Week in Solon Sports: Track Unbeaten, Softball Surging and More

The Week in Solon Sports is just that – a weekly look at Solon High School sports teams in action over the last week and quick previews of what's to come next week. Come to Solon Patch every Friday afternoon to get all the sports you need.

TRACK AND FIELD

Solon's boys and girls finished the Northeast Ohio Conference dual meet season with unbeaten records with big wins over rival Medina this week and both teams now have the inside track for Valley Division championships.

The girls bested Medina 72-65 as Tinisee Kandakai and Paige Yaeger were multiple winners, Kandakai taking the long jump (16-7) and the 200 meters (26.1) while Yaeger captured the 100-meter hurdles (15.7) and the 300-meter hurdles (44.5). Other Solon firsts came from Kristen Baldwin in the 100 meters (12.3); Melissa Yasnowski in the 400 meters (1:01.3); Kelsey Aamoth in the 3200 meters (11:50.7); the 4x200 meter relay of Baldwin, London McNair, Yaeger and Jelvon Butler (1:46.7); the 4x100 meter relay (51.9) and the 4x400 meter relay of Therese Haiss, McNair, Julia Haiss and Yaeger (4:03.5).

Solon's boys downed previously unbeaten Medina by a 76-61 score. A.J. Hicks won both the shot put (60-7) and the discus (168-8) while teammate Khoury Crenshaw took the 100 meters (10.78) and the 200 meters (21.8). The victory kept the Comets' 18-year dual meet winning streak intact.

Both teams won team titles at the Gary Smith Invitational held in Worthington. The boys finished with 162 points to best runner-up St. Ignatius (111) and got first-place finishes from Rod Jackson in the 110-meter hurdles (14.56) and the 300-meter hurdles (39.61), Hicks in the shot put (60-5.25) and discus (174-03) and the 4x100 meter relay of Darian Hicks, Matt Thompson, Jeremy Nelson and Crenshaw (43.40). The girls finished with 122 points to outdistance Dublin Coffman (103.5) as Yaeger set a new meet record in the 300-meter hurdles with a 45.20 clocking and also won the 100-meter hurdles in a time of 15.28. Other Solon winners were Therese Haiss in the 1600 meters (5:15.56); the 4x200 meter relay of Baldwin, McNair, Yaeger and Butler (1:45.15); Alexis Gray in the discus (114-09) and the 4x800 meter relay of Aamoth, Julia Haiss, Yasnowski and Therese Haiss (9:51.19).

UP NEXT: The Comets will compete in today's Euclid Relays and can wrap up a Valley Division title at Wednesday's NOC Meet at Strongsville.

SOFTBALL

The Lady Comets exploded at the plate for a 12-2 victory over NOC rival Cuyahoga Falls Friday, moving the team to 9-4 overall on the season and 3-2 in River Division play.  Kristen Confroy doubled, tripled and drove home four runs while Dani Zysek raised her mark to 9-3 on the mound.

Solon swept West Geauga by scores of 1-0 and 5-1 last weekend. Confroy's solo home run in the 11th inning won the opening game while Elizabeth Lim and Emily Marson each drove in a run in the nightcap, a victory highlighted by Morgan Gersey's two-run double. Zysek pitched all 18 innings in the two games.

UP NEXT: The Lady Comets are slated to host Nordonia this afternoon and will play in the Aurora Invitational Sunday. Solon travels to Stow Monday and Hudson Tuesday before returning home to play Hudson Wednesday and Akron Kenmore in a Division I sectional tournament opener Thursday.

BASEBALL

The Comets picked up one of their bigger wins of the season Friday, edging Lakewood St. Edward by a 3-1 count. Dan Sutyak (2-2) got the win on the mound while teammate Michael Dunn doubled and drove home a run for the winners, who improved to 7-9 overall on the season.

UP NEXT: Solon hits the road to play at Hudson today and hosts Copley for a scheduled doubleheader Sunday. The Comets travel to Stow Monday and then open sectional play at home against Cuyahoga Falls Tuesday. A win in that game would advance them to Wednesday's sectional final against either Brecksville-Broadview Heights or Cloverleaf. Solon is also slated to entertain Hudson on Thursday.

TENNIS

The Comets, ranked eighth in the state, whipped Medina 4-1 earlier this week. Solon winners included David Shankman (6-1, 6-0), Brian Yang (1-6, 6-2, 6-1) and the doubles teams of Jason Schrode-Evan Schrode (6-1, 6-0) and Liam O'Brien-Andrew Branstetter (6-0, 6-1).

In state team tournament action, the unbeaten Comets blanked Avon by a 5-0 score. Wins came from Jason Schrode (6-0, 6-0), Shankman (6-0, 6-1), Yang (6-0, 6-2) and the doubles duos of Evan Schrode-Zach Singerman (6-0, 6-0) and O'Brien-Branstetter (6-0, 6-0).

UP NEXT: Solon goes after the NOC Tournament title today and will host a Division I sectional tournament on Thursday.