Monroeville, Edison ranked in state polls

Despite two losses last week, the Monroeville softball team remained No. 6 in the third weekly Ohio Fastpitch Coaches Association Division VII state poll, released Monday morning. The Eagles (14-2) lost 3-1 and 9-3 on consecutive days (April 21-22) to Firelands Conference foe Crestview before rebounding with a 10-0 win at Western Reserve on April 24. After a two-point difference the other way last week, Willow Wood Symmes Valley (19-1) slipped past Bowerston Conotton Valley (17-1) for the top spot by just a single point in this week's Div. VII poll, 93-92. Portsmouth Notre Dame (15-2) is No. 3, while Northern 10 power Sycamore Mohawk (12-0) is ranked fourth, followed by Vienna Matthews (12-3) ahead of the Eagles in fifth, respectively. Mohawk and Monroeville have met in the district tournament in past years, The Warriors and No. 7 New Riegel (9-2) — who the Eagles edged on April 17 at home — are also in the same Kenton district. The winner of that district would face the Buckeye Central district — where Monroeville is on track to be the top seed — in a regional semifinal. And like the Jackets, the Eagles will face Mohawk at home in another litmus test on May 8. That is followed by hosting longtime state power Hillsdale (13-2) two days later on May 10. The Falcons are ranked No. 5 this week in the Div. VI state poll. A year ago, Monroeville beat Vienna Matthews on a home run by Abbi Poths in the top of the seventh inning of a Div. IV state semifinal game on May 30 at Firestone Stadium in Akron. Rounding out the poll, another SBC River Division member, Tiffin Calvert (9-2), is ranked No. 8 just behind league foe New Riegel. South Charleston Southeastern (13-2) and Defiance Ayersville (10-4) round out the poll, which ranks just the top 10 teams each week. Poll leaders include Austintown Fitch (Div. I), Whitehouse Anthony Wayne (Div. II), Carroll Bloom-Carroll (Div. III), Springfield Kenton Ridge (Div. IV), Baltimore Liberty Union (Div. V), Danville (Div. VI) and Conotton Valley (Div. VII). BASEBALL Edison still No. 2 The fourth weekly Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association poll was released Monday and Edison is still the No. 2-ranked team in Division V. The Chargers (13-1, 5-0) won a pair of SBC Bay Division games over Huron (5-0) and Willard (10-0) last week. So far this season, Edison has wins over Div. VII No. 3 Tiffin Calvert (8-2) and both Seneca East and Huron, who have been ranked in Div. VI this season. The Chargers opened the season with a 6-4 win over the Senecas in Tiffin and posted a 7-3 win over Seneca East on April 17. Top-ranked teams this week include Cincinnati Moeller (Div. I), Amherst (Div. II), Vandalia Butler (Div. III), Plain City Jonathan Alder (Div. IV), Apple Creek Waynedale (Div. IV), Berlin Hiland (Div. VI) and Sycamore Mohawk (Div. VII). Edison is looking for another deep tournament run in 2025. The Chargers were edged by a run, 5-4, in a district semifinal last season to current Div. V No. 11-ranked Oak Harbor. They fell by a run in a regional title game in 2023, and fell in extra innings in the state championship game in 2022 and also lost by a run in extra innings to Archbold in a regional semifinal in 2021.