Congratulations to Nolan Good, junior quarterback at Avon, for announcing his commitment to Kent State University!

Nolan will finish his high school career with his senior season this fall at Avon before becoming a Golden Flash in 2025.

Congratulations, Nolan!

Let’s Work ⚡️⚡️ #KentGRIT @CoachKenniBurns @coachmacarney @coach_elderm pic.twitter.com/9AgNqGtHaA

— Nolan Good (@Nolan_Good5) May 29, 2024

Greg Klima

Greg Klima, Executive Director of NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) Lorain County joined our Bruce Van Dyke talked about expanding service for education and support for people affected by mental health conditions.

He discussed a new Zoom support group for people with eating disorders and an informational session with Mercy Health on the new ketamine based medication for treatment for depression.

Steele’s winning panel consisted of. Mort Wilson, Aiden Workman, and team captain Mark Vitelli who won the program’s “Standout Scholar Award.”

Amherst Marion L. Steele defeated Avon Lake High School on the final broadcast of the 2024 season of Scholastic Games radio quiz show to take championship honors.  In the program’s 34-year history, it is Steele’s third championship victory, the last having taken place in 2015.  The school won the program’s very first championship in 1991 but attempts to return  to the victor’s circle have faced stiff competition over the years.  Program producer Jim Mehrling observed, “Amherst appears to have been a second-place finisher more than any other school; it’s nice to see them win!”  The show has been presented each week since January  on WEOL (AM930 and FM 100.3). Sixteen area schools have taken part this year.

The winning team defeated Avon Lake High School, the other semifinal winner, by a score of 360 to 230.   Steele’s winning panel consisted of. Mort Wilson, Aiden Workman, and team captain Mark Vitelli who won the program’s “Standout Scholar Award.”  The “Standout Scholar” is the student who contributed the most to his or her team as determined by scorekeepers.  It includes a $50 prize each time it is awarded.  It was Vitelli’s second such award this year,.  Workman was also a two-time “Standout” winner in earlier programs..  The Avon Lake team also boasts former Standouts, namely .  team captain Dylan Missal, a three-time winner, and Alex Chmiel, who achieved the honor earlier this year.  Lake’s third team member was Madeline Wagoner.

Monday’s competition opened with the “Initial Round, ”L-word” names from Latvia to Liszt. The round ended in a 30-30 tie.   A round of questions on Current Events followed, and Avon Lake took a 90 to 60 lead.  The third round is the first in which buzzers come into play, giving an advantage to the quicker team.  The team required that classic authors be named in connection with their books, many with a list given that started with some of their lesser-known titles.  George Orwell, Jane Austin, Oscar Wilde, Emily Bronte and Nathaniel Hawthorne were among those correctly identified.  Both teams did well, but Avon Lake extended its lead to 130 to 90 entering round four.

The final two rounds of questions are those with the highest scoring potential, and they are where Amherst Steele took control of the game.  The fourth round consists of sequences of clues leading to each answer.  An answer following only one clue can earn a team 50 points, with subsequent clues worth lesser amounts of 40, 30, 20 or 10 points.  For the championship, the clues are often more challenging than in earlier programs  The first item, clues about Sojourner Truth, advanced to the 10 point clue before the points went to Steele’s Vitelli.  The second item told the history of gunpowder and Vitelli scored again, this time following the 30 point clue.  He scored 30 on the next answer as well, when mention of the signing of the UN charter prompted him to buzz in and identify the city of San Francisco. It was Workman of the Amherst team who scored the maximum of 50 points on the clue to Hannibal that gave the name of his father, long before any mention of elephants in warfare.  Only one item remained in the round, clues to name former President Jimmy Carter   It advanced to the 20 point clue, and then Amherst’s Vitelli scored again, making his tally 90 points for round four alone.

Amherst not only gained the lead, but a substantial 230 to 130 advantage entering the final round. It is possible to score hundreds of points in round five, over nine minutes of toss-up and bonus questions.  Tossups can gain or lose a team ten points, depending on whether it is a correct answer.  A correct answer earns a team a bonus question worth 20 points.  As it turned out Steele scored 130 points and Avon Lake an additional 100, both respectable scores, but it assured a solid championship victory to Amherst.

Per the official press release from the GCC:

“With the passage of a resolution at their most recent Board of Education Meeting, The Lorain City Schools have accepted an invitation to join the Greater Cleveland Conference (GCC). The Titans will begin competition in the GCC starting in the 2025-2026 school year.”

From Brian Koury, Athletic Director at Lorain High School: “Lorain is very excited for this new opportunity. Most of the existing GCC schools were in Lake Erie League back when we originally joined, and we have competed against all of the schools in the GCC in non-league play in recent years so there is definitely a familiarity. This is going to be exciting for Lorain sports.”

From Jeff Cassella, Athletic Director at Mentor High School, current GCC President: “We are very happy that Lorain has accepted our invitation to join the Greater Cleveland Conference and
look forward to what they will bring in both athletic competitions and district wide opportunities in the coming years. Lorain has a strong tradition and this partnership will strengthen our
conference for years to come.”