Lexington Hammers Rams For Season Sweep
For a second straight evening, Lexington clobbered Richland County rival Madison with a 13-0 win at home after blanking the Rams 9-0 at their place the previous night.
The defending OCC champion Minutemen lit up the scoreboard early with four runs in the bottom half of the first before adding another in the second and five more in their offensive half of the third. Lexington then plated a trio of runners in the fourth before closing out the contest midway through the fifth inning via the double-digit run rule.
Senior pitcher Ben Vore was lights out for the Minutemen both on the hill and at the dish, throwing five innings of shutout ball on four hits and two walks while striking out eight Rams batters. Vore also went 2-3 from the plate with 3 RBI and 4 Runs, Mitchell Sheets drove in 3 runs and Kevan Grimm had 2 RBI.
Lexington is now above .500 for the first time this season at 5-4 following an 0-3 start.
Madison falls to 1-8 overall with the loss.
Madison Pulls Away From Galion With 2nd Half Rush
A tight contest between Madison and Galion turned into a run away Rams victory as a strong second half surge put the gain green in the win column as 63-53 victors.
It was just a four-point game at the half with Madison (2-5) leading 30-26 before the Rams found a third quarter spark to create some distance on the scoreboard. Madison outscored the Tigers 19-11 in the stanza and carried their momentum into the fourth with a 7-0 spurt for a commanding 56-37 advantage.
Behind Gage Lackey’s game-best 23 points, including a dozen in the fourth, Galion (2-5) trimmed down the deficit but never got close enough to seriously challenge the Rams. The Tigers also got a big scoring day from Isaiah Alsip who dropped 17, but Madison produced three double-figure scorers with Jashawn Au and Tyler Tackett netting 14 with Jay Jones adding 12.
Whippets Take Down Madison 83-61
There was too much size and experience wearing Shelby uniforms at Madison Junior High for their season opener against an undersized Rams squad who got blown out 83-61 on their home surface.
A monster opening frame had the Whippets comfortably ahead 22-6, an advantage that grew to 43-21 by the break. Shelby then coasted to a 31-point edge into the final stanza before taking their foot off the break as 10 Whippets found their way into the scoring book.
Sophomore transfer T.J. Pugh led all scorers with 16 points while his Shelby teammate Jonny Devito netted 13 off the bench and seniors Uriah Schwemley and Hunter Hoffman both added a dozen each.
Tyler Tackett paced the Madison scoring attack with 15 with Jashawn adding 13, all of which came in the second half of play.
Tygers Take Battle of Mansfield at Malabar
In a special meeting between cross-city rivals Mansfield Senior and Madison at Malabar Intermediate School in Mansfield, the Tygers used a monster third quarter and rebounding edge to secure a 76-53 victory.
With a narrow 33-30 halftime advantage, Senior High put their play into another gear to open the second stanza, outscoring the Rams 21-6 to start the third quarter. The Tygers also pulled down 14 rebounds in the frame to Madison’s three, as they hammered the Rams on the glass for a 55-36 rebounding advantage in the game.
Mansfield Senior received a team-high 17 points from Dontavious Burtin who also grabbed 8 rebounds while Quan Hilory added 14 & 9 with De’Zion Taylor chipping in with 11 points. Jashawn Au was the game’s top scorer with 18 while Tyler Tacket was the only other Ram in double-figures with 10.
Lady Rams Fall At Regionals To Bay
A dominating effort from Madison in the Division II Regional Semifinals would come up just short in a 1-0 loss to Bay at Strobel Field in Sandusky.
The Lady Rams peppered shots on frame from the opening minute, challenging Lady Rockets keeper Maeve Johnston throughout the entire contest, but the senior was up for the challenge. Madison put 28 shots on net, including a multitude of quality attempts by sophomore All-American Taylor Huff and somehow Johnston and the Bay defense were able to keep the high-powered Lady Rams offense off the board for a trip to the Regional finals.
The lone goal of the match came with 19 minutes remaining in the contest off a free kick from roughly 35 yards out that was headed in the corner of the goal by Kealy Sullivan. It was one of only six shot attempts by the Lady Rockets in the match, but proved to be the difference by the final whistle. Madison wraps their season at 16-2-3 as OCC, sectional and district champions.
The Lady Rams will graduate 3 seniors in Amber Jamieson, Caitlyn Zeigler and Victoria Sloan.
Tygers Slash Rams 42-3 In Season Finale
Mansfield Senior came away a with one their biggest wins of the season, smashing cross-city rival Madison 42-3.
The Tygers started scoring early, taking a 7-0 lead after the first quarter on a short Tavion Harris TD run. Angelo Grose then owned the second quarter as he scored on runs of 10 and 20 yards before taking a punt back 67 yards for a touchdown.
The Rams were able to move the ball at times throughout the 1st half but penalties kept Madison out of the end zone. The gain green wouldn't see a score until the third quarter with a 29-yard field goal from James Wagner, accounting for their only points of the contest.
Three players ended the evening with over 100 rushing yards for the Tygers with Grose racking up 124 on 11 carries, Harris adding 115 yds and 2 scores on 14 carries and Titus Arrington rushing for 124 yds and a TD.
The Madison Rams would end their 2018 season at 1-9 while Mansfield Senior would wrap-up their campaign at 5-5.
Arrows Shut Down Madison In 49-0 Blowout
Ashland crushed Madison under the Friday night lights with a 49-0 shutout victory on Rams territory.
The Arrows would strike quickly with quarterback Mitch Heilman completing 5 passes in a 71-yard scoring drive that ended on a Mason Kanz TD reception, who also had a 4-yard rushing score in the game. Heilman finished a perfect 13-13 through the air and added a rushing TD before giving way to the Ashland backups.
The Arrows would conquer the night by scoring 42 points in the first half and cruised to a conference win at Startek Stadium.
Ashland (5-1) now looks ahead to next Friday against Mansfield Senior (2-4) while Madison (1-5) will take on St. Charles (2-4).
Rams Dominate Ontario 4-1
A monster first half by visiting Madison help sink Ontario at their place as the Rams smoked the Warriors 4-1.
On a soggy night, Madison took a 3-0 edge into the break on goals by James Wagner, Gavon Huggins and Ali Rabee, who drilled home a penalty kick just before the end of the first half set up by an Ontario red card. Rabee then found Huggins early in the second half to make it a 4-0 Rams advantage as the Warriors were forced to play shorthanded with 10 players the rest of the way, but did score on a Brennan Blaising free kick to make it a 4-1 final.
For the match, Madison out-shot Ontario 26-8 as they ended the Warriors 4-game winning streak. The Rams (9-1-2) will next travel to Lexington (8-1-0) to play for the OCC championship while Ontario (6-3-0) will host Bay Village (7-1-2).
Late Madison Rally Kicks Ontario 2-1
For the first time all season the Madison girls soccer team found themselves behind on the scoreboard in the second half, but a pair of late goals kept the Lady Rams unbeaten streak intact, knocking off Ontario 2-1.
The match was scoreless at the break with soggy field conditions affecting offensive consistency for both squads, though Madison would produce more scoring opportunities than the Lady Warriors. Possession would be controlled by the Lady Rams for most of the second half as well, but Ontario would get on the board first with a goal from Bria Meisse at the 22:22 mark.
Trailing 1-0 in the waning minutes, Madison would finally find the back of the net on a header by Hannah Schmidt off a beautifully placed corner kick from Trinity Tucker. Then just 27 seconds later, Kari Eckenwiler blasted home the game winning goal from 25 yards away with 8:20 remaining in the match as the Lady Rams held on to stay undefeated.
Madison (11-0-1) will next host Anthony Wayne (9-1-2) while Ontario (5-3-1) will travel to face Galion (2-6-3).
Madison Handles Lex For OCC Championship
For a second year in a row the Madison girls soccer team are champions of the OCC. The Lady Rams clinched the title with a 4-0 win over Lexington to finish conference play undefeated at 6-0-0 without allowing a single goal in league action.
Stud sophomore Taylor Huff netted a trio of Madison goals to give her 16 for the campaign while keeper Paige Eldridge posted her sixth shutout this year. Chesney Davis added a goal and an assist for the state-ranked Lady Rams who remain undefeated on the season.
The win puts Madison at 10-0-1 with a match at Ontario next on the schedule while Lady Lex (5-5-2) will next take on Mansfield Christian.
Wooster Too Much For Madison
Coming off their first win in nearly two full seasons, the Madison football program was unable to carry that momentum into their Week 4 OCC opener against Wooster. The Rams offense was held in check as the Generals rolled to a 35-3 victory at Startek Stadium.
Madison started the game with an onside kick which they recovered but had a sustained drive come to a halt in the red zone. From that point Wooster imposed their will, building a 21-3 haltime edge behind the play of senior QB Dylan Dagley who finished the contest 16-22 for 162 yds and a TD, rushing for 119 yds & 2 scores on just 6 carries.
In the third quarter the Generals put the running clock rule in play as they cruised to a lopsided win despite Miles Bonds rushing for 140 Rams yards.
Next up for Madison (1-3) is a trip to West Holmes (4-0) while Wooster travels to Lexington.
Madison Blows Out Akron North To End Losing Streak
After enduring nearly two full seasons without enjoying a victory, Madison broke their 19-game losing streak in style with a 40-0 blowout of Akron North.
The Rams took a 19-0 edge into the half by capitalizing on Vikings mistakes and converting them into points. Madison then exploded for 21 third-quarter points to put the game out of reach and cruised to a blowout win on senior night.
The Rams (1-2) next open conference play at home against Wooster (1-2).
Madison Stuns Ashland With 3-0 Win
In a battle of unbeaten state-ranked OCC opponents, the defending league champion Lady Rams went on the road and handled Ashland by a final score of 3-0.
The Lady Arrows (5-1-0) entered the match having not surrendered a goal all season, but sophomore stud Taylor Huff put an end to that streak just over 15 minutes into the match to seize momentum on the road for her Madison squad. The Lady Rams (4-0-1) then stunned Ashland with a quick second-half score by sophomore Kari Eckenwiler and the Lady Arrows were never able to respond.
Huff would add a second goal with 16 minutes remaining in the match to secure a Madison win as the Lady Rams put 10 shots on frame to Ashland’s eight, despite losing the battle of possession 54:00-26:31. Madison keeper Paige Eldridge had eight saves to keep the Lady Arrows off the board for the first time this year.
Madison vs Ashland boys soccer
The Madison boys’ soccer team remained undefeated with a 5-1 win over visiting Ashland in OCC play.
James Wagner posted a hat trick for the Rams, who improved to 4-0-2 with the victory, while teammates Logan Davis and Isaac Chitwood also found the back of the net. The Arrows dip to 2-4-0 with the loss, and have now dropped 4 of their last 5 matches.
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River Valley Too Much For Madison
Madison’s home opener to the football season didn’t go as the Rams had hoped in a matchup against visiting River Valley. The Vikings thumped the Rams on their home turf 42-7 to send Madison to 0-2 on the season.
River Valley took control of the contest early by taking a 14-0 first quarter lead. The Rams would get on the board in the second stanza but gave up four touchdowns in the frame to put the game out of reach.
Next up for Madison (0-2) is a home game against Akron North (0-2) while River Valley (1-1) will travel to Highland (1-1).
Madison Gets Trampled By Clear Fork In Jamboree
The football programs at Clear Fork and Madison entered the new season with much different viewpoints following contrasting campaigns in 2017.
The Rams finished last year at 0-10 and welcome a new head coach in Dave Stupka while the Colts won their first 11 games in route to the Regional Semifinals in 2017 with veteran coach Dave Carroll back for his 10th season in the valley.
The teams competed in their final scrimmage before lacing it up for the regular season and the outcome was what you might expect as Clear Fork handled Madison 49-7 in the first two quarters of play. The Rams will begin their season at Shelby while the Colts will host Fredericktown.
Madison’s Softball Run Ends At Regionals
The state-ranked Madison softball squad saw their tournament journey come to a close at the hands of Defiance in the Division II Regional Semifinals at Tiffin, falling to the Bulldogs 9-5.
Sophomore pitcher Sloan Kiser was dealing from the circle early, allowing no Defiance hits through the first 11 batters she faced. The Bulldogs would eventually take a 1-0 edge in the third but the Lady Rams responded with a pair of fourth inning scores to hold a 2-1 advantage heading into the fifth where it all came unglued for Madison.
The first eight hitter Kiser faced in the fifth reached base in some fashion, ending her day with 4.1 IP allowing 6 runs on 6 hits with 7 walks, as Defiance scored five in the inning for a commanding 6-2 lead before Kiser was replaced by senior Mackenzie Mullins, who would allow three more runs in the final two innings.
Madison never quit though, as their senior leaders Morghan Russell, Egypt Murphy and Mullins produced RBI in the sixth and seventh to make it a four-score game, but the Bulldogs would close things out for a Regional title spot.
The Lady Rams finish up their season at 22-5 and will graduate 5 seniors from the District Championship team.
As the high school fall sports season approaches, there’s a new sense of confidence surrounding the Madison girls soccer program. A wealth of speed and versatile talent returns for the Lady Rams who feel determined to improve on last year’s campaign, which won’t be an easy task.
The 2017 season was easily the best in Madison history with the team making a run to their first state final four with a 21-2 overall record. The Lady Rams finished as undefeated OCC champions outscoring their opponents 123-21 for the season, collecting nine shutouts on their way to the programs first regional title.
Only six seniors graduated from last year’s bunch which means head coach Zac Huff has the majority of his roster back for what expects to be another incredible season. Among the returning letter winners is All-American Taylor Huff, who spent most of the summer heading into her sophomore year playing with her International club and Team USA.
Taylor elected to play for Madison instead of Team USA this fall because she has a goal to win a state championship and also has her eye on the Lady Rams single season scoring mark of 36, which she fell just two goals short of achieving as a freshman. Along with Taylor is a solid group of players that can almost all play multiple positions, a dynamic coach Huff says he didn’t really have available to him last season.
The Lady Rams will get tested in their opening match at Clear Fork on August 18, but the team is well aware they’ll have a target on their back this season so Madison should be ready for the Lady Colts best shot.
Madison’s Mission: Journey Back To State
Coach Stupka Brings New Madison Football Philosophy
Coming off a winless season is never an easy task in any sport. Especially when you’re a first-year head coach at a new program.
That’s precisely the task at hand for Madison’s Dave Stupka, though, as the Rams new skipper takes over a squad that finished 0-10 in 2017 and was outscored a combined 485-128.
Stupka says his coaching philosophy is, in essence, an extension of the classroom and plans to teach his kids the fundamental principles of how to compete. He says his team has grown throughout the offseason in their spirit of competition and wants to focus on their progression as the regular season approaches.
Madison kicks off the season on August 23 at Shelby, a matchup they dropped 48-10 last year at home.
Mt Vernon Takes Key OCC Showdown at Madison
In a battle between the last two undefeated squads remaining in OCC play, Mount Vernon would take an exciting 7-6 victory over Madison, Tuesday night at Rams Field.
A win could have clinched a share of the conference title for the state-ranked Lady Rams, who jumped out to an early lead with a monster third inning. After Ohio State-bound Hope Straight smacked a solo home run in the top half of the frame, Madison responded with five runs of their own on a Sloan Kiser RBI single followed by a 2-RBI double from Leah Boggs and a throwing error that plated a pair of runs.
The Yellow Jackets would bounce back with a monster inning of their own, however, placing a six-spot on the scoreboard in an explosive fifth frame. Rams coach Tim Niswander says it’s the most runs his squad has allowed in a single inning of action all season, and it would obviously cost Madison the game.
An RBI single from Morghan Russell in the bottom half of the fifth cut the deficit down to a score, but 1st-Team All-OCC performer Macee Marcum would slam the door shut in the final two frames, retiring six straight batters with four strikeouts to end the contest.
Madison would travel to Mount Vernon two days later where a 9-6 Jackets win clinched the conference championship.
Fast Start Leads Lex Past Madison
Madison head coach Doug Rickert says the 1st inning of games has been “a killer” for his youthful Rams this season. That trend continued in a 10-6 loss to Lexington in Game 1 of a doubleheader with the Minutemen.
Lex peppered Madison starting pitcher Brandon Atwell for 8 runs in the first two innings of play, lighting up the scoreboard for 6 in the opening frame. Minutemen skipper Kevin Morrow says his team has struggled to put away teams after building early leads this season, which Lex would again fail to do against the Rams.
Madison scored 5 unanswered runs with 4 of them coming in the bottom half of the 4th to make it an 8-5 game heading into the final inning of play. The Minutemen would put together a couple of runs in their half of the 7th, however, that helped them close out the game to stay perfect in OCC action.
Jared Strickler picked up the win for Lex giving up 5 runs on 9 hits with 7 K’s in 6 innings of work and going 2-3 from the dish with an RBI and 2 runs. Ben Vore went 2-4, with 2 runs and an RBI, Noah Pack went 1-3 with 2 RBI and Owen Murray went 1-4 with 2 RBI and a run.
Trenton Osborne was 2-2 with 2 RBI for Madison. Teammate Cal Rickert went 2-4 with 2 runs, Bryce Lee went 2-4 with 2 RBI and a run scored, and Bronson Henry finished 2-4 with an RBI.
Big 5th Inning Propels Madison Past Ontario
It took a while for the Madison offensive unit to find their groove in a battle of unbeatens at Ontario but the Lady Rams put together a monster 5th inning to stay perfect with a 7-3 victory. A high wind advisory was in effect at the start of the game which had an effect on Madison senior pitcher Mackenzie Mullins' ability to locate her breaking balls. The Lady Warriors offense took advantage by plating a pair of 3rd inning runs with RBI from Lexi Augustine and Labriana Wallace, increasing their edge to 3-0 through 4 innings on an Addi Kissinger RBI.
Mullins then approached head coach Tim Niswander after pitching her way out of a 1-out bases-loaded jam to end the 4th and suggested fastball specialist Sloan Kiser take her place in the circle, feeling she would have more success. The switch paid off with Kiser throwing 3 innings of scoreless ball and allowing just 2 hits.
The Lady Rams bats then caught fire in the top of the 5th inning, scoring 5 runs on a bases-clearing single from Egypt Murphy and 2 RBI double by Mullins. Leah Boggs added an insurance run in the 6th with an RBI double as the Madison offense generated 12 hits to Ontario’s 7.
Madison remains undefeated at 5-0 heading into the weekend handing the 3-1 Lady Warriors their only loss of the season.
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