Groveport Messenger - March 20th, 2022

PAGE 6 - GROVEPORT MESSENGER - March 20, 2022
www.columbusmessenger.com
Groveport Madison Cruisers spring sports preview
By Rick Palsgrove
Groveport Editor
Spring is here and that means it’s time
for Groveport Madison Cruiser High School
athletes to break out the bats, balls, gloves,
and racquets, and also to hit the track running.
Baseball
The Cruiser varsity baseball team is
looking to have a strong season.
“The strength that I’ve seen on this
year’s team is our pitchers,” said Cruiser
head baseball coach Tommy Snyder. “In
the past we have counted on one or two
guys. This year we have six guys who can
start on the mound for us, which will allow
our guys a break.”
Snyder mentioned shortstop/pitcher
Kyle Jennings, leftfielder Keller Weston,
rightfielder/pitcher Price Cooper, and centerfielder/pitcher
Ryan Pettay as some of
the team’s top players this season.
“Our offense has to come together,” said
Snyder. “We have to be able to score runs.
Our hitting needs to improve for us to stay
in the games.”
Snyder said every team dreams of winning
the Ohio Capital Conference Buckeye
Division title.
“We are no different,” said Snyder. “The
Buckeye Division is loaded with talented
teams. I know Lancaster and Newark will
give us some trouble.”
Boys Track
“The strength of this year’s boys track
team is how deep we are in the sprints,
jumps, and throws,” Cruiser head boys
track coach Ryan Alton. “After scraping by
in 2021 (coming off the lost 2020 season)
with a roster of only 28 boys, we have more
than doubled that with a majority of our
competitors coming over from the football
team. These boys are fast, strong, and
explosive, which should help a great deal in
the aforementioned events. It will be such
a luxury to be able to spread the talent out
so that we don’t run guys into the ground
just to field a team or live in that fear of
where to turn if someone goes down with
an injury.”
Alton said some of the team’s top performers
include returning sprinters senior
Markell Holmes and sophomore Elijah
Simmons, along with hurdlers seniors
Jordan Lisath and Nevin Montgomery.
“These will be the guys I lean on the
most to lead the new participants,” said
Alton. “Our distance team will be led by
juniors Ibsa Liben and Clayton Perez. I am
excited to see newcomers junior Thomas
Andrews and sophomores Lucas Reed, Jace
Nincehelser, Marcus Davis and Raishad
King. Young throwers freshman Jaylen
Joyce and sophomore Lane Hanes have the
Mary Lou Bartmess, matriarch of our Bartmess
family, departed on a Saturday, February 19th from
Colorado.
My Mom was born 17 February 1939, so had just reached
83 years. She grew up in Parkersburg, West Virginia and
attended Parkersburg High School as Mary Lou Meyer.
She married Larry Richard Bartmess of Marietta, Ohio
whom she met roller-skating.
My Mom, Mary, is survived by sons, David Alan Bartmess and Michael Craig Bartmess; David’s
daughter Denise Elizabeth Seifert and granddaughter Alexa Marie Seifert; Michael’s sons Severin
Michael Bartmess, Seann Bradley Bartmess and Calvin Hobbes Bartmess; brothers William (Butch)
Meyer and Richard McHenry; and sister Ellen Smith.
My mom and dad, Mary and Larry, bought their first home in Galion, Ohio where Mary worked
for Bell Telephone and Galion Ironworks. They moved from Galion to Columbus, Ohio and then
to Groveport, where Mary worked last and longest for the Federal Probation Office. Mary and
Larry moved to Colorado after Mary retired from the federal government.
My Mom loved working near the riverfront of downtown Columbus and running the Federal
Probation office activity.
My Mom was a rabid supporter of the Groveport High School band and of high school football
and wrestling during our high school years and upon retirement moved to Colorado to be closer
to her five grandchildren.
She always talked about the times I took her for drives in the Colorado mountains and she talked
incessantly about the dogs in her life that she held in high esteem.
In my youngest years I remember my mom singing while she baked. She had a very sweet and
gentle voice.
My Mom was one of those cooks who mostly never measured ingredients. I can recall no time
when she created something that came out bad. We loved her cooking.
My Mom was frugal and consistent in her beliefs, a middle-class American with duty to family
and friends. She was a constant in our lives, a matriarchal rock. We will think of her when the
cozy remembrances of daily life lift us to be more. We will remember her when we gather for
holiday festivities she took so much to heart. We will remember her whenever family gathers.
We will miss her in our everyday.
We will be holding a memorial when the Spring flowers re-emerges in Colorado. Contact Michael
at 719-238-0791 for more information.
potential to follow in the footsteps
of last year’s state qualifier
JaShaun McGraw in the shot
put.”
Alton said the OCC Buckeye
Division is loaded with talent.
“It’s hard to say which school
will provide the most competition
to us without it feeling like a
slight on the other teams,” said
Alton. “Pickerington Central and
Lancaster are historically deep
and strong across the board. I
feel Reynoldsburg typically mirrors
us in the way their strength
comes from their sprints and
jumps. As far as winning a division
title, we really have our
work cut out for us, but that is
always the goal. We’re at a good
place with our numbers where
we have the guys to do it. It’s on
us as coaches to get them ready
to compete and peak in mid-May
when the title is on the line.”
He said the biggest challenge
is going to be taking the team’s
new, raw talent and shaping it
into what the team could be.
“We are fairly young and inexperienced,”
said Alton. “In looking at the
underclassmen and down the line at the
middle schoolers coming up, the future of
Groveport Madison track has never been
brighter. For the 2022 season, our challenge
is going to be teaching and getting
these guys up to speed so we can be legitimate
OCC contenders right now.”
Girls Track
Cruiser girls track head coach Jason
Brooks is in his 13th year as a head coach,
but his first as a girl’s head coach.
“So this year has been a big change,”
said Brooks. “The girls have been so much
fun to work with and we are extremely
young. We have one senior on the team,
Kalista Miln, who is my senior captain and
will be one of my best athletes. She can do
almost anything. She holds our pole vault
record and will continue to smash that this
year. She is also a 5 foot high jumper, a 100
foot discus thrower and can be in multiple
running events as well.”
Brooks said the team’s strength this
year is in sprints, relays, and jumping
events.
“With Kalista’s leadership leading the
way in jumps, my star sprinter is Aniyjah
Bryant,” said Brooks. “She is a junior and a
returning letterman who struggled with
injuries last year but has crazy potential.
Running 26.21 at districts hurt in the 200
she can possibly be one of the favorites this
year in this region. Joining Aniyjah will be
Braylan James, junior long jumper and
sprinter, and Nijah Montgomery, junior
sprinter and long jumper.”
He said other notable runners include
junior captain and distance runner Alexiz
Golden and sophomore Eva Walton who
Brooks described as “awesome leaders who
Messenger photo by Rick Palsgrove
Cruiser assistant varsity baseball coach Blake
Snyder pitches to Kyle Jennings in the batting cage.
work extremely hard.”
Brooks said the team is young and consists
of mostly underclassmen who will be
facing competition in the OCC Buckeye
Division, which is “incredibly tough”
“So this year we will have some individual
success and some team success, but we
are not ready to win our division,” said
Brooks. “My biggest challenge this year is
to get our athletes in the best position for
success. To get the runners in events that
they have the best potential for success. We
have to grow as a team. This is always the
toughest challenge for any coach.”
Softball
Cruiser head softball coach Chris
Downing said having Kendyll Cahill back on
the pitcher’s mound this season is a big plus.
“She had 331 strikeouts last year and
earned second team All-State honors,” said
Downing. “Also, with Addison Cothern
returning as the everyday catcher is huge.
Tai Resendes as the leadoff and as centerfielder
is another big plus.”
As far as the Cruisers’ toughest competition
this season in the OCC Buckeye
Division, Downing said, “Lancaster and
Pickerington Central are always tough, but
Newark has a group of juniors back who
have been playing together since their
ninth freshman year.”
He said the Cruisers’ biggest challenge
this year is scoring enough runs and staying
healthy.
“We do not have a lot of depth if we want
to compete at the varsity and junior varsity
level,” said Downing.
Boys tennis
No reply was received from the boys’
tennis coach.