Girls high school basketball is now into its second half-century in Ohio. A few elite programs have eclipsed 900 wins and two of them made history by playing each other last Saturday in Fort Loramie as the Redskins hosted and defeated Lima Bath. Interest in the contest was further fueled by Bath’s win over Loramie the year before, representing the ‘Skins only loss during the past three seasons.

This is an excellent nonconference matchup. Bath books 13 non-league games each season while Loramie needs 10. Both are more than willing to be challenged by excellent competition. The series will continue next year in Lima. The Redskins’ Carla Siegel has been head coach for 23 seasons. Add one to that for the total of Bath’s Greg Mauk.

Sidney swimmer

I recently received a note from Sidney Athletic Director Mitch Hoying alerting me to an outstanding sophomore Yellow Jacket swimmer, Jarrett Payne. Hoying identified Payne as a “fine young man who is likely our best swimmer ever.”

According to the information I’ve been provided, Jarrett currently holds eight school records, six individual and two relay. Among his regular events, only two individual records have escaped him and one of those is held by former state champion Paul Miller (2007). SHS maintains record boards for each sport on the wall outside the athletic office near the main gym. As the board is updated, Payne’s name should dominate that display well into the future.

He also competes for the Springfield YMCA Swim Club and has achieved national rankings. Along with his Sidney teammates he’ll compete in the Miami Valley League championships on Saturday at Trotwood’s excellent facility.

Scott Rolen

The Cincinnati Reds had some very good teams in the early part of the previous decade. Third baseman Scott Rolen was the leader of those squads which I can verify from covering the team at spring training.

Rolen led by both example and firm but not boisterous words. Back in 2010 he was in a hitting group with Joey Votto, Jay Bruce, and a couple others. Votto was swinging at every batting practice offering when Rolen injected some soft spoken but firm advice, “If it’s not a strike in a game, it’s not a strike here.” Votto immediately got more selective.

Then it was time to bunt. Rolen was also a pro at this and laid down a few sacrifices of excellence. When the group’s approach was to go through the motions, the third baseman said simply, “Let’s go guys, this stuff is important.” The approach and results changed immediately. I’m glad I was standing at the batting cage so I could hear the interaction.

I’m pleased to see that Scott Rolen is making progress with his annual vote totals toward induction into the Baseball Hall of Fame. If he makes it I’ll be delighted. Earlier this week he got 63.2% of the vote. He needs to get to 75%.