Springfield LB James draws Alabama interest

Springfield High School football standouts Davonte James and Thaddeus Snodgrass are shooting up the recruiting radar.

Head coach Eric Gillespie reports that James, a 6-foot-3, 218-pound linebacker, will be offered by two-time defending national champion Alabama head coach Nick Saban “when (James) visits over spring break,” he said in a text.

James also has offers from Purdue, Cincinnati and Georgia Tech.

Saban must like what he sees in Wildcats LB’s. Springfield grad Trey DePriest was a starting linebacker for the Crimson Tide all of last season.

Springfield receiver Thaddeus Snodgrass also has many offers. Notre Dame, Ohio State, Purdue, Wisconsin, Michigan State, South Carolina and Nebraska are just some of the programs to have offered the 6-1, 185-pound speedster.

Both Wildcats are juniors.

Also, Springfield athletic director Mark Stoll will retire from that position at the end of the school year. A national search has been underway to fill the position. Stoll previously was the AD at Springfield North. Greg Newland is the assistant AD. He was the longtime athletic director at South.

Springboro wins district title: Springboro accomplished late Saturday night what no other area boys basketball team has done since 2009: Win a Division I basketball district final.

The Panthers led Moeller (22-3) by as many as 18 points and escaped with a 57-56 victory at UD Arena.

Springboro advances to Wednesday’s D-I regional semifinals at Xavier’s Centas Center vs. Walnut Hills at 8 p.m. It was the first district title in 10 years for Springboro.

Senior center Maverick Morgan had 18 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks for the Panthers (22-4). Springboro also hit 14-of-16 fourth-quarter free throws.

“I don’t think any of them got rattled,” Springboro coach Jay Byrne said. “The kids just battle.”

Early blueprint for success: Centerville (15-11) closed its boys basketball season with a scorching 7-1 run that ended with a 68-54 defeat to Walnut Hills in another Saturday D-I district final. Junior Austin Recker labeled early morning workouts under first-year coach Brook Cupps as the difference maker.

“It was the Breakfast Club,” said Recker, one of several key underclassmen who should help make the Elks GWOC Central title contenders next season.

“As the season went on we became closer and closer. … I wish we were like this at the beginning of the season. We would have won a lot more games.”

CJ girls tickets on sale

Tickets for Chaminade Julienne’s girls state basketball semifinal will be on sale at the school from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and Wednesday. Presale tickets are $8 and are good for both Division II semifinal games.

The Eagles (19-9) will play Millersburg West Holmes (27-1) at 8 p.m. on Thursday at Ohio State University’s Schottenstein Center.

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