The SHS 2010 varsity Blue Devil Team

Blue Devils football team in hunt for NLL crown
By Kevin Cummings
What do new Springfield head football coach Rob Materni and University of Alabama Head Coach Nick Saban have in common besides being the lead mentors of their respective programs? Well, you can cross two national championships and a stint as head coach of the Miami Dolphins off of Coach Materni’s list.
So what is shared between the two? A workout routine known as the Fourth Quarter Program that both schools utilize. The strength and conditioning workout was implemented at Springfield by previous Blue Devil Head Coach Vince Marrow, who was given the program by Coach Saban.
“The program is supposed to begin in January and run until camp starts, but since Coach Marrow wasn’t hired until April we got a late start last season,” Coach Materni, said. “Even with the late start, the progress the kids made in terms of their strength and conditioning was amazing. Now with the January start, the kids are even farther along than they were last year.

Springfield golfers on par and ready for 2010-11 season
So it is said…baby steps first before you walk. Then walk before you run. And a run toward a Northern Lakes League (NLL) championship, well most likely, will be step one…baby steps.
Both the Springfield boys and girls golf teams appear to have much to conquer and overcome if they hope to be successful this coming season. Not to say it cannot be accomplished, but the linksters will have to spend much time on the course and on their game.
Not impossible by any means, but a numbers crunch, especially with the girls unit, will wreak havoc. The boys are in much the same boat.
“We are real young,” eight-year Head Boys Coach Jamie Schwieterman said. “It also hurts the team that two players, who would have been seniors, decided not to play.
“They would have been anywhere between our No. 4 to No. 6 players, so they would have played a role in our scoring here and there. We will regroup and move on.”
With no seniors on the team, the Blue Devils will lean toward letter winner and No. 1 player Nick Sosnowicz (sophomore). He shoots a consistent 44 for nine holes.

Springfield girls tennis team prepares for fall season
Happy 10th anniversary Springfield girls tennis Head Coach Gina Ciminillo. A traditional gift would include tin or aluminum. The more modern token is diamonds. And although diamonds are said to be a woman’s best friend, the Blue Devil head mentor would be thrilled to be presented with an up-to-date gift known as a Northern Lakes League (NLL) championship.
Coach Ciminillo, who begins her 10th year as Springfield court coach, returns seven letter winners– a group she believes can compete for a NLL title.
“The 10-year mark is special, but is not what this team is about,” Coach Ciminillo, who has won 50 percent of her matches during her tenure, said. “There are some very strong teams in the league, and we want to put ourselves in that group.
“I think if we keep improving with every match and practice, we will be in that group.”
The teams to beat according to Ciminillo include Southview, Anthony Wayne, and Perrysburg. “Those three will be tough to beat,” she said. “Hopefully this season we will win some of the close matches we have lost in the past, surprise some teams and make a run for a league championship.
back to top

Lady Devils gear up for soccer season
By Kevin Cummings
Springfield head girls soccer coach Zak Koralew-ski has been around long enough to know exactly where his team stands in the Northern Lakes League (NLL). With enough said, the head mentor also knows his team is capable of competing for a conference championship, but will most likely tread water throughout the season, finishing in the middle of the league pack, if his guess is correct.
“Anthony Wayne (7-0 in the NLL, 14-3-1 overall) won the league last year and will be strong again this year,” Coach Koralewski said. “However, Northview (5-2 in the NLL last season, 11-6-3 overall) returns arguably the best player in the league in attacking midfielder, Courtney Hendricks. She missed much of last season with a knee injury.”
The Blue Devils were 10-6-2 on the year last campaign and 4-3 in the NLL, while the Yellow Jackets were 6-1 in the conference and 15-3 overall.
back to top

Boys soccer team is ‘on the rise’
Perrysburg has something the Springfield boys soccer team wants–the Northern Lakes League (NLL) championship trophy. And with all things in the equation being considered, this quite possibly could be the year the Blue Devils claim the coveted prize.
Head Coach Eric Swindel, who had served as an assistant coach for the Royal Blue and White the past three seasons, inherits a program that struggled last season under former Head Coach Scott Olds.
In fact, Springfield finished just 8-10 overall last year while compiling a 1-6 slate in the NLL. The mark put the squad in seventh place in the league.
The Yellow Jackets took honors with a mark of 14-4 overall and 7-0 in the conference, while Anthony Wayne (5-1-1 in the NLL) and Northview (4-2-1 in the NLL) also challenged for top honors.
Coach Swindel once again foresees Perrysburg as the team to beat, with the Generals and Wildcats beating on the door and looking to kick it in.
However, a new coach, a flawless home field, and the return of 11 letter winners have brought a renewed optimism to the Springfield program. In all 42 athletes competed for 15 varsity positions.

Small Springfield cross country team faces big task in NLL
By Kevin Cummings
Springfield cross country Head Coach Marty Perlaky is a realist. How can he not be after 15 years at the helm of both the boys and girls cross country teams? The veteran mentor has had much individual talent, but never quite enough to claim a Northern Lakes League (NLL) championship.
If Coach Perlaky has a crystal ball he most likely is foreseeing another season of much the same. The program is hungry but the cupboards are bare. Youth and inexperience will plague the Blue Devils until both teams get their feet wet.
“We are very inexperienced,” Coach Perlaky said. “The biggest thing for both the boys and girls is to get experience in meets. You can run all the time, but until you get into actual race situations, you are kind of lost out there.

New coach, new season for volleyball team
Volleyball coaches in the Northern Lakes League (NLL) know a dynasty when they see one. Entering the 2010 season, give the recent era accolades to Bowling Green, which has reeled off five-consecutive conference championships.
Volleyball coaches in the NLL also know that anything offered–such as the NLL title–is there for the taking. Arms wide open and palms facing upward, Springfield appears prepped and ready to dethrone the Bobcats (18-5 overall, 14-0 in the NLL).
First-year Blue Devil Head Coach McKenna Reitz, who has served as a Royal Blue and White assistant coach and head mentor at Bryan High School for two seasons, now holds the reins of a team which finished 14-8 overall and 9-5 in the NLL a season ago.
The conference mark puts Springfield in third place, a game ahead of Northview (9-4, 8-6) under previous head coach Mark Davidson. Anthony Wayne (13-9, 10-4) and Perrysburg (12-10, 7-7) also are considered contenders.
“The interesting part of the league this year is there are five new head coaches,” Coach Reitz said. “I think that [new coaches] will put the league title up for grabs.

Springfield Schools earn ‘Excellent with Distinction’
Preliminary figures from the Ohio Department of Education indicate that Springfield Local Schools has earned the rank of “Excellent with Distinction” on the annual state report card. Official results were not available at press time, but school officials were optimistic about the preliminary reports.
This marks the first time the district has received the highest ranking on the report card. An official breakdown of the scoring process will be published in next week’s issue of the Journal.
back to top