Williamsburg juniors Carly Wagers and Peyton Fisher embrace in the circle after the final out of Williamsburg’s 3-2 win in the state title game on June 3, 2017.
The University of Cincinnati – Clermont Cougars defeated Penn State Greater Allegheny 6-3 in May of 2013 to win the USCAA Small College World Series.

By Garth Shanklin
Sports Editor

This edition of The Clermont Sun marks the first of a new decade, so it’s a perfect time to reminisce over the past 10 years.

From 2010 to 2019, Clermont County saw several individual state champions, the area’s first girls team champion in any sport, and a host of memorable postseason runs.

2010: Glen Este’s Michelle Thomas wins two state championships, Clermont softball teams battle in regionals

In the spring of 2010, Glen Este junior Michelle Thomas started an impressive streak. Thomas started the decade by winning the Division I 3200-meter run title, finishing in 10:46.59 to take the crown.

Six months later, Thomas returned to the top of the podium again. She started her senior year by taking the Division I cross country title at Scioto Downs in Columbus, finishing that event in 17:41.5.

For her performance in the fall, Thomas would earn the Ohio Girls Cross Country Runner of the Year award from Gatorade and ESPN Rise.

She finished 2010 third overall at the Nike Cross Nationals Midwest Regional, and her time of 19:47.8 was good for 33rd out of 199 runners in the national finals.

That same year, a pair of Clermont County softball teams put together outstanding spring seasons.

The Felicity-Franklin Lady Cardinals finished the regular-season 17-1 overall thanks in large part to pitcher Montana Wear.

The Felicity-Franklin High School girls basketball team advanced to the regional final in 2015 for the first time in school history, finishing the year 25-3 overall.

Wear tossed 10 no-hitters for the Lady Cardinals in 2010, a number that to this day is tied for second-most in state history for one campaign. Her .10 ERA for the year would also be among the best in the state for a single season.

Wear’s name is still all over the state record books. She holds the all-time record for no-hitters in a career (28) and she’s eighth in career strikeouts (1,251). Clermont Northeastern’s Emily Anderson, who graduated in 2013, is fifth on that same list.

Wear and the Lady Cardinals rose to No. 8 in the Associated Press poll before falling to the Williamsburg Lady Wildcats in the regional semifinal at Tippecanoe on May 26, 2010.

The 2010 Lady Wildcats were led offensively by Tara Dennis and Courtney Wagers, both of whom hit over .430 for the season. Rachel Meisberger won 15 games for Williamsburg, striking out 261 batters.

2011: Milford’s girls soccer team falls in regional final, Goshen’s Gresham wins title

The 2011 Milford Lady Eagles won 17 games, the most for a single season in school history, en route to an appearance in the regional final.

Milford started out the season with wins over Lebanon and Lakota East before falling to Ursuline 3-1. After that loss, Milford went on a tear, winning nine straight and 11 of 13 to close out the regular season.

In the postseason, Milford started with a 4-1 defeat of Amelia and a 4-0 win over Oak Hills. The Lady Eagles defeated Troy 5-1 to win a district title, the second district championship in school history and first since 2006.

In the regional semifinal, Milford defeated Beavercreek 2-1 to advance to the regional final, where they dropped a 1-0 decision to Centerville.

In all, Milford posted a 17-3-1 record in 2011, collecting 11 shutouts to tie a program record.

Head coach Pat Winkler earned Fort Ancient Valley Conference coach of the year honors, while Morgan Wolcott was named the player of the year and a first-team all-league performer. She was joined on the first team by Maddie Bunnell, Megan Canter and Kiersten Johnson.

That would be the final season of the FAVC, as the conference folded and Milford moved to the Eastern Cincinnati Conference for the 2012-2013 season.

Clermont Countians also saw individual success in 2011. For starters, Thomas won her third state championship in the spring, dominating the 3200-meter run. She finished the event in 10:48.54, and as she told then-Sun sports editor Rick Crawford, the second championship race was a lot different than the first.

“I thought everyone would start faster,” Thomas said in June of 2011. “My dad and coach (Angie) Carson and coach Holly (Schwalbach) told me I wasn’t going to lead after the first lap, but that I should take over after the second lap. I took over after lap two because I felt I needed to go. I was surprised a lot that I won like I did. I thought I’d be racing close to the end.”

Thomas was not the only Clermont County state champion in 2011. In March, Goshen’s Chaz Gresham won the Warriors’ first state title since Mike Holcomb won the heavyweight wrestling crown in 1978-1979.

Goshen’s Chaz Gresham won state championships for the Warriors in 2011 and 2012, defeating St. Paris Graham’s Huston Evans in both matches.

Gresham pinned his first two opponents in the first period. He then defeated Dover’s Keith Johnson 6-4 in the semifinals to advance to the title bout.

The championship match was a rematch for Gresham against St. Paris Graham’s Huston Evans. Evans, a defending state champion at 171 pounds, had defeated Gresham in overtime for the district title.

That result was motivation, according to Chaz, as he told Crawford in 2011.

“Before the tournament I was nervous and excited at the same time,” Gresham said. “I was anxious for the match with (Evans), but I was very nervous. I wanted to get even and this match was more important than the one the week before. We shook hands and the nervousness just went away.”

The state championships were a family affair for Gresham in 2011, as while he was winning in Division II, his step-brother (and Goshen resident) Joey Ward was on his way to a 125-pound title for Moeller.

Ward took a bit of a tougher route to the title, winning three of his bouts by decision, including a 2-1 win over Wadsworth’s Kagan Squire in the finals.

2012: Batavia football wins first-ever playoff game, Gresham repeats as state champ

The 2012 Batavia Bulldogs made history on the gridiron, finishing with a perfect 10-0 regular-season mark and earning a postseason win for the first time in school history.

Batavia’s offense rolled along in 2012, with the Bulldogs tallying at least 40 points in seven of the team’s 10 regular-season games and eight of the 12 games overall.

Thirteen seniors led Batavia to the playoffs for the third time ever, earning the right to host a playoff game for the second time in school history. Batavia would take on Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy and defeat the Eagles 46-27.

Prior to the contest, then-Batavia coach Don Sizer told Clermont Sun sports editor Chris Chaney the Bulldogs had no plans to change things up before the game.

“We’re going to dance with the girl we came with: running the ball and playing some tough defense and being solid on special teams,” Sizer said. “We’re just going to try and play our game.”

Zainn Ison totaled 146 yards and two touchdowns on 22 carries for the Bulldogs. KeShawn Foley finished with 174 yards and four scores on 16 attempts against CHCA.

Batavia’s run ended in the regional semifinal with a 42-13 loss to current Southern Buckeye Athletic and Academic Conference foe Clinton-Massie. The Falcons would go on to win the Division IV state championship in 2012, the first of two straight titles for the program.

Clermont County also had a repeat state champion in 2012, as Goshen’s Gresham did it again for the Warriors.

This one was a bit different and more difficult, according to then-Goshen head coach Dallas Rise.

“He didn’t really have the easiest route to the finals,” Rise said. “The guys that he beat in the quarter- and semifinals ended up coming in third and fourth, so he was actually on the tougher side of the bracket.”

Gresham won his first match 16-6 and his second with a 50-second pin.

In the semifinals, he defeated Milan Edison’s Jordan Cole via a 22-7 tech fall. An early illegal slam call put Gresham behind in the rematch with St. Paris Graham’s Evans, but a third-period escape and a stalling call on Evans sent the match into overtime.

Evans continued to stall in the overtime period, prompting the referee to end the match.

Gresham finished his career as a four-time state placer for the Warriors. He found his way to the podium as a freshman in 2009, placing eighth in the Division II 135-pound class. As a sophomore, Gresham finished third in the 152-pound bracket.

For his career, Gresham totaled a 174-14 record. He finished his senior season with a perfect 32-0 mark, according to the OHSAA’s state tournament archive.

The year was also a big one for the Felicity-Franklin softball team, as Wear and the Lady Cardinals advanced to state for the first time in school history.

Felicity did so by defeating CNE 1-0 at Wright State University thanks in large part to Wear, who held the Lady Rockets off the board for her 20th shutout of the season. She struck out 12.

The lone run of the game scored with two outs in the third inning on a line drive to second base. The ball was misplayed, allowing a runner to score from second.

Felicity would fall 6-4 in the state semifinal to the eventual state champions, Warren Champion.

2013: UC Clermont baseball wins world series title, CNE softball falls in regional final

Two of Clermont County’s spring sports teams found great success in the spring of 2013.

The UC Clermont baseball team won the United States Collegiate Athletic Association Small College World Series, rallying from a game one loss to take the crown.

The Cougars defeated Penn State Greater Allegheny 6-3 in May of 2013 to win the championship as the No. 3 seed in the tournament.

Ryan Beard pitched lights-out for the Cougars throughout the tournament, earning MVP honors for his play. In the championship game, Beard tossed eight innings, allowing one run with five strikeouts.

One day prior, Beard had thrown a complete-game shutout against The Apprentice School.

Beard was one of several locals who made an impact for the 2013 Cougars. In addition to the Batavia grad, Mike Gastrich (Milford), John Kennedy (Loveland) and Jake Scarlato (Oak Hills) were named to the all-tournament team.

Additionally, Ryan Mummert (CNE) and Chris Sunderman (Glen Este) were named All-Americans in 2013.

Speaking of CNE, the Lady Rockets’ softball team made an historic run in the spring, finishing as regional-runners up.

CNE had Anderson in the circle for the regional semifinal and neither team had a run through six innings. CNE scored on an RBI single by Allison Gilkerson in the top of the seventh to take a 1-0 lead on Bishop Ready.

Ready answered, putting two runners on base without an out. Ready then ended the game with a walkoff double to right field.

“It was extremely disappointing, obviously,” Bill Goldfuss, then the Lady Rockets head coach, said. “It happened so fast. One minute you’re up a run and think you’re in great shape and the next minute it’s complete agony. The emotion changed so fast that it’s hard to describe. It was one of the worst feelings I’ve had in my life.”

The game marked the final game in the career of Anderson, who finished with 1,259 strikeouts over four years. That mark was fourth in state history at the time. It is currently fifth all-time.

Anderson’s name is still all over the OHSAA record books, as she’s among the best in total career no-hitters (19), wins (90) and shutouts (66).

2014: UC Clermont women win basketball title, New Richmond’s Buckingham ends storied career

Two Clermont County basketball programs made marks in 2014, starting with another championship for the University of Cincinnati – Clermont.

The Cougars’ womens basketball program defeated top-seeded Central Maine Community College 69-51 in March of 2014 to win the squad’s first title.

The Cougars trailed at halftime 34-31 as the Mustangs shot nearly 50 percent from the floor. UC Clermont clamped down in the second half, holding Central Maine to just seven field goals in 3 attempts. UC Clermont shot 57 percent in the second half to earn the win.

Stacie Lee (Lakota West) was named the tournament MVP and a first-team all-American. She scored 20 points and had 14 rebounds in the championship game.

Ashley Keith (Clark Montessori) was a second-team all-American, while Tess Jenike (Bethel-Tate) was named an honorable mention.

Several other Clermont Countians made an impact for the national championships, starting with the man who prowled the sidelines. Mike Matthews, the team’s head coach, was a Milford resident.

Jessie Brenes (Glen Este), Caitlyn Distler (Milford) and Brooke Catauro (Goshen) also saw action for UC Clermont in 2014.

Earlier that same year, New Richmond’s Josie Buckingham saw her stellar preps career come to an end, as the Lady Lions fell to McNicholas in the sectional tournament.

New Richmond’s Josie Buckingham graduated in 2014 having set several school records.

As a junior, Buckingham averaged 20.9 points, 13.6 rebounds and 6.1 blocks per game. She set school single-game records in points (42), rebounds (26) and blocks (17) during her four-year career in New Richmond.

The previous single-game point record, 38, had been held by Buckingham’s mother, Liz Misheff, since the 1976-1977 school year.

In her final season, Buckingham averaged 16.6 points and 10.3 rebounds per game. She also collected 4.8 blocks per contest.

Buckingham played two seasons at the University of Minnesota before transferring to Loyola Mariemount, where she concluded her college career in 2018.

2015: Bethel-Tate football makes first postseason trip, Felicity basketball advances to regional final

The Bethel-Tate football team made history in 2015, earning a playoff spot for the first time as a program.

The team did it right, chartering busses for a three-hour drive to Coldwater and hosting a mini parade through the heart of downtown.

While the game itself didn’t go the Tigers way, as the squad lost to Coldwater 42-0, Bethel-Tate’s playoff experience left a mark on then-head coach Bill Jenike.

“That was something special,” Jenike told The Sun in 2015. “The excitement of making it to the playoffs, we wanted the kids to get the whole experience, so that was really neat.”

Jenike hoped that playoff experience would bolster the program’s numbers.

“It’s important that we get a (junior varsity) team because we don’t have one and it hurts us in player development,” Jenike said in 2015. “But I think the rest of the kids who may have been straddling the fence, maybe (the playoff appearance) is enough to push them over to the other side and make a commitment because (Bethel-Tate football) is something they can be proud of.”

The playoff loss to Coldwater would be Jenike’s final game as the Tigers’ head coach. He stepped down later in the year and was replaced by Bethel-Tate’s current head coach, Jeff Essig.

Prior to the Tigers’ postseason push, two other Clermont County teams made deep runs in the tournament.

Milford’s boys basketball team started the season 18-0 overall and won 22 games, winning the school’s first-ever sectional title and earning a spot in the district championship. The team fell to Wayne, finishing the season as district runners-up.

The 2014-2015 program set a school record with those 22 wins, breaking the previous mark of 20 set in the 1970-1971 season.

Milford’s 2014-2015 success was attributed to the leadership of four seniors: Ryan Gallimore, Will Hannah, Justin Arnold and Grant Riesenberg.

“We’ve had some good seniors in the past, but I don’t know if we’ve had a collection of four seniors that are completely, 100 percent selfless and have completely bought in to the game plan,” Milford head coach Joe Cambron said. “No matter what we’ve told them, they’ve gone and done it. And when it worked, their confidence grew.”

While the Eagles were making a district title game run, Felicity’s Lady Cardinals were making history of their own.

Led by Ashley Moore, the Lady Cardinals advanced to the regional final for the first time in school history, winning 25 games in the process.

Felicity started the season 16-0 before back-to-back two-point losses to Bethel-Tate and Georgetown in January of 2015.

The Lady Tigers then won nine straight games to advance to the regional final, including a 65-62 win over Maria Stein Marion Local in the regional semifinal.

The Lady Cardinals fell to Fort Loramie 62-48 to close out an historic season.

Moore led the Lady Cardinals, finishing the season with an average of 19.5 points per game. She also collected 6.6 steals per contest and 5.3 rebounds.

Maria Ruwe averaged a double-double, collecting 14.1 points and 10.9 rebounds per game.

2016: Local teams make waves in the postseason

Four Clermont County teams in four different sports made deep postseason runs in 2016, starting with the Bethel-Tate Lady Tigers’ basketball team.

Bethel-Tate made history early in the postseason, winning the school’s first-ever sectional title thanks to a 50-46 win over Badin.

One week later, Bethel-Tate continued a magical run, defeating Miami East 44-39.

Senior Julia Jenike scored 25 points for the Lady Tigers, including 10 of the team’s 18 first-quarter points.

Haylee Foster scored five points in the second quarter, and the Lady Tigers led 29-14 at the break.

Things went downhill for Bethel-Tate in the third, as an inability to rebound and struggles from the floor combined to let the Lady Vikings chip away at the lead.

The Lady Tigers iced the game from the line in the fourth quarter, making six of seven free-throws to hold on for the win.

“I can’t tell you how proud of this group I have been,” then-head coach Dave Fallis said. “They continue to amaze me. They continue to play for each other. They play the game the right way.”

Two more Clermont teams made postseason runs in the spring. The Williamsburg Lady Wildcats rolled to the state semifinals for the first time in school history, using a dominating combination of Carly Wagers and Kacey Smith in the circle to propel the team to Akron for the first time in school history.

While the team would fall to Convoy Crestview 10-1 in the state semifinal, the stage was set for another deep postseason run one year later.

On the baseball diamond, Milford had a successful 2016 season, winning an Eastern Cincinnati Conference title and a sectional championship. The Eagles also won a district title, setting up a regional semifinal contest against Bellefontaine.

The Eagles won that matchup 19-9 in a wild contest. Milford led 10-0 after three innings, only to see the Chieftains score three runs in the inning.

Right after the inning came to a close, lightning in the area prompted a 75-minute weather delay.

Milford scored two more runs after the delay to lead 12-3 in the fourth. The Chieftains scored six runs in the top of the fifth inning to cut the lead to 12-9 Milford.

Milford scored seven runs in the bottom of the fifth inning.

Milford would go on to fall to LaSalle days later in the regional final. For the season, the Eagles finished 28-3 overall.

Wes Reid led Milford with a .481 average. He, Sam Dobrowolski, Brad Hall, Matt Kirk, Nathan Kroger and Kyle Reuhlman were all named first-team all-league performers.

Finally, in November, New Richmond’s football team advanced to the regional semifinal for the third time in program history.

The Lions earned the spot in style, rallying from a 21-point third quarter deficit to pull out a 35-33 win over the Owls.

One week later, New Richmond’s season came to an end against Trotwood Madison. The Lions were led by head coach Josh Stratton, who praised the team’s senior class (wide receiver/defensive back Ethan Gundler, tight ends Gage Kramer, Seth Butler and Dawson Cromwell, running back Jacob Cyrus, kicker Clayton Farmer and several lineman: Chris Nazareth, Chase McDonald, Cory Higgenbotham, Kennith Moore, Peyton Schweikart, P.J. Simmons and Zach Hubbard) for their play throughout the season.

“None of them are guys people were writing newspaper articles about,” Stratton said. “They were linemen, safeties, tight ends. They’re football players. Guys that love the game of football. They were guys behind the scenes that don’t get their name in the paper.”

2017: Lady Wildcats win Division IV softball crown, West Clermont High School merger completes

The Williamsburg Lady Wildcats returned to Akron in 2017, and this time, they brought back some hardware with them.

Williamsburg defeated Carey 10-0 in the semifinal, then two days later a 3-2 win over Danville gave the Lady Wildcats the first state team championship in school history.

“These girls are phenomenal young ladies,” Williamsburg head coach Rick Healey said. “When you have people that play as hard as they do, and we talked about it as a team. February 22 is when we started. Game by game, practice by practice, there were some long hours. Lots of hitting, lots of weight lifting. They stuck with it. They never said we’re not going to do that anymore. Because of all their hard work, their dedication to softball and their love for the game, this is the end result.”

Williamsburg’s Carly Wagers set the state single-season home run record, smacking 23 homers for the Lady Wildcats. Her 86 RBI also set a state record. She talked about the support of the Williamsburg community following the title game win.

“This tiny town has provided more support than any big town could,” Wagers said. “It’s crazy. The energy is crazy, it’s awesome.”

Two months later, Clermont County’s high school sports landscape shifted with the merger of Amelia and Glen Este High Schools into West Clermont.

For starters, the departure of Amelia and Norwood reshaped the SBAAC, as Clinton-Massie, East Clinton and Wilmington were added to the league in all sports. Fayetteville joined in football only.

West Clermont opened the 2017 football season at home, opening with a 28-13 win over Princeton.

The Wolves would finish ECC play 6-1 overall, earning a three-way tie for the conference crown with Milford and Anderson. The Wolves earned a postseason berth in the team’s first season of play, falling to Mason 26-0.

Girls soccer and volleyball both placed fourth in the ECC in West Clermont’s inaugural season.

2018: Williamsburg’s Stears wins state wrestling title, ECC expands, UC Clermont women win USCAA DII soccer title

Williamsburg senior Brian Stears snapped Clermont County’s six-year individual state champion drought, defeating Martin Ferry’s Hunter Bodkin 3-2 to win the Division III heavyweight title.

Hunter Eads hauled in a pass from teammate Chayce Gambrell for the first touchdown in West Clermont High School football history in the team’s opener in 2017.

Stears could hardly describe how it felt to win the first individual boys state championship in Williamsburg history.

“It’s amazing,” Stears said. “It’s absolutely extraordinary.”

Head coach Brandon Dean added that Stears has gotten to where he is now by hard work, an attribute he said comes from Stears’ father.

“When you go through as much in life as that kid’s went through…” Dean said. “He grinded every day. He’s never had anything handed to him. He’s worked for everything he got. His dad is phenomenal, I love his dad. His dad is a hard worker, he loves Brian and takes good care of him. He’s tough, Brian’s never got anything handed to him, he’s worked for it. When you work for everything you’ve got in your life, this is what happens.”

Stears was the first of two champions for the county in 2018. The UC Clermont women’s soccer team defeated Penn State Brandywine 2-0 in November to win the university’s third championship of the decade.

“It’s a little surreal, to be honest,” Head coach Blaine Callahan said. “Once we got there, it kind of hit me that we were 90 minutes away. It feels awesome. It’s almost like, ‘Now what?’ We accomplished what we want to accomplish. It’s a good feeling to have.”

UC Clermont women’s soccer had only competed in three seasons prior to the 2018 campaign. Shortly after returning from the 2018 championship tournament, Callahan was already preparing for 2019.

“We have 359 days until the 2019 tournament,” Callahan said. “We’re preparing today. I got home at about 6:30, and we signed a player for 2019 at 7. That’s our plan, we’re going to regroup and rebuild.”

One year after the SBAAC realigned, the ECC followed suit in 2018. Withrow announced a move to the Cincinnati Metro Athleti Conference, opening up a spot in the league.

Three teams were chosen to join the league starting with the 2020-2021 school year: Lebanon, Little Miami and Winton Woods.

ECC commissioner Ray Spicher said the league had held past discussions about expansion prior to the move.

“We had previously had the discussion on if we wanted to become a 10 team league,” Spicher said. “Some conferences were already a 10 team league, like the GMC or the GWOC, comparable conferences, and had gone to an eight-game football schedule. We had a conversation about if that was in our best interest a while back and when the opportunity presented itself, our principals decided that was the way they wanted to go.”

Spicher said he believes the league will become one of the top leagues in the state thanks to the addition of the three new members.

“I think it’s going to be the best public high school league in the state of Ohio when you look from top to bottom,” Spicher said. “Loveland won a championship in girls soccer, Lebanon has won a girls softball state championship. We always have football teams that are in contention for state championships. Cross country, golf and tennis, things like that, there are just outstanding programs from top to bottom in just about every school.”

2019: West Clermont’s Morgan Southall wins Division I diving title, UC Clermont women repeat as soccer champs

In just its third year of existence, West Clermont High School has a state champion.

Morgan Southall placed first in the Division I state diving championship, collecting a total score of 479.55. Gahanna Lincoln’s Maycey Vieta finished second with a 474.40 mark, a number Southall knew she had to beat to win the title.

“I knew going into the last dive that her last dive was a big one,” Southall told The Sun in March. “I knew there was a chance that she was going to smash it and there would be no chance I could get her. She did a really good dive.”

Head coach Lisa Werwinski praised Southall’s ability to come through in the clutch, as she clinched the title in her final dive.

“She performed so well under pressure,” Werwinski said. “Every other meet this season, besides the first meet in Columbus where she went against the same girl, really wasn’t a challenge for her. Every other meet was lopsided, she wasn’t even close. This was the first meet where she actually competed against someone who could legitimately challenge her.”

Southall said she cried after hearing the final results, while Werwinski’s initial feeling was a tad different.

“Relief,” Werwinski said. “We’ve known since the beginning of the year that she probably could do it. I was just so excited for her. She’s worked so hard. It was the perfect exclamation mark on the season of absolute dominance that she had. I knew how much it meant to her. I knew how much she wanted it. It was just the coolest feeling to see it come to fruition and for her to reach one of her biggest goals.”

Later in the year, UC Clermont rose to the top of the USCAA again, winning a second straight Division II women’s soccer crown.

The Cougars out-scored opponents 14-2 in the three-game championship tournament, allowing Callahan to get several players involved.

“There were girls who contributed all year long, who played some quality minutes,” Callahan said. “There were girls who deserved to be a part of that who maybe weren’t on the pitch a lot this year but were contributors in other ways. I wanted to make sure we rewarded them as well.”

Turning toward the 2020 season, Callahan said replacing the team’s four seniors (Adams, Claus, Flanagan, and Sara Ventura) will be difficult.

“We lost four of the most dynamic players we’ve ever had,” Callahan said. “We’re looking for another quality incoming class. We’re going to keep trying to build the roster back up, and we’re looking for that three-peat.”