Tuesday, April 19, 2022

April 15, 2022: WTOL 11 Sports

Hitting for a Cause' at Total Sports in Rossford

ROSSFORD, Ohio — Young baseball players from the area took part in "Hitting for a Cause" at Total Sports in Rossford on Friday, all in an effort to help a local man working to pay off his medical bills.

Each kid hit eight pitches and pledged money for each foot the ball traveled. They were doing it to raise money for Lupe Hinojosa. 

Over the last two years, Hinojosa has been battling stage three colon cancer as well as COVID-19. All the money raised will go to help cover his medical bills, a gesture Hinojosa was very grateful for.

"It means a lot to me. I couldn't do it without them," said Hinojosa. "I appreciate all the boys at girls at Total Sports for doing this for me. I didn't think anybody would do this for me and it was a blessing."

Garry Isbell, director of baseball at Total Sports, says this kind of event is what sports are all about.

"It always brings joy to me. It always brings a sense of graciousness as to why I do what I do," said Isbell. 

Isbell says they have been holding events like this for 15 years. 

Athlete of the Week: Izzy Granger of Liberty-Benton High School

Athlete of the Week: Izzy Granger of Liberty-Benton High School

FINDLAY, Ohio — With a toss of 146 feet and one inch, Liberty-Benton's Izzy Granger won the Division-II discus state championship last year. 

Back for her final season, the goal is not only to repeat but throw even farther. Her eyes set on the school record of 150 and last night she did it, shattering it with a toss of 154.

"My dad held a record for a while and it got broken and I asked him about that and he was like, 'Records are meant to be broken,'" Granger said. "I agree with that. It's one of those things where you do it and get it out of the way and you look forward to what's going on after that. You have to hit a mark but you have to keep hitting that mark. You can't just hit it once and back away from it."

Izzy is the daughter of A.J. Granger who played basketball at Michigan State and also won a state championship in discus when he was at Liberty-Benton.

"It's not necessarily winning or 'I have this many,' or 'You have this many,' but the knowledge he can share with me," said Granger. "We were out here on Sunday just throwing and he was able to transfer what he knows to me and I think that's something that's nice to have."

Her accomplishments in track and field only scratch the surface. The two-time state volleyball champion will head to Toledo to play volleyball this fall. But until then, her eyes are set on another state title.

Izzy Granger from Liberty-Benton High School is our Athlete of the Week.

April 8, 2022: WTOL 11 Sports

Athlete of the Week: Sydney Schwieterman of Springfield High School

Athlete of the Week: Sydney Schwieterman of Springfield High School

HOLLAND, Ohio — The Springfield High School softball team is expected to compete for another Northern Lakes League title this year and one of their senior superstars is already off to an amazing start.
Last year, Schwieterman hit .430 with six home runs and she drove in 42 runs. At the pace she’s off to this year, she might beat those numbers fairly quickly.
Through four games, she’s 9-12 at the plate and has already hit two home runs.
“Rob (Gwozdz) always tells us to go up with an approach, we always have a plan,” said Schwieterman. “I guess my plan is to just put it in play and help out the team however I can.”
The team is also off to an unbelievable start. They’re 4-0 and they’ve outscored their opponents 50-0. Schwieterman is a big reason why they’ve had success early.
“She had an amazing year last year, she hit over .400 last year,” said Springfield softball head coach Rob Gwozdz. “She started out with two home runs already this year. You can see the confidence is just oozing with her.”
“You have to have confidence at the plate,” said Schwieterman. “If you don’t have confidence, you’re not gonna have success. I am pretty confident when I’m up there hitting.”
On top of being a huge contributor, she’s also a complete team player.
“Syd’s a four-year starter and she’s one of the most versatile kids I’ve ever had,” said Gwozdz. “Last year she was an all-district and all-NLL player at first base. We had a void in centerfield and she said ‘Hey put me out there coach.’ She’s taken right over in that centerfield spot. She can play pretty much anywhere on the diamond.”
“It’s a great feeling knowing there’s pressure,” said Schwieterman. “Knowing there’s people trying to take your spot is exhilarating.”

Monday, April 4, 2022

April 1, 2022: WTOL 11 Sports

'I wouldn't be where I am without cancer' | Findlay High School runner beats cancer to return to the track

Natalie Rakestraw was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma as a senior and beat it to return to the track for the Trojans.