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La Salle High School named 1999 Mason graduate Nate Moore as the school’s new head varsity football coach. Moore is pictured with wife, Becca, daughter Ella, son Eli and nephew Ashford. Share/Greg Tankersley

The Enquirer

A Mason graduate will take the helm as the new head football coach at La Salle.

Nate Moore, a 1999 Mason High School graduate, was formerly introduced Tuesday during a live online interview hosted by WSLN, La Salle’s communications network.

Moore is the ninth La Salle head football coach in school history. The school started in 1960.

According to La Salle, there were four finalists for the position. La Salle and Moore worked out final details on Monday night.

Moore said he approached the interview process by being himself and admitted the La Salle search committee was very thorough.

Minster, a Division VI program, made three consecutive state playoff appearances (2010-2012) under Moore. Asked about the transition from the Midwest Athletic Conference to the Greater Catholic South division, Moore said: “Trust me, I wouldn’t apply for this job if I didn’t think I was ready.”

Moore led Minster to a 25-13 record in three seasons (2010-2012). Minster was 1-9 in 2009 and 6-24 over the previous three seasons before he arrived.

Moore, a former Mason defensive end, played right tackle at the University of Dayton from 1999-2003, according to La Salle. He was offensive line coach at Hamilton and Chaminade-Julienne under current Withrow head coach Jim Place.

(more…)

Posted in: Sports |

Tags: Tags: football, graduate, head coach, la salle, lancers, mason high school, minster, nate moore, tom grippa

Sue Kiesewetter reports:

Kings High School football players are taking orders for two different types of mulch through April 12.

A premium black – fine, dark – mulch, and a shredded, brown hardwood, mulch will sell for $4 per 2.0 cubic foot bag.

Delivery is free for those ordering 10 or more bags. Otherwise, mulch can be picked up at Columbia Elementary School, 8263 Columbia Road, April 20-21. Hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday.

Mulch can be ordered from any football player in grades 7-11, or by emailing Kings High School head football coach Andy Olds, aolds@kingslocal.net

There will also be a limited amount of mulch available for purchase at Columbia during pick-up hours. All proceeds benefit the district’s football programs.

Information: 513-398-8050×12021

Posted in: Events, Schools |

Tags: Tags: football, fundraiser, kings high school, mulch, sports

Catch up on the latest recruiting news from Mason High School.

• Mason senior linebacker Andrew Hauser has committed to Akron as a preferred walk-on, according to Mason coach Brian Castner.

  Hauser was first-team all-GMC this past season. He had three sacks, a forced fumble, fumble recovery and an interception, according to the GMC website.

• Mason DL Nicholas Calendine has committed to Wittenberg, according to Mason athletics.
• Mason senior RB Darryl Johnson has committed to Ohio Dominican, according to Mason coach Brian Castner.

  Johnson, an Enquirer Division I all-area selection this past season, rushed for 1,567 yards and 17 touchdowns and caught 10 passes for 217 yards and a touchdown for the Comets this past season.

• Mason TE Matt Landy has committed to Mount St. Joseph, according to Mason athletics.

Posted in: Sports |

Tags: Tags: andrew hauser, comets, darryl johnson, football, mason, mason athletics, mason high school, matt landy, nicholas calendine, sports

Mike Dyer reports:

Miami University just offered Mason senior defensive back Randy Anderson this morning, according to Mason coach Brian Castner.

“Coach (Don) Treadwell just officially offered (Randy) Anderson,” Castner said in an email. “He is floasting and really excited about his official visit Saturday.”

Posted in: Sports |

Tags: Tags: brian castner, defensive back, football, mason, mason high school, miami university, randy anderson

A Mason second grader is receiving national attention after making a “play of a lifetime” that’s attracted the attention of an NFL quarterback and made it on ESPN.

On Wednesday, New Orleans Saints’ quarterback Drew Brees tweeted a link of a video showing 7-year-old Michael Niere (#83) of Mason making a one-handed interception and initially running the wrong way with the ball before running it back for a touchdown.

“WOW! Mason OH 2nd grader makes 1 handed pic return TD. Wasn’t sure which way to run at first. @sportsnation #SCTop10 http://bit.ly/QiUqrb,” Brees tweeted to his more than 1.4 million followers.

After Brees’ tweet, the play was featured on ESPN’s SportsCenter and Good Morning America.

“This has taken on a life of its own,” said Michael’s mother, Judy Niere, of the media attention.

“At first (Michael) was self-conscious about it, but when he saw the news cameras, he thought it was pretty cool. You could tell he was proud,” she said.

Jason Kaylor, who coaches the Mason Comets “Team Kaylor” team, posted the video on the website Swink.tv earlier this month. Brees is a spokesperson for the site, which allows players of all levels to create and share highlights of their plays.

The clip is from an October game against a Sharonville team. The Comets were ahead when Michael, who Kaylor describes as one of the better athletes on the team, made his incredible play.

Kaylor said the play is all the more impressive considering the first-year team hasn’t worked much on passing and interceptions in practices.

“Some might call it luck. Some might call it great coaching. It was an amazing play,” said Kaylor, who played four years at Indiana University. “The mechanics alone that go into the play are tremendous. From a technical aspect, I haven’t seen anything better in my years of playing football.”

Judy Niere thinks luck may have played more of a role that day.

“As a mom, I should say it’s his technical skill, but I think it’s a total fluke and the ball landed in his hand and he said, ‘Oh my gosh, where do I go?,’” she said with a laugh.

The national spotlight has helped Michael, a second grade student at Western Row Elementary, gain more confidence in his skills and made football his new favorite sport, said his mother.

“I think this will be his sport now for a while,” she said. “If nothing else, we’ll save it and embarrass him years from now.”

Posted in: Community, News, Sports |

Tags: Tags: drew brees, football, interception, jason kaylor, judy niere, mason comets, michael niere, new orleans saints, play, quarterback, western row

Catch up on the latest recruiting news from Mason High School.

• Mason senior pitcher Seth Bowles has offers from Centre College and Thomas More, according to Mason baseball coach Ken Gray.  Bowles also has interest from Mount Vernon and Bellarmine.
• Mason junior pitcher Chris Martin was offered by Kent State and Miami University last week, according to Gray.  Martin was offered by UC earlier this year, Gray said.
• Mason senior defensive back Corey Quallen is expected to visit UC in the next couple of weeks, according to Mason coach Brian Castner.  Quallen has an offer from the Bearcats and collected offers from Mid-American Conference schools this summer.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: baseball, chris martin, comets, corey quallen, football, ken gray, mason, mason high school, offer, pitcher, Seth Bowles, sports, uc

Adam Kiefaber reports:

Mason (4-3 overall, 2-2 GMC) will host Lakota East (5-2, 3-1) at 7:30 p.m. Friday.  The Comets are ranked No. 10 in the Cincinnati Enquirer Coaches poll.  Lakota is ranked No. 7.

The Thunderhawks are coming off a 28-7 loss against Sycamore, while Mason enters the game after defeating Fairfield 55-13 last week.

Lakota East: The Thunderhawks fell from No. 6 in the Ohio High School Athletic Association’s region 4 computer rankings to No. 11 this week after losing 28-7 to Sycamore last Friday. In order to qualify for the postseason, Lakota East will have to finish among the top eight teams when the final computer report is released Oct. 28. Helping the team try to qualify for its first-ever postseason appearance is senior running back Will Mahone, who has rushed for 649 yards and 11 touchdowns in seven games this season. His junior teammate, quarterback Eric Eichler, has thrown for six touchdowns and ran for seven more this fall.

Mason: The Comets’ two losses in GMC play occurred against Lakota West and Colerain, two teams that are currently undefeated this fall. Meanwhile, in Mason’s four wins this season, senior running back Darryl Johnson is averaging 189 rushing yards per game. In the three losses, Johnson is averaging around 96 yards per game. Mason’s other standouts include senior offensive lineman Elijah Nkansah (verbal commitment to Toledo), senior defensive back Corey Quallen (offers from Cincinnati, multiple MAC schools), senior defensive back Randy Anderson (interest from Miami) and senior linebacker Andrew Hauser (interest from Miami).

Bottom line: The two schools have one common opponent this season. Lakota East defeated Hamilton, 56-0, while Mason defeated that same Hamilton team 35-14. If Lakota East wants to get back in the playoff picture, it will have to win this Friday. There doesn’t appear to be a clear favorite in this game.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: comets, firebirds, football, lakota east, mason, mason high school, sports

Mason’s Andrew Hauser has been nominated for this week’s Cincinnati Bengals Ohio National Guard Cincinnati High School Player of the Week on bengals.com.

The senior linebacker, who is 6 foot one and weights 212 pounds, collected 10 tackles, a sack and interception in the Comets’ recent 55-13 victory over Fairfield.  Miami University has recently showed interest in Hauser, who has three sacks, a forced fumble and an interception.

• Vote in this week’s contest

If named Player of the Week, Hauser will have the chance to be recognized at Paul Brown Stadium on Dec. 9 when the Bengals take on the Dallas Cowboys. He will also be presented with an award from the Ohio National Guard at the school.

Voting ends at 5 p.m. Friday.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: andrew hauser, bengals, cincinnati bengals, comets, fairfield, football, linebacker, mason, mason high school, ohio national guard cincinnati high school player of the week, paul brown stadium, player of the week

Mike Dyer reports:

Miami University was out at Mason last week and watched senior DB Randy Anderson, senior RB Darryl Johnson and senior LB Andrew Hauser, according to Mason football coach Brian Castner.

Johnson is second in the GMC with 1,045 rushing yards. He has scored 10 rushing touchdowns and one receiving touchdown.

Hauser has three sacks, a forced fumble and an interception. Anderson has two interceptions.

Mason (4-3) plays host to Lakota East (5-2) Friday night.

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: andrew hauser, brian castner, comets, darryl johnson, football, mason, mason high school, miami university, randy anderson

Michael D. Clark reports:

A character-building icon of Kings High School football is now spreading his life-lessons to youngsters across the nation.

Acclaimed Kings Coach Andy Olds was tapped by the National Football League over the summer to be the national director of the NFL’s Play 60 Character Camps.

He spent August traveling to New York City, Tampa and other NFL cities, working with hundreds of young people and meeting some of the NFL elites among coaches and players.

But the modest Olds downplayed his role.

“It’s just teaching,” said the veteran physical education teacher who this fall began his 15th season coaching the Knights on the gridiron.

“I’ve always believed that a really good teacher can coach anything, and I think of myself as a much better teacher than a football coach,” he said.

That may be so, but it’s also a fact that Olds has compiled a 123-36 career record at Kings and in 2011 led his squad to a Division II regional final game.

But it’s the mark he leaves on students that means more than any sports records.

(more…)

Posted in: Fall sports, Sports |

Tags: Tags: andy olds, anthony munoz, character, coach, doug mader, football, kings, kings high school, mason, nfl, play 60 character camps