It was a balanced area hoops season, which was exemplified by the 10 schools occupying the 13 spots on the 2025-26 All-Area boys basketball team.

Fort Hill, Frankfort and Southern led the way with two selections each, and Allegany, East Hardy, Keyser, Mountain Ridge, Northern, Petersburg and Union had one apiece.

Coaches were asked to submit nominations from their teams for consideration, and the All-Area team was decided at a coaches meeting last week. Fourteen coaches submitted nominations and seven attended the meeting.

The first team was highlighted by Allegany’s Chris Manherz, the Area Player of the Year, whose season is detailed in a separate story in Saturday’s Times-News.

He’s joined on the first unit by a pair of Frostburg State commits in Jeremy Phillips of Frankfort and Cameron Breighner of Mountain Ridge, along with fellow seniors Jacob Brown (Southern) and Liam Hamilton (Fort Hill).

A pair of Potomac Valley Conference juniors, Union’s Braylon Ward and East Hardy’s Gideon Good, round out the top team.

Landing on the second team were seniors Jayden McNally (Northern), Kaleb Kuhn (Petersburg) and Braylon McGreevy (Keyser), juniors Kycin Waites (Frankfort) and Jameson Powell-Morris (Fort Hill), and sophomore Graham Harvey (Southern).

There were also 14 honorable mentions named. That list is at the bottom of this story.

First Team Jeremy Phillips, Frankfort, Sr.

Phillips will go down as one of the best, if not the best, scorers in Frankfort basketball history.

The 6-foot guard finished his career with a school-record 1,448 points, and he led the area this winter in points (594), 3s (78) and 3-pointers per game (3.12), and he was third in scoring average (23.8 points per game).

He made 102 of 141 free throws for a 72.3% clip, good for a tie for 12th locally.

Phillips, a Frostburg State commit, was a repeat member of the All-Area first team and has won back-to-back Potomac Valley Conference Division 1 Player of the Year honors.

He also appeared on the West Virginia Class AA All-State first team, a first at Frankfort since 2001 and the second time it’s occurred in school history.

The senior helped guide Frankfort to the Class AA state tournament, ending the Falcons’ 16-year drought.

“It was a great season for Jeremy,” Frankfort head coach Scott Slider said. “He’s quite an offensive player. He’s really, really highly skilled, shoots the ball extremely well. Hit a lot of key buckets for us in some of our wins this year.

“He shoots the ball from 3 very well. He can create space even with guys face-guarding him. Many nights he saw that. ... Other times he could draw a guy to him and be able to get around him and get to the bucket, pull up, hitting some mid-range shots, as well as getting to the basket and finishing with a layup.”

Jacob Brown, Southern, Sr.

Brown had big shoes to fill with the graduation of Player of the Year Jared Haskiell and second-teamer Brayden Upole, and the senior did so admirably.

The 6-foot guard finished tied for 11th in the area averaging 15.3 points and ninth in assists at 3.4 a night, and his 73 3-pointers were third locally and 3.04 3s per game were second.

Brown also continued the tradition of Southern’s foul shooting excellence, making 76 of 91 free throws to lead the area at 83.5%.

An All-Western Maryland Athletic Conference first-team performer, Brown was nearly unstoppable when he heated up front deep. The senior made at least four 3-pointers in nine games.

Brown has offers to continue his career at Waynesburg and Juniata.

“Jacob was our team leader,” Southern head coach Hunter Broadwater said. “He put a lot of work in during the offseason to become our point guard since he has been a guard off the ball the past two seasons. He worked hard to increase his scoring ability. We are excited to see him continue his career at the next level.”

Braylon Ward, Union, Jr.

It’s hard to imagine a player who meant more to their team than Ward did to Union, a school with fewer than 100 high school-aged kids.

Ward, a 6-foot-1 guard, finished in the top 10 locally in every statistical category, posting averages of 24.8 points (second), 3.9 assists (tied for fifth), 7.6 rebounds (10th), 2.1 steals (10th) and 1.87 3-pointers (10th) per game.

His 570 points ranked third, his 147 for 179 effort at the foul line, good for 82.1%, was second, and his 34.7% 3-point shooting percentage was fourth.

Ward, who was honorable mention All-Area last year, appeared on the Class A All-State first team and All-PVC Division 3 squad.

“He is the type of player who makes every player around him better,” Union head coach Walt Ward said. “He can see the floor, has great court vision. He’s got a nasty mid-range shot. He improved his 3-point shooting from last year to this year, and he’s continuing to work on that.

“He’s also one of the hardest-working kids that I’ve ever been around. We’ll have a two-hour practice, and then he sticks around for an hour shooting on the machine, or we may leave, and two hours later, we’re back in the gym. He’s putting up shots, constantly working on his ball handling.”

Liam Hamilton, Fort Hill, Sr.

Above all else, Hamilton will be remembered at Fort Hill as a winner.

The 6-foot-4 forward won two region titles, made a Final Four berth and went 49-22 in three seasons in the Fort Hill starting lineup.

A point forward, Hamilton was second in assists locally at 4.3 per game and added 13.9 points (17th in area), 7.1 rebounds (tied for 11th) and 2.0 steals (tied for 13th) a night.

The senior also established a reputation for being one of the area’s top defenders.

Hamilton is a repeat member of the All-Area and All-WestMAC first teams, and he is a back-to-back All-City performer.

“Liam had a great career at Fort Hill. If you look at how much we won the last three years, it speaks highly about his involvement and his impact on the game,” Fort Hill head coach Thad Burner said.

“His size and his athleticism, his speed. Liam’s really good at getting downhill. He could beat his man one-on-one a lot. But I think Liam is a much better passer than he gets credit for.

“He’s the best defensive player in the area, and I don’t think it’s really close.”

Gideon Good, East Hardy, Jr.

The 6-foot-7 big man was a model of consistency for East Hardy, which advanced to its third straight Class A state semifinal with Good in the lineup.

Good posted 22 double-figure games in 26 outings and 16 double-doubles, including a 21-point, 11-rebound, 11-block triple-double against Tucker County on Jan. 31.

Good averaged a double-double at 17 points and 11.7 boards a night, figures that ranked 10th and third, respectively. His 5 blocks per game were an area-high.

An honorable mention All-Area player last year, Good was selected Class A first-team All-State and All-PVC Division 3.

“Gideon had a tremendous year,” East Hardy head coach Chris Hahn said. “He got so much bigger and stronger. When I say bigger, he played bigger. He just got really skilled off the ball.

“His ability to stretch defenses was really helpful this year. We were able to get him kind of moving at the basket rather than just playing with his back to the basket. He did a really good job of staying on the court this year, not getting in foul trouble.

“He was dominant all season and definitely drew everybody’s best defenders every night. We rarely saw a night where he got to play straight up against somebody one-on-one.”

Cam Breighner, Mtn. Ridge, Sr.

A skilled forward who was a matchup nightmare with a perimeter game at 6-foot-7, the future Frostburg State Bobcat made the All-Area first team for a second consecutive campaign.

Breighner averaged 14.8 points (14th locally) and 5.7 rebounds (tied for 22nd) and shot 62.5% from the charity stripe.

The senior also finished his high school career with a pair of All-WestMAC first-team appearances.

“Cam was a strong player for us. He was kind of the foundation for us,” Mountain Ridge head coach Tim Nightengale said. “He used his height well. He could play inside or out. He worked on his game continuously, and he was a great leader for us.

“He worked on his outside game, worked on his mid-range game. Really developed into a player who could really attack the rim from the outside, could take smaller guys into the paint and score in paint and score well around the basket.”

Second Team Jayden McNally, Northern, Sr.

The do-it-all McNally was in the top 10 in the area in scoring, rebounding, assists, steals and 3-point shooting.

McNally, a 6-foot-1 senior guard, was fourth in 3s per game (2.45), fifth in 3-point percentage (34.5%), fifth in scoring average (21.1 points per game), sixth in stealing average (2.7 spg), seventh in rebounding average (8.3 rpg) and 10th in assists average (3.2 apg).

McNally was also voted to the All-WestMAC first team.

“Jayden really tried to transform his game this season,” Northern head coach Jeremy Johnson said. “For so long he was needed to be the sole scorer. We wanted him to use all his tools, and he really did that. Started to pass the ball more, focused on getting rebounds, playing harder defense. Proud of him for trying to develop into a more rounded player.”

Kaleb Kuhn, Petersburg, Sr.

When Kuhn caught fire, there was little opponents could do to stop him.

The 6-foot senior guard poured in an area-best 49 points in one game against Pendleton County on March 2, and he finished his career with 1,255 points.

Kuhn was fifth locally in points (504) and averaged 21 points (sixth), 6.5 rebounds (16th), 3 steals (second), 2.7 assists (tied for 14th) and 2 3-pointers (eighth) per game. He made 74 of 104 free throws, and his 71.2% ranks 15th.

Kuhn was also an All-Area second-teamer as a sophomore, and he made the All-PVC Division 2 squad.

“Kaleb’s been a kid throughout his career that always wants to take the last shot,” Petersburg head coach Stacey Berg said. “He’s a competitor. His court awareness, understanding the situation of the game, knowing what’s going on (is what sets him apart).

“Kaleb was the kind of kid that if he saw one go in, look out, there could be five go in real quick. And one of the things that we worked through his career was understanding that when it’s not going in, we’ve got to take a step back and try and get something simple.”

Kycin Waites, Frankfort, Jr.

Waites took a significant step from his sophomore season, becoming one of the area’s top players on both ends of the floor as an upperclassman.

The 6-foot-2 junior guard was seventh in points (430) and eighth in points per game (17.2). He added 6.5 rebounds (16th), 2.0 assists (tied for 28th) and 1.64 3-pointers (13th) per game.

Waites made 87 of 124 foul shots, and his 70.2% was 18th locally.

Waites was also selected to the All-PVC Division 1 squad.

“Excited for him because we still have another year for him to improve and get even better,” Slider said. “His game has improved tremendously, gets to the basket extremely well, could go against bigger defenders and get to the basket, as well as even shoot the ball pretty well from the perimeter.

“He could break the defense down, get around them, get to the bucket. Not only was he strong offensively, but defensively, he could step up and guard the other team’s No. 1 or No. 2 offensive player any given night.”

Jameson Powell-Morris, Fort Hill, Jr.

Powell-Morris was a steadying force on a Fort Hill squad that struggled offensively for stretches this year, scoring double figures in 20 of 22 games.

A 6-foot-2 guard, Powell-Morris averaged 15 points (13th locally), 5.7 rebounds (tied for 22nd), 2.2 assists (tied for 24th) and 1.27 3s (19th) locally.

The junior was also All-City and All-WestMAC first team.

“Jameson showed a lot of maturity this year,” Burner said. “He had some really, really good games. His ability to attack the basket has greatly improved. His shot greatly improved. He made some big shots for us this year throughout the season.

“I thought his mid-range game got a lot better. And a lot of times he might have been drawing the team’s best defender. ... I think we’re in store for some more improvement again next year. We’re excited about the things that Jameson did, and we’re really excited about ... how much more he can grow.”

Graham Harvey, Southern, So.

The sky is the limit for the lone underclassman voted to the All-Area squad.

The 6-foot-6 sophomore guard/forward showcased his skill around the perimeter and athleticism throwing down dunks, and his passing acumen allowed him to finish seventh locally at 3.8 per game.

Harvey posted averages of 14.6 points (15th), 6.3 rebounds (tied for 19th), 1.6 blocks (tied for fifth) and 1.58 3-pointers (15th). His 71.3% free-throw shooting mark (82-115) ranked 14th.

Harvey, who was also voted to the All-WestMAC first team, was an All-Area honorable mention last year.

“He was great for us this year,” Broadwater said of Harvey. “He led us in every category except for points. We are excited for his future with us. He worked hard last offseason to increase his offensive production, becoming a better shooter from 3 and from the free-throw line.”

Braylon McGreevy, Keyser, Sr.

McGreevy established himself firmly in the conversation for the area’s premier forward.

He was a consistent scorer, garnering 18 double-figure games, and his 15.3 ppg tied for 11th locally, 8.0 rpg tied for eighth and 1.9 blocks were good for fourth.

The 6-foot-5 senior, who was All-Area honorable mention last year, was named to the All-PVC Division 1 unit.

“Braylon is the type of player that coaches dream of,” Keyser head coach Scott Furey said. “He loves and studies the game. His size is an obvious benefit, but our style requires him to run the floor like no other big has to. He and we both benefit from his willingness to just outwork his competition. He will be sorely missed.”

Honorable Mention

Landon Holliday (Allegany), Evan Hamilton (East Hardy), Matt Medina (Hampshire), Trey Dawson (Keyser), Taylor Carder (Paw Paw), Payton Metheny, Caden Ours (Petersburg), Braden Lucas (Southern), Corbin Streets (Union).

CUMBERLAND — It will be some time before a player like Chris Manherz graces the area again.

The senior overcame his size standing at 5-foot-8 to average more than 23 points per game and eclipse 1,000 for his career, all in pursuit of a region championship — something Allegany achieved for the first time since 2017.

The lightning-quick Manherz was rewarded for his efforts by being voted area boys basketball Player of the Year in a landslide.

“First I want to thank God for putting me in this position,” Manherz said. “I’m really grateful for my coaches and the entire coaching staff for believing in me and pushing me all season.

“My teammates mean a lot to me too. They trusted me and we all worked for each other every night. I also want to thank my family and friends for always supporting me. Not just this year but over the years.”

The award was decided at a meeting of the area’s head coaches last week. Seven voted and Manherz received five nods.

East Hardy’s Gideon Good, Fort Hill’s Liam Hamilton, Frankfort’s Jeremy Phillips, Northern’s Jayden McNally, Petersburg’s Kaleb Kuhn and Union’s Braylon Ward were also finalists.

Manherz, who was also voted Western Maryland Athletic Conference Player of the Year by the league’s coaches, was fourth in the area in points (540) and points per game (23.5).

He was more than a scorer, however, and his 4.6 assists a night were an area-best mark.

“It’s very well deserved,” Allegany head coach Brandon Reed said. “For him to do what he was able to do in terms of being high up there with the leaders in the area in scoring, and then also leading the area in assists. It speaks to what type of player he is.

“We asked him to kind of go outside of his comfort zone and be a scorer for us when he’d probably rather be a facilitator. He’s just the ultimate competitor. He wants to do whatever it takes to win.”

Manherz rarely left the floor. The Allegany offense ran through him, and he was tasked with scrambling around on defense when the Campers pressed.

In Allegany’s 59-35 upset of Southern on the road in the Class 1A West Region I semifinals, Manherz moved to the top of the Campers’ zone, sacrificing his legs on offense to slow the favored Rams.

“He’s an incredible soccer player,” Reed said of Manherz, who is a multi-time first-team All-Area performer on the pitch. “He came in with what (Allegany soccer) coach (Blake) Geatz requires of them, and we’re very fortunate to have Sean Rhodes with us this year, who’s a personal trainer.

“Chris was big on making sure we were in shape to play the style we wanted to play and make sure we bring it on the defensive end each and every time.”

Manherz — who was first-team All-WestMAC last year and All-City the past two seasons — was also third locally averaging 2.9 steals per night.

The senior finished his career with 1,036 points. He had five 30-point games this year, scored 29 three other times and eclipsed 20 in 16 games.

Manherz’s 2.39 3-pointers per game were fifth-best locally, and he ranked 13th in 3-point percentage at 30.4%. He made 99 of 136 foul shots for 72.3%, tied for the 12th-best mark in the area.

More important than the numbers, however, was Allegany’s region championship, something that looked unlikely when the fourth-seeded Campers entered the postseason losers in five of seven games.

Three playoff wins later, Allegany cut down the nets on its home floor following a 57-46 victory against Mountain Ridge for the region title.

“This is a season I’ll never forget,” Manherz said. “There are a lot of moments that will stick with me, winning our (Bill Bowers) Christmas tournament, getting our first win at our crosstown rival (Fort Hill) under coach Reed, winning in a tough playoff environment at Southern, and being able to cut down the nets at home with our fans there supporting us.

“Then the community send-off meant a lot. Really just thankful for everything and everyone who was part of it.

Manherz is the record 14th Allegany boys basketball player to record the honor and the first since 2018.

He joins the ranks of Justin Copman (2018, shared with Southern’s Tyler Rodeheaver), Rhodes (2017), Jason Copman (2016), Darquel Jessie (2015), Trenton Eirich (2014), Casey Roberts (2009-10), Donavin Vinson (2005-06), Ian Grady (2004), Michael Fields (1996) and D.J. Jessie (1993-94) as Alco winners.

“He went out there every day and played like he was bigger than he is,” Reed said. “He never shied away. He was so impressive on the defensive end this year for us, and that was a big reason for our success.

“He wanted to guard every team’s best player, and he was giving up in some cases a foot. He does some stuff that makes you just kind of ooh and ahh.

“I’m not so sure we’ll see too many more players like him in terms of that talent and that size.”

With their third straight National Collegiate Women’s Water Polo Championship tournament ahead of them next week, the University of Hawaii women’s water polo team received some individual honors Friday, as the Big West champions swept the conference’s major awards for a second straight season.

The BWC named Agatha Weston the Player of the Year, UH’s fourth straight year taking the honor, Ariadna Temprano Xambó was named the Freshman of the Year, and James Robinson repeated as Coach of the Year.

Coming off a redshirt season, Weston led the Rainbow Wahine in goals (51), shooting percentage (.586), steals (31), and field blocks (13). The sophomore was joined on the first team by junior goalie Daisy Logtens and sophomore Ema Vernoux. On the second team is senior Raha Peiravani.

Asimina Klapsianou joined Temprano Xambó on the All-Freshman Team.

Wahine win behind Irimata’s complete game

Taryn Irimata went the distance Friday as the University of Hawaii softball team opened a Big West series at UC San DIego with a 3-2 win.

The Rainbow Wahine (21-18, 13-6) put up a run apiece in the third, fourth and fifth innings to provide just enough offense as Irimata held the Tritons (18-23, 7-12) to two runs on six hits and two walks, striking out four.

UH broke the ice in the third inning by manufacturing a run. Rhea Furtado reached on a one-out infield single, stole second and advanced to third on Maycen Gibbs’ flyout to center. Jamie McGaughey then singled to bring Furtado home for a 1-0 lead.

After UCSD answered in the bottom half, Milan Ah Yat opened the top of the foruth with a double down the right field line. She moved up to third on a Carys Murakami sacrifice bunt and scored on Kayara Tuiloma’s single to left.

Hawaii got some insurance in the fifth when McGaughey reaced on a two-out infield single and pinch hitter Teiah Keliiholokai tripled to right.

Apr. 18—Lapwai High School alum Kase Wynott, the state of Idaho's prep basketball all-time scoring king, is taking his talents back to the Gem State.

Wynott, who was a part of the Washington State men's basketball program for the past two seasons, announced his commitment to the Idaho Vandals with an Instagram post Friday.

"I had a great relationship with (Idaho coach Alex) Pribble and the staff going into the portal," Wynott said in phone call with the Tribune. "And I wanted to stay close to this area and they just came off a really good year, so it kind of felt like it was a no-brainer."

Fresh off Idaho's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1990 and with key contributors such as Big Sky Freshman of the Year Jackson Rasmussen leaving the program, Wynott is Pribble's first official transfer addition this offseason.

Out of high school, Wynott chose Wazzu after a standout prep career in which he set Idaho's all-time high school boys basketball scoring record with 2,962 points in four years, reached the state championship each year — winning three times — and earned Idaho's Gatorade Player of the Year award in 2024.

Wynott's announcement post featured two photos — one of him in a black No. 51 Vandals jersey and the other in a white No. 51 Vandals jersey, each against a golden background.

"Let's do it @vandalhoops #committed," Wynott wrote in the caption.

Wynott said he first informed his parents, who were thrilled, and then called Pribble who was on a call with his staff when Wynott rang.

"They were very excited," Wynott said.

Idaho announced the move with a news release later in the day.

"Kase is coming home! He was a recruit we really prioritized when our staff first got here, so it's exciting to officially get him in the Vandal uniform," Pribble said in a statement. "We want the best players from Idaho to be in this program, and Kase is the all-time leading scorer from the state, so we're very excited. He can really score the ball, he's got a diverse skill set and he's a competitor. He'll make an immediate impact next year."

University of Washington coach Danny Sprinkle heavily recruited Wynott as well out of high school, first at Utah State and then at UW.

The three-time Idaho state champion with the Lapwai Wildcats was one of 10 WSU players to enter the transfer portal this spring after the Cougars finished 12-20 in coach David Riley's second year at the helm.

Wynott, a 6-foot-6 guard, posted 1.7 points and 1.3 rebounds per game in 29 career contests at WSU. He spent 13.4 minutes per game on the floor during his true freshman year. His sophomore season this past year was cut short after five games because of a hip injury.

He scored a career-high seven points against Southern Utah along with two rebounds in a career-high 16 minutes of action on Nov. 19.

Wynott said his time at WSU taught him the importance of bettering oneself, from dieting to rest and recovery.

It also introduced him to current Memphis Grizzlies forward Cedric Coward, who was teammates with Wynott two years ago.

Coward, an Eastern Washington transfer who followed Riley to Pullman in 2024, suffered a shoulder injury six games into the season. He remained around the program and the Grizzlies selected him with the 11th overall pick in the 2025 NBA draft.

"One of the best things about my time at Wazzu was being around Cedric Coward and just really seeing what it takes to be elite," Wynott said. "(He has) an unmatched work ethic, and he's just a great human. One of the best people I've ever met."

At Idaho, Wynott will contend for greater playing time than he received in Pullman and attempt to recapture his knack for high scoring.

He set the state of Idaho's single-game scoring record with 68 points on Jan. 19, 2024, at Genesee and averaged 36 points, 13.9 rebounds, and 9.1 assists per game his senior season.

"I think I'm a winner," Wynott said. "I won in high school. I know how to win and I think I can bring that to an already-winning program."

Wynott said he wishes his former school "nothing but the best."

"I got a lot of great relationships on that staff," Wynott said of WSU. "But I think everything happens for a reason, and I think Idaho was meant to be."

Wynott joins a Vandal squad that lost its second-leading scorer, Rasmussen, to Oregon State. Former Vandals Trevon Blassingame (William and Mary) and Ewan Steele (Stonehill) found new homes, while Coeur d'Alene's Kolton Mitchell, Boise's Jack Payne and Talon Jenkins are still in the portal, according to verbalcommits.com.

Titus Yearout, Wynott's high school teammate and a four-year Vandal who missed this past season due to an injury, is also in the portal, according to the same site.

Wynott said he has not spoken to Yearout about his future plans.

The former Wildcat first met future teammates Kristian Gonzalez and Miles Klapper during his high school recruiting visit and got to know them better when he visited this month.

"They're a really tight-knit, close group, and they're great people," Wynott said of Idaho's roster. "And they bring the right kind of energy every day, the right energy to being a winning team and having a winning culture."

Wynott said Gonzalez and Klapper told him how much fun getting to March Madness was and how great it would be to return.

"That's what sold me a little bit, too," Wynott said. "A dream of mine is playing in the NCAA Tournament, in the big dance, and I feel like I have a great chance now that I'm a Vandal."

Idaho also announced the signing of 6-8 Hesperia High School (Calif.) valedictorian Nolan Newman-Gomez to its 2026 high school recruiting class on Friday.

WSU added Manhattan forward Fraser Roxburgh, Division II Central Missouri forward Lazerek Houston, TCU guard RJ Jones, East Texas A&M forward Ronnie Harrison and Wake Forest point guard Sebastian Akins via the transfer portal over the past several days.

Wynott's former teammates Rihards Vavers (Memphis), Parker Gerrits (Wyoming) and WSU freshman-scoring record holder Ace Glass (Vanderbilt) have announced their future plans.

Six other Cougs from last year's roster, including All-WCC honoree ND Okafor, have not yet signed with schools, according to verbalcommits.com.

Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2260, staylor@lmtribune.com, or on X or Instagram @Sam_C_Taylor.

Taylor can be reached at 208-848-2260, staylor@lmtribune.com, or on X or Instagram @Sam_C_Taylor.

Marty Martinez, who for the last two seasons at East High was the varsity girls tennis head coach and led the Blades to back-to-back CIF Central Section Division III finals appearances and won the title in 2025, has been hired as the new Wasco High girls soccer coach.

Martinez’s hiring was approved during a Wasco Union High School District Board of Trustees meeting Thursday night.

“It’s a perfect fit,” Martinez said. “I love the small community, the facilities are great, and there’s a great support system.”

Martinez, who was The Bakersfield Californian All-Area co-girls tennis coach of the year in both 2024 and 2025, directed the East High girls tennis team to a 30-1 overall record in 2024 and 22-3 in 2025. Both years, the team won the South Yosemite Mountain League title and in both section title matches, the Blades faced Lompoc. The Braves handed East its lone loss, 7-2, in the 2024 final. East beat Lompoc, 7-2 in 2025.

While tennis has been his focus the last few years — Martinez was named Bakersfield Californian All-Area Girls Tennis Coach of the Year in both 2024 and 2025 and just recently was named the NFHS California Coach of the Year — Martinez’s high school soccer resume is quite deep locally.

Martinez, who said at the conclusion of the girls tennis season that he wasn’t planning to be back at East, was looking at coaching opportunities in girls soccer.

He coached East’s girls soccer program for nine seasons (2012-13 to 2021-22), going 178-47-23 overall and 66-20-4 in league play. The Blades were CIF finalists twice in Division 3 and once in Division 4. He was the All-Area girls soccer coach of the year in 2014-15 and 2015-16.

Before that, Martinez coached East’s boys soccer team. In six seasons, the Blades went 64-73-20 overall and 36-37-5 in league, with a CIF Central Section Division 2 title victory in the 2006-07 season and the next season, 2007-08, East was a D2 finalist. Again, he was the All-Area boys soccer coach in the 2006-07 season.

Before coming to East, Martinez was the boys varsity soccer coach at Ridgeview from 1996-2006 and he started his coaching career at age 21 as North JV boys soccer coach for six seasons.

But the bulk of his high school coaching career came at East.

“I’ll always be grateful to East High and cherish every coaching moment,” Martinez said. “I’d like to thank the late, great Ted Armijo, who recruited me here. We had more success than I could have ever imagined, but the lasting relationships are the most important thing to me.

"It’s not like I’m leaving East, I’m just coaching somewhere else. But after 19 years of coaching at East, it ran its course. It’s time for a new challenge. I like new challenges.”

The Tigers went 10-12-1 overall and 5-5-1 in the South Sequoia League this past season. Wasco made the postseason, losing 2-1, ironically, to East in a first-round CIF playoff game.

Madison Local School District will remain a member of the Southwestern Buckeye League after turning down an offer to join the Three Rivers Conference.

A special board meeting of the MLS board of education was held Wednesday. Board members voted against a potential move to change conference affiliation.

“We did receive an invitation from the Three Rivers Conference,” MLS superintendent Jeff Skaggs said. “We appreciate that very much. (Wednesday) we had a special board meeting on this to take a vote by the board of education, and the board voted not to go to the Three Rivers Conference.”

Madison approved Ryan Fairchild as the school’s boys basketball coach during the meeting. Fairchild previously coached at Middletown Christian.

The TRC extended membership to Madison on March 10. Madison school officials went through the steps of consideration leading into Wednesday’s meeting.

In 2027-28, Bethel will become a member of the Central Buckeye Conference, and Riverside will join the Ohio Heritage Conference. Both moves will occur starting.

Covington, Miami East, Milton-Union, Lehman Catholic, Northridge and Troy Christian are the current remaining TRC members.

Madison has been a member of the Southwestern Buckeye League since 1984 and is in the Buckeye Division comprising the smaller enrollment schools.

Preliminary enrollment figures from the Ohio High School Athletic Association for the 2026-27 and 2027-28 school years show Madison to have the second smallest enrollment — 342 total students — of SWBL schools, ahead of Dayton Christian.

The enrollment total would be the second highest amongst the six TRC schools remaining in the league.

When you’re the goalie on a winless boys high school lacrosse team, it would be easy to assume you’re having a poor season.

That’s not the case with Fairfield High School’s Joshua Diercks, a sophomore goalie.

Diercks has recorded 64 saves for the Indians, 0-4 overall, 0-2 in the Greater Miami Conference. Last week, in a 20-0 loss to Oak Hills, he had 28 saves, the most in school history.

That means Oak Hills had nearly 50 shots on goal.

Or as Fairfield coach Logan Poe, a former high school and college lacrosse goalie, said: “That’s a lot.”

Diercks, team captain, understands his team is young so there will be growing pains as the players continue learning.

Poe, who previously coached at Springboro High School, said he’s trying to grow the Fairfield program. Now in his second year, Poe has 15 players on the roster, 13 of them healthy.

“We’re struggling with the pipeline,” he said. “It’s been a battle the whole season.”

He’s thankful for those on the team and appreciates how Diercks has stepped into a leadership role.

Diercks played midfielder and goalie as a freshman, then due to his off-season workouts and dedication, was named the starting goalie.

“He has shown quiet leadership,” Poe said.

As a goalie, Diercks said he’s like the quarterback of the defense. He must direct his teammates to be in the right position at all times. Otherwise, he’s left one-on-one.

Poe said goalies are on an island and they’re the “first person you see when there’s a save, and the last person you see when there’s a goal.”

There have been times after games when Diercks’ body has been black and blue from the beating he’s taken in the net. Sometimes a helmet, chest protector, gloves and a stick are no match for a lacrosse ball.

“He put his body on the line for this team,” Poe said.

For Diercks, playing lacrosse at Fairfield can’t be measured by what the scoreboard reads. Friends, he said, are more valuable and will last longer than wins.

He leans heavily of his faith and “gives all credit” to God, he said.

Apr. 17—Stacey Whittle, an Aiken County resident who has worked at Augusta National Golf Club since 2016, received a very special honor at this year's Masters Tournament.

Whittle, director of facilities and engineering at Augusta National, was selected from the club's employees for the Green Jacket Award of Excellence.

The winner participates in the outdoors green jacket ceremony following the conclusion of the Masters.

Whittle's department is responsible for all the major utilities used at the club — power, water and gas — plus so much more.

"Facilities and engineering touches every part of this campus," Whittle said in a video posted on masters.com. "We take care of all the painting. We also install all of the scoreboards and TV towers for the Masters Tournament.

"Most of the time we are the last ones to touch something going on course for the tournament, so it's important we are very detail oriented."

Whittle and his crew are on call 24/7 for the nine days of competition at Augusta National, which includes the Augusta National Women's Amateur,; Drive, Chip and Putt National Finals; and the Masters.

"What we have to do to support the tournament, and knowing that we are contributing to the tournament being successful, that's our goal," he said. "That's what we are here for."

His team is committed to making the tournament the best it can be, he said.

"When I come to work I do the very best that I can. I expect that out of myself and also expect that out of my team," he said. "If we're all firing on all cylinders and everyone is doing their part, that's what it's going to take to be successful."

Whittle found out he was this year's selection for the award at a staff meeting prior to the tournament.

"I was very shocked to learn I was going to be the one receiving it," he said. "But very honored at the same time."

After Rory McIlroy won the 2026 Masters to become just the fourth repeat winner in tournament history, the green jacket ceremony was held on the practice putting green.

Fred Ridley, chairman of Augusta National and the Masters, recognized Whittle in his remarks.

"Our sincere thanks to Augusta National's incredible employees in their efforts and dedication," Ridley said. "They are represented today by Stacey Whittle, the recipient of our Green Jacket Award of Excellence. Thank you, Stacey."

Whittle, with the green jacket folded over his left arm, stepped forward and presented the garment to Ridley. He then helped McIlroy put on the iconic jacket that signifies success at Augusta National.

"Little nervous about handing the jacket to Chairman Ridley," Whittle said before the ceremony. "But very excited at the same time. To be able to do that, that's something I'll never forget."