Nursing is natural. At least that was my silent mantra the first time I pulled up my shirt, unsnapped my bra cup and pulled Bella close in the family room.

My boys were formula-fed, so seeing me pull out a breast as they watched TV was a new experience. Really, who ever thought mom would be flashing the girls as they munched popcorn on movie night? Seriously.

While I felt uncomfortable emotionally, outwardly I acted as if it was a casual event.

Craig sat next to me on the couch and said, “You got my sissy?”

“Yes. She’s hungry.”

“Ohhh. Where’s her bottle?”

“She doesn’t have one.”

He seemed perplexed and then stretched to get a closer look. His gasp sounded like helium shrieking though the stretched mouth of a balloon. “Mommy, she’s eating your booboo!”

I wasn’t sure if I should laugh or grab a blanket. Instead I opted for the logical, educational approach. “Yes, this is how some babies eat.”

Craig slapped his cheeks. “They do?”

It was comical and yet disturbing after five short years, Craig had already self-defined the purpose of breasts. Goodness, he was in for a rewrite.

“Sissy eat booboos and drink bottles?”

“No, she drinks from me.” I didn’t want to complicate the lesson with explanations of pumped milk.

As if to reiterate, Bella drooled. “That’s milk!” Craig squealed.

Indeed.

“Mommy, I want some. Can I eat your booboo too?”

Uh … I put my hand out to block him. “No. Sorry … it’s only for your sister. You have big boy milk in the ‘fridge.”

“Oh.” He was disappointed. “Wait! I know … I feed her.” Faster than I could respond, he pulled up his shirt and placed his flat, pea-sized nipple on his sister’s exposed cheek.

She squirmed under the battle of the boobs. “Hey, stop,” I said. “You can’t feed her.”

He rocked back. “She can only eat you and daddy’s booboos?”

Oh boy. Nursing was natural, but it sure needed a lot of explanations. After a multitude of questions over several days, Craig seemed satisfied with his new knowledge.

It wasn’t much longer before I was comfortable flopping out nature’s bottles while chatting with the fam, eating dinner at the table, or sitting on the back porch for a little sun and watching the dogs scamper.

Craig was still interested in his sister’s nourishment process. He usually sat next to me and explained to her that boys and dads can’t feed her booboos, only mommies can. Then he would pretend to nurse, burp and clean spit up off his Buzz Lightyear doll.

On occasion he’d try to sneak-latch his toy on me. That didn’t go over well.

Eventually pretend play wasn’t enough. One morning while I was feeding Bella, Craig marched up to me and bared his chest. “Put some milk in my booboo now.”

What?

“You have to share.” Craig pointed to the breast his sister was nursing on and then to his flat one.

After coughing back a laugh, I said, “Baby, I can’t. It doesn’t work that way.”

“You’re not sharing!”

“I can’t …”

“That’s not fair.” He emphasized every word with a powerful stomp and then ran out of the room. A few seconds later, his bedroom door slammed shut.

“Oh Bella,” I said. “ I guess it’s just you and me.”

What can I say? Nursing time is my time and hers. Everyone else can keep their shirt on.

—By Genevieve Hinson, MotherOfConfusion.com

——

Genevieve Hinson is a writer, wife and mom to two boys and a girl. More of her adventures can be found at MotherOfConfusion.com or on Twitter @motherconfusion.

Well well well… we won another game, it’s just too bad the game didn’t count.  Still though, it’s always a good thing to see your team win and it probably isn’t a bad thing for the team to see themselves string together a couple of wins.  Overall this was a good game with a lot of positives in all areas.  Here’s what I saw:

Offense: 

The OL provided much better coverage of our QB’s against a better pass rush than they saw last week against the Lions.  Yeah DA got sacked pretty good, but that was a blown play that never stood a chance. 

The QB’s both played well.  It didn’t start off that great for Quinn with a 3 and out, but he came back from that nicely and led some scoring drives.  I saw perfectly thrown balls, especially liking the 20 yarder to Edwards for a touchdown.  He did have a bad throw, and that was the pass to Cribbs’ feet during the first series which went 3 and out.  DA did some good things too, but nothing that stood out as overly impressive.  His case was hampered a bit because he didn’t throw any touchdowns and Mike Furrey saved his butt on an almost interception.

Braylon:

It was nice to see him catch the ball, and for a touchdown no less.  I’ve got him in a couple of fantasy leagues this year and it would be nice for him to at least sniff the pro bowl, but I’m not counting on it.  His one-handed out-of-bounds catch was awesome!  It was probably one of the best catches I’ve seen, but of course it wasn’t on target by DA and Braylon had no chance of getting his feet in bounds.  To give DA some credit, the wind was blowing rather hard. 

Defense:

It certainly didn’t look pretty, but we managed to hold the Titans to just seven points for a long time.  There was some different blitzing packages and we even got a sack out of it.  In my opinion, I think Rob Ryan let off a little on the blitzing once he had the sack.  It’s the preseason afterall.  However, seeing Vince Young pressured into throwing a pick six straight to Alex Hall was very nice.  See what blitzing can do for a defense Romeo???  Eric Wright had a nice interception last week that resulted from nearly the same factors. 

Special Teams:

These guys were why we won the game.  Good returns, a blocked field goal, excellent tackling, and a fumble recovery.  That sounds good to me.  Even though we’ve had a good special teams unit for a few years, I’m more thoroughly impressed with this years squad than I ever have been before.  Cribbs seems to be doing better now that the NFL has changed the rules on how many guys can lead the wedge on kick returns.  It doesn’t seem to phase him…

Josh Cribbs:

There’s something else I need to say about this guy.  He’s not so stinkin’ bad at wide receiver.  I actually enjoy seeing him catch the ball and make people miss tackles.  He’s doing a good job of it and if that continues into the regular season then I’ll admit I was wrong about him.  Is it possible that he can only get better once he learns more about running routes?  Time will tell. 

A coach who coaches his or her own child is always in a delicate situation. There are, however, always conditions that can ease the sensitivity.

Winning, of course, is a wonderful way to defuse any tension. It’s even better when the program in question never had a whole lot of success before the coach and the kid joined forces.

“We were the doormat of the conference,” said Brookside coach Ted Whitsel, recalling what the Cardinals were like in 1999, the year he took over the program.

Opponents are not wiping their feet on Brookside these days. The Cardinals went 20-5 in 2008. It was the third straight year the team had posted the best record in school history. Brookside made it to the Division II district final — losing to eventual state champion Padua Franciscan in four games — for the first time ever.

A big reason for the success has been Whitsel’s daughter, Kyleigh, a senior and the team’s setter over the last three seasons. Brookside has posted a 52-20 record with Kyleigh on the roster.

Kyleigh is joined this year by her sister, Kady, a freshman.

“I took the position knowing I would have daughters in the program,” Whitsel said. “I took it after getting encouragement from Dave Cross and Marsha Coultrip.”

Dave Cross was coach at Keystone and Whitsel was the school’s junior varsity coach. Whitsel worked with Coultrip, the longest-tenured of the Lorain County volleyball coaches with 31 years at Wellington.

“Brookside was in the same (Lorain County) conference with Keystone and Wellington,” Whitsel said. “I saw the potential.”

The LCC is no longer, but the three schools are still in the same conference — the Stars Division of the Patriot Athletic Conference.

Whitsel said he was aware of the pitfalls inherent with coaching one’s own children. A coach will always be under surveillance for signs of favoritism. If he goes the other way, and is unduly strict with his child, the strategy frequently backfires.

“I was aware of the impression other people might get,” Whitsel said. “I understood the situation. I have told both girls that they had to earn their spots, just like anyone else.”

No problem for Kyleigh, who hit the ground running when practice opened during her freshman season.

“It was about the second day of practice when it became obvious that she should be setting for this team,” Whitsel said. “What I liked was how the upperclass girls embraced Kyleigh. She didn’t have a whole lot of trouble winning them over.”

Again, winning matches smoothes out so many potential problem areas.

Piling up impressive statistics helps, too. Kyleigh has 1,760 assists in her career, with 44.4 percent of her sets resulting in points. Last season she racked up 985 assists, fifth-most in a season in Ohio high school history. The main beneficiary of her setting was Ali Gendron, who set Lorain County records for kills in a season (461 last year) and career kills (1,127).

Kyleigh holds both the Nos. 1 and 2 spots in the state for most assists in a match. She set the state record with 72 assists in a five-game victory over Buckeye on Sept. 9, 2008. One month later she posted the second-highest total with 66 in a five-game loss to the Bucks.

And what’s it like to play for dad? Both Kyleigh and Kady were a bit hesitant to let their hair down when asked that question.

“He’s harder on us than he is on other people,” Kyleigh said. “But I like that. I like him better than other coaches I’ve had.”

Both girls admitted dad is fiery. Kyleigh indicated that such emotion likely served the team well in what was likely the most important game in Brookside history. The Cardinals had lost the first two games of the sectional final to Keystone and were a point away from seeing their season completed in Game 3.

The Cardinals rallied, erasing a 24-21 deficit to tie the score and force overtime. Needless to say, the players were flying high when Keystone called a timeout. So was Ted Whitsel.

“Everyone was really pumped up, high-fiving each other and all that,” Kyleigh said. “My dad was encouraging that. He was yelling at us to keep it up, telling us what to do. He was as emotional as we were.”

It must have worked. Brookside went on to win 30-28, then won the next two games to keep the dream of a 20-victory season alive.

Kyleigh and Kady have also been coached by their mother, Kelly, who is Brookside’s coach at the middle school level.

“She didn’t yell,” Kady said.

“They were very successful,” Ted said, explaining why his wife didn’t have to raise her voice to her pupils.

With a Whitsel on the bench and at least two Whitsels in uniform, success is likely to stick around Brookside this season.

Steve Byrne
Contact Steve Byrne at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.

CLEVELAND — Someone said Sunday afternoon that Julia Fulton has spent hour after hour practicing her left-footed shot in the backyard.

Fulton, a senior midfielder on Westlake’s girls soccer team, denied it steadfastly. She called the information “erroneous.”

Erroneous information or not, Fulton put a left-footer into the Avon Lake net for what became the winning goal in the Demons’ 3-0 Southwestern Conference victory over the winless Shoregals. It happened in the 14th minute as part of a “Cancer Awareness” doubleheader at Krenzler Field on the Cleveland State University campus.

In the opener, Eastern Illinois defeated Cleveland State’s women, 2-1, with a goal in the last four minutes. The most important stat will be the amount of proceeds going to the cancer research initiative at Cleveland Clinic. The event was held in support of former Avon Lake player Samantha Harris, a sophomore (red-shirt freshman) at CSU, who is a cancer patient.

A soccer team news release posted Wednesday on the Internet said:

“The game was envisioned after . . . Samantha Harris was diagnosed with Lynch Syndrome, a type of colon cancer, last season. The team rallied behind Harris and did everything they could to show their support, including wearing shirts with Harris’s name on the back during a game in the spring.

“Harris had surgery and received treatment and chemotherapy over the summer and has returned to campus for the fall semester. She is taking 19 credit hours and between full days on Monday, Wednesday and Friday and a lab on Tuesday, she is still receiving treatment.”

The crowd could have gone home after Fulton, with an assist from senior Natalie Bechtel, scored her goal high into the right corner.

“I just did what we do in practice,” Fulton said. “I did what good, ol’ coach (Scott) Jones here teaches us to do. I got inside my mark (defender). I didn’t do much work, it was mostly Natalie.”

It became a 2-0 Westlake lead two minutes later when junior Kristie Prendergast scored with a shot that scraped the underside of the Avon Lake crossbar. Bechtel, the Demons’ senior forward, assisted. Westlake got the crusher when Bechtel headed a shot into the Shoregals’ net in the 66th minute. It came after a direct kick by Westlake junior Sarah Stachowiak.

Meantime, the Demons outshot the Shoregals, 19-5. Westlake put 14 of those shots on goal; Avon Lake four. Westlake goalkeeper Stephanie Poppelman, a junior, basically had the day off.

“Obviously, Sarah Stachowiak is a big part of our defense and she does a great job of clearing the ball,” Poppelman said. “I didn’t have to do much today because our defense did such a great job in the middle stopping (Avon Lake’s Tani Lopez) for most of the first half.”

Westlake coach Scott Jones said his players took care of business.

“We knew we were going to have a battle here and the girls came out and did exactly what we asked them to do,” Jones said. “I can’t say enough about our seniors right now. They’re doing a great job during practice, during film sessions, during the game of getting everything done that needs to get done.”

“Their two goals early in the game set the pace,” said Kiko Lopez, the Shoregals’ veteran coach. “But we adjusted and we did a better job. (The Demons) have good speed and passing. They run very well and they pass very well. The first 20 minutes, they controlled the game.”

Bob Daniels
Contact Bob Daniels at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.

Westlake 3, Avon Lake 0
GOALS: (W) Julia Fulton (14th minute), Kristie Prendergast (16th minute), Natalie Bechtel (66th minute). ASSISTS: (W) Laura Wichman, Bechtel, Sarah Stachowiak. SHOTS: Westlake 19, Avon Lake 5. SHOTS ON GOAL: Westlake 15, Avon Lake 4. SAVES: (W) Stephanie Poppelman 4; (AL) Bridget Lyons 12.

CORNER KICKS: Westlake 5, Avon Lake 3. GOAL KICKS: Westlake 2, Avon Lake 11. OFFSIDE: Westlake 1, Avon Lake 3. HAND BALLS: Avon Lake 2. FOULS: Westlake 10, Avon Lake 7. CARDS: None.

HALFTIME: Westlake, 2-0.

Avon police

Friday, Aug. 7

5 p.m. — 3700 block Stoney Ridge Road, PlayStation 3, four video games and $200 stolen in home burglary.

Friday, Aug. 14

4:39 p.m. — Wal-Mart, Andrew Shoemaker, 23, Sheffield Lake, charged with theft of Xbox 360 accessories and possession of marijuana.

7:45 p.m. —Kohl’s, Melissa Studebaker, 37, Elyria, charged with theft of clothing and shoes.

Saturday, Aug. 15

1:30 a.m. — 1100 block Windmill Court, cell charger, two-way radio and men’s wedding ring stolen from car.

3:48 a.m. — State Route 611, Keith Cartmill, 38, North Ridgeville, charged with DUI.

Tuesday, Aug. 18

10:30 a.m. — 35300 block Detroit Road, digital camera, electric shaver and laptop stolen during home burglary.

11 a.m. — 35300 block Detroit Road, $10 stolen in home burglary.

Greyhound fundraiser

AVON — Baseball, hot dogs, apple pie … and greyhounds?

The North Coast Greyhound Connection & Adoption of Ohio is sponsoring a fundraiser by offering tickets for the Lake Erie Crushers game at 7:05 p.m. Sept. 5 at All Pro Freight Stadium.

Tickets for the game are $6 for general admission and $9 for box seats. There will be a meet-and-greet with greyhound dogs before the game.

For tickets, call Chris Bunsey, (440) 452-1778, or send an e-mail message to cbunsey@roadrunner.com. For more information, visit www.northcoastgreyhoundconnection.org.

Tea party

AVON LAKE — Avon-on-the-Lake Garden Club will meet Wednesday at noon for the annual Past Presidents’ Tea and program.

The event will be held in the Avon Lake Public Library’s Gallery, 32649 Electric Blvd., and will feature a skit called, “A Heavenly Visit with Chocolate and Bay,” presented by Connie Williams and Karen Rodachy.

Be sure to wear hats and gloves for this event as there will be a contest for best hat. Anyone interested in gardening or floral arranging is welcome to come to the meeting.

More information is available by calling (440) 930-2319.

Library events

AVON LAKE — Be a part of the first countywide reading project in Lorain County.

All libraries in Lorain County are encouraging patrons to read “An Open Book: Coming of Age in the Heartland” by Lorain native and Pulitzer Prize-winning author and literary critic Michael Dirda. Avon Lake Public Library Director Mary Crehore, will lead a book discussion of “An Open Book” at 7 p.m. Sept. 29.

In October, Dirda returns home to help celebrate Lorain County Reads with four speaking engagements. Mark your calendars for 6:30 p.m. Oct. 28, when he will speak at Avon Lake Public Library.

The library is located at 32649 Electric Blvd.

Also at the library:

• Environmental Issues Series – Part 1, Green Consuming: You have made the commitment of recycling in your home. What next? Take a look at what you bring into your house in the first place. Find ways to reduce your trash and save money with tips from Holly Moore Kowalski at 7 p.m. Sept. 9.

•  Hypnosis for Stress Reduction: Learn about hypnosis for stress management at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 10. Begin to tap into the power of your imagination in a way that will leave you feeling more relaxed and refreshed. Presented by hypnotherapist Mary Ellen Ott.

Man arrested after  being found in attic

ELYRIA - A 20-year-old Lorain man who allegedly ran into an attic after police responded to a fight on Seventh Street on Friday was charged with burglary and obstructing official business, according to a police report.

Police said they found Cory L. Holt after a woman in the 200 block of Seventh Street told police she heard someone in her attic.

Man charged with Ecstasy possession

ELYRIA - A Cleveland man was charged with possession of drugs after his arrest on Wednesday when police confiscated a bag of multicolored Ecstasy pills bearing the likeness of President Barack Obama, according to a police report.

Adam L. Johnson, 33, also was arrested on a warrant in the 1100 block of Garden Street after police responded to a loud noise complaint at about 10:30 p.m.

He told police the “Obama pills” were not his.

ELYRIA - The organizers and volunteers of the St. Jude Parish Festival - now in its 25th year - call the event a labor of love.

It began, according to Jim Tomsic, when the Rev. Frank Kosem arrived at the church and was looking for a way to raise money for a new roof.

“It used to be a clam bake,” Tomsic said. “But it was not feasible anymore because it did not raise enough money.”

Tomsic, who was working at Lorain Community College at the time, presented the idea of a chicken barbeque to Kosem. He liked the idea, noting that when he first arrived, “It was important to build a community, to flavor a family celebration.”

The rest, as they say, is history, as the festival has become an Elyria tradition.

Tomsic and his wife, Jan, ran the event for the first five years.

“We used to go around to other festivals for ideas - such as Toledo and the Fostoria area. We were always looking for different things to add to the festival to make it grow,” he said. “Each year, we would add something new, something different.”

One such idea was a sponsor board, which he picked up in Monroeville.

“I contacted all of the different businesses and asked them to be donors. We offered different levels of sponsorship. I used a Criss-Cross directory and sent individual letters, personally signing each one of them,” he said.

In addition to ideas, Tomsic said that the event also borrowed items from other festivals and local organizations, such as tents, tables and chairs. But as important as the ideas were the people, Tomsic said.

“We tapped into the people at St. Jude, like any organization with a common cause,” he said. “We knew the people were our resources. We used their talents.”

He credits people such as Pat Humphrey, who often helped with the electrical needs.

“My wife was the organizer; I was the motivator,” he said.

Then, after five years, Jim and his wife passed the torch.

“Father Kosem did a good job of finding people to carry the event on, which is easily done with passionate people,” he said.

The event evolved over the last 25 years to the point where organizers this year expect about 3,000 visitors to the one-day event.

And chairwoman Kim Szymanel said it would not be possible without the volunteers.

She estimates that the event will have 400 volunteers donating 1,000 man-hours on the day of the event, which is in addition to the approximately 3,000 hours that have already been invested in the day.

This year’s festival again features a car raffle, with the vehicle donated by Nick Abraham Auto Mall.

The winner will choose between a 2009 Ford Focus and a Ford Ranger. The festival also includes a cake wheel, a Chinese raffle, bingo, putt-putt, cornhole and a classic car cruise.

New for the 25-year anniversary are three rock bands. The featured bands are the Heavy Hitter Classic Rock Band, Morning Son Contemporary Christian Band and State Fair Christian Rock Band. Also performing throughout the day is an annual favorite, the Ed Klimczak Band.

Mark Reichlin, who has been involved with the event all 25 years, has watched the event grow and relishes the family atmosphere.

“The event focuses on family. There is a lot to do for kids and dancing under the pavilion for adults,” Reichlin said, adding that it is the perfect way to close the summer season.

Kosem said he enjoys seeing people who have moved on but still return for the festival.

“I enjoy the number of people that come back each year. It’s a reunion,” he said. “People that used to belong here come back. I enjoy meeting people from the past.”

Contact Rob Swindell at 329-7155 or ctnews@chroniclet.com.

EHS class of 1944 hosts reunion

The Elyria High School class of 1944 will host its 65-year class reunion noon to 3 p.m. Sept 12 at Wesleyan Village.

Reservations should be made by Tuesday.

Contact Nina Osborne at (440) 366-7874, or Donald Daykin at (440) 331-3285 or at daykin@ameritech.net, or mail reservations to 4179 West Valley Drive, Fairview Park, OH 44126.

Win free fertilizer for 2010 from Turfgrass

Elite Turfgrass Management is holding an open house and car show 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sept. 12.

Customers will have a chance to win free lawn fertilization for the 2010 season during the show at 564 Ternes Lane.

The drawing is 12:30 p.m., and you must be present to win.

Hot dogs, popcorn and refreshments will be served.

To enter your car in the show, call (440) 366-8981 or e-mail eliteturfgrass@windstream.net. There is a $5 entry fee for each car.

LCCC president named to board

Team Northeast Ohio has named five new board trustees, including Lorain County Community College President Roy. A. Church, president of LCCC since 1987.

The board members were appointed to assist in the organization’s work to advance Northeast Ohio’s economy by attracting businesses worldwide to the 16-county Cleveland region.

The organization is a joint venture of the region’s largest metropolitan chambers of commerce.

Since 2007, the organization has attracted 24 new companies, 2,500 new jobs and more than $75 million in annual payroll to Northeast Ohio, leading to a total regional annual impact of $150 million.

Other new board members elected to three-year terms are April Miller Boise, partner-in-charge of Thompson Hine LLP; A. Ray Dalton, president and CEO of PartsSource; Joe Lopez, founder and president of New Era Builders Inc.; and Thomas J. Murphy, president and COO of Ben Venue Laboratories Inc.

Women’s club hosts membership drive

The Elyria Woman’s Club will hold a get-acquainted lunch 12:30 p.m. Sept. 23 at its clubhouse at Monteith Hall, 218 East Ave. There is no charge, but reservations are requested by calling Kay at the Woman’s Club at (440) 322-0524.

This is not a fundraiser but an event to interest women in membership. Following the light lunch, some members of the club will present a skit, “Historical Women of Elyria.” Christine Wirth, club president, will present information about the Woman’s Club, and house tours will be available.

4th Ward town hall meeting Sept. 24

A semiannual 4th Ward town hall meeting will be 6:30 p.m. Sept. 24 at St. John Lutheran Church, 1140 West River Road N.

Residents are encouraged to come and discuss city operations and ask questions.

All city employees, elected officials, department heads and other concerned citizens are invited to attend.

Abigail Ministries supports women

Abigail Ministries provides support groups for women in difficult or abusive relationship, offering women the opportunity to ask faith-based questions they may be struggling with in a safe and understanding place.

Call (440) 281-7136 or visit www.abigail-ministries.org for more information.

NORTH RIDGEVILLE —Mother Nature took care of the game Friday, but the extra time off didn’t affect North Ridgeville on Saturday, as the Rangers started off the 2009 football season with a strong performance on both sides of the football.

The result was a 33-0 victory over Westlake.

The Rangers jumped on the Demons in a hurry, forcing a fumble on the opening kick that Taylor Abraham recovered on the Westlake 32-yard line. It was from there that the ground troops put together a nine-play drive, and fittingly enough, it was Abraham going the last three for the touchdown. Anthony Grazetti (a soccer player doing double duty on this day with a soccer game in the early afternoon) kicked the extra point, and with 7:38 left in the quarter it was 7-0 Rangers.

Westlake started from its own 32 on the ensuing drive, only to have the Rangers’ Mark Szylakowski pick off a quick pass over the middle at the 37. A 5-yard face mask penalty set the Rangers up on the 32 again.

Again the ground troops went to work again and seven plays later Josh Deitz carried it in from the 1. The point after was blocked, Ridgeville leading 13-0 with 4:43 left in the quarter.

That was all the scoring in the first half, though North Ridgeville had the ball twice deep in Demon territory, but was unable to cash in on a 36-yard field goal attempt.

The North Ridgeville one-two running back punch of Abraham (15 carries for 63 yards) and Mohammed Jaber (190 yards on 20 carries) was too much for the Demon defense, the Rangers’ veteran offensive line opening up holes for the senior ball carriers. The rushing attack accounted for 307 yards.

“The offensive line of Alex Lovasz (center), guards Chris Fule (Fuller) and Jacob Botson, and tackles Vinney Rodriguez and junior Alex Gillock, give us a four out of five veteran linemen that gives us that ability to focus on running the ball,” Rangers’ head coach Jeff Riesen said. “We’ll add the pass as our quarterback Mike Mees gains experience.

“Mike’s a good quarterback, but we just have to work a little more. We had two open receivers and just missed them, but we’ll make those plays later on.”

Westlake five turnovers derailed the Demons.

“The bottom line is that offensively we didn’t block anybody or hang on to the ball,” Westlake coach Marc Campo said. “We may have made a play here or a play there because of their alignment, but if you don’t block anybody or hang onto the football, you’re not going to be too successful.”

The Rangers took advantage of the time that Westlake’s defense was on the field by scoring 20 points in the fourth quarter, two by long distance, as Jaber scored twice — once on a 26-yard run and then on a 61-yard gallop. Sophomore Christian Watkins added the third score on a 2-yard burst.

CALL TO THE WALL: Prior to the game the North Ridgeville Football Boosters inducted five inaugural members to the ‘Wall of Fame’.

The five members are: Class of 1972 all-conference and all-county running back Don Mould (Don Mould’s Plantation), Class of 1979 all-conference, all-county, Golden Helmet winner running back Craig Best, all-conference, all-county, all-state, Lorain County Lombardi Trophy winner defensive lineman, Class of 1982 Mike Foor, 1986 graduate, all-conference, all county, all district linebacker, Lombardi Trophy winner Jeff Seasor,  1995 graduate, all-conference, all-county, all-district, all-state, Golden Helmet Award winner and North Ridgeville’s all-time leading Rusher Jerel Klue.

Each was presented with a plaque with a similar being mounted at the high school.

The Booster plan on making this a yearly event with nominees being presented by interested parties and hope to expand the awards to all sports.

Contact Ron Nenadal at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.