spain alone. How do they qualify to play in the OHSAA tourney. I did notice that in the final coaches poll they didn't get any votes. Were other coaches just not voting for them because they are basically an international team? FYI.....Ottoville is a town of 975 people in Putnam County with a total HS enrollment of 175 kids....50 boys in the top 3 grades. There is no world where these two teams should be in the same division

 

[bluengold]

Andrews Osborne (16-0-1)
schedule: https://www.maxpreps.com/oh/willoughby/andrews-osborne-academy-phoenix/soccer/schedule/

Lake County News-Herald articles:

state semifinals:

Andrews Osborne-Ottoville boys soccer state semifinal capsule

Andrews Osborne has made history before it even steps on the bus westward for Clyde.

www.news-herald.com

background on AO and its team

Andrews Osborne boys soccer: Ishmael Mensah, Manu Nieto paths to AOA embody beauty, reach of world’s game

Crossing an ocean — and navigating so much more than that — Ishmael Mensah may not have foreseen a present or future in Northeast Ohio from his native Ghana all that long ago.

www.news-herald.com

Andrews Osborne boys soccer: As usual, Phoenix plot unique journey deep into postseason

Andrews Osborne faces several challenges as it fields a side each fall in boys soccer.

www.news-herald.com

The day and boarding, college prep school has been in existence since 1910.

A Private Boarding School in Willoughby, OH

Located In Willoughby, OH, Andrews Osborne Academy is a Private Co-ed Day & Boarding School For Grades PK - 12.

www.andrewsosborne.org

 

[tcgobucks]

Wow, I hope they feel good about beating up on a small town team playing with all hometown kids looking at a once in a lifetime opportunity. Interesting part was that their top player "followed" the new head of the school here from another school in Connecticut this year. How many HS aged kids from Ghana can afford to attend a boarding school that costs over $60k per year?

 

[soccerdad72]

Because they’re a boarding school, nearly their whole team is international and only there for a year (maybe two). Son’s team played them two years in a row. First year (Covid year), they had only local area kids and we blew them out. Second year, only one of the players from the year before was on the team, nearly all international kids, and we lost like 4-2. It happened to be their Senior Day and all but one of their seniors were walked out by their host family.

They often start out the season with a few losses, basically because it takes a few weeks for these kids to just learn each other’s names, let alone how to play together.

Western Reserve Academy is similar but because they also have post-grad (5th year seniors) players, they don’t qualify for the playoffs. In the past, I thought AOA was the same, but not in the last few years.

 

[Who_Dey_Beanie]

I usually just shrug my shoulders when people ask for a private school division, but this seems like a good case. Good luck to Ottoville!

 

[WHS1991]

Waynesville is quick and their defense is pretty solid. I know nothing about Worthington Christian except they finished number one in the poll.

 

[Artists&Warriors]

Moeller will beat St Charles and then will be favored over Medina/Ignatius on paper (I would lean Medina in what looks like a near 50/50 game). Personally I don't see them losing. I'll go 2-0 over St Charles and 1-0 over whoever emerges from the other semi.

 

[Salad76]

Andrews Osborne (16-0-1)
schedule: https://www.maxpreps.com/oh/willoughby/andrews-osborne-academy-phoenix/soccer/schedule/

Lake County News-Herald articles:

state semifinals:

Andrews Osborne-Ottoville boys soccer state semifinal capsule

Andrews Osborne has made history before it even steps on the bus westward for Clyde.

www.news-herald.com

background on AO and its team

Andrews Osborne boys soccer: Ishmael Mensah, Manu Nieto paths to AOA embody beauty, reach of world’s game

Crossing an ocean — and navigating so much more than that — Ishmael Mensah may not have foreseen a present or future in Northeast Ohio from his native Ghana all that long ago.

www.news-herald.com

Andrews Osborne boys soccer: As usual, Phoenix plot unique journey deep into postseason

Andrews Osborne faces several challenges as it fields a side each fall in boys soccer.

www.news-herald.com

The day and boarding, college prep school has been in existence since 1910.

A Private Boarding School in Willoughby, OH

Located In Willoughby, OH, Andrews Osborne Academy is a Private Co-ed Day & Boarding School For Grades PK - 12.

www.andrewsosborne.org

Only team in the state where their CB number (98) is more than double their enrollment (40).

Though that number appears to be low considering they have 24 international kids on the roster.

Shouldn't they all be +7?

 

[soccerdad72]

Only team in the state where their CB number (98) is more than double their enrollment (40).

Though that number appears to be low considering they have 24 international kids on the roster.

Shouldn't they all be +7?

Wouldn't that number be based on a prior year? I know they had a couple local area kids (maybe not from Willoughby, but not international) on rosters in the past few years,

 

[tcgobucks]

Wouldn't that number be based on a prior year? I know they had a couple local area kids (maybe not from Willoughby, but not international) on rosters in the past few years,

If schools are going to start doing this.....the CB number needs to be recalculated every year.....lol. This is an absolute joke

 

[soccerdad72]

If schools are going to start doing this.....the CB number needs to be recalculated every year.....lol. This is an absolute joke

Honestly, there’s not a lot of schools that would be in a position to do what AOA does.

 

[winbypin]

Has AOA won any state titles before?

 

[ELKSONE]

I predict a 2018 Moeller and Medina rematch with Moeller taking the title 1-0 in OT.

 

[soccerdad72]

Has AOA won any state titles before?

No, I think this is their first final 4

 

[bucksman]

AO was not in the state poll because their coach did not join the state coaches association.

The CB number for this season was based on the 2022 team roster, enrollment based on the fall 2021 count.

 

[tcgobucks]

AO was not in the state poll because their coach did not join the state coaches association.

The CB number for this season was based on the 2022 team roster, enrollment based on the fall 2021 count.

Garbage either way......a recruited international team has no business playing in an OHSAA sanctioned tourney in any division

 

[winbypin]

Garbage either way......a recruited international team has no business playing in an OHSAA sanctioned tourney in any division

Were they recruited for soccer?

 

[tcgobucks]

Were they recruited for soccer?

Gee.....ya think? Their coach is a former pro from Croatia. Kinda hard to believe they all just magically found this little school in NE Ohio because it was a good place to get a $63,000 / year education lol

 

[winbypin]

Gee.....ya think? Their coach is a former pro from Croatia. Kinda hard to believe they all just magically found this little school in NE Ohio because it was a good place to get a $63,000 / year education lol

They all came from around the world to win a D3 state championship in soccer in Ohio? Ok

 

[tcgobucks]

They all came from around the world to win a D3 state championship in soccer in Ohio? Ok

So you're telling us that a kid from Ghana who happens to be a world class soccer player moved to Connecticut to a boarding school....then a year later followed his "great friend" who just happened to get the job as the head of the school at a $63,000 / year boarding school in Ohio is just a coincidence? How many HS kids from Ghana can afford to come to the US to get a $63,000/year education because they are great with computers? Asking for a friend lol

 

[winbypin]

So you're telling us that a kid from Ghana who happens to be a world class soccer player moved to Connecticut to a boarding school....then a year later followed his "great friend" who just happened to get the job as the head of the school at a $63,000 / year boarding school in Ohio is just a coincidence? How many HS kids from Ghana can afford to come to the US to get a $63,000/year education because they are great with computers? Asking for a friend lol

Is he truly "world class"? If so, why isn't he in Europe playing for one of their clubs?

 

[Old_School]

There are many exchange students looking for host families before the school year begins. Find a loophole where your schools families who's son/daughter participate in soccer accept being host parents. Have them cherry pick the soccer players out of that exchange pool and you got yourself your own little international soccer team for the high school season.

Is it a wild suggestion? Perhaps.
Does it give your hometown team an unfair competitive advantage? Perhaps.
Is it legal? As long as the host parents are willing to put up with a 14-18 year old foreign student for 10 months, absolutely!

 

[Salad76]

Wouldn't that number be based on a prior year? I know they had a couple local area kids (maybe not from Willoughby, but not international) on rosters in the past few years,

Yes, but their roster changes every year, almost entirely.

This year it's 24 of 30 international kids.

The loophole is a Visa only counts as a +1 instead of a +7.

I think that's fine if you have a kid or two... but 24? Limit it to say 3. After that everyone is a +7.

 

[Salad76]

If schools are going to start doing this.....the CB number needs to be recalculated every year.....lol. This is an absolute joke

I've never understood why they do it in the spring. What's the hurry?

Just base it on first day numbers. Give schools a deadline to report numbers.

 

[soccerdad72]

Yes, but their roster changes every year, almost entirely.

This year it's 24 of 30 international kids.

The loophole is a Visa only counts as a +1 instead of a +7.

I think that's fine if you have a kid or two... but 24? Limit it to say 3. After that everyone is a +7.

Trust me, I agree with you. I was just saying that it's possible that their CB numbers weren't as high as they should be because the makeup of a prior year's roster might not have been as heavy with international players.

I also agree that they shouldn't be allowed in the OHSAA playoffs. But I question whether anyone at AOA is going out of their way to recruit soccer players just to they can win a state championship. They recruit a lot of international students in general for the school.