"Boy, if these kids stay together, they are really going to be something."
"I can't wait for these kids to be seniors, they are really going to be good."
You hear this kind of talk all around the football field, basketball gym, and baseball sandlot. Very few times do things just seem to come together, and a certain class of kids turn out to be as good as everyone thinks they can be. The buzz is starting that there may be a class out there that everyone may want to see.
The Solon freshman class may just be one that lives up to the hype
This Class of 2016 has made quite an impression in their first year of high school:
Football.... As 7th graders, they went undefeated. As 8th graders, they went undefeated. Last fall, despite losing all five starting offensive lineman (four to injury and illness, another Ben Peterson, started on the VARSITY team as a freshman), Solon still put together an 8-2 record, with close losses coming to perennial powers Mentor and Glenville. Look for big contributions from these kids as sophomores next fall on the gridiron.
Basketball.... As 8th graders, Solon went 17-1, and won the conference tournament championship. This year, despite losing point guard Kelan Eichelberger to the JV team, and forward Deven Stover to St. Ignatius, the Comets strung together a 15-3 season, reaching the conference tournament semi-finals, being upset by Hudson, a team they had beaten twice during the season.
Hockey.... Solon sported SIX freshmen that played varsity hockey this last winter in Zach Mandry, Ricky Formani, Alex Wu, Ben Peterson, and Zach Hoberman. Mandry, Wu, and Peterson played in all 27 games. Mandry finished second on the team with 31 goals and 57 points. Defenseman Peterson scored the clinching goal in overtime to beat Orange 5-4 to win the Baron Cup B championship. Wu contributed 3 goals and 15 assists.
Lacrosse.... The Solon varsity lacrosse team is off to a 2-1 start, with SIX freshmen playing on the varsity squad in Gil Barksdale, Hunter Jenkins, Zach Mandry, Alex Wu, and JJ Silvestri. Of the 24 players on the JV team, 15 of them are freshmen.
Baseball.... Freshman Nate Alstadt got his VARSITY career off with a bang with a pinch hit home run against Mentor. Alstadt will also pitch for the varsity team. The big left hander is already drawing comparisons to Matt Smoral, who graduated last year from Solon and was picked 55th overall in last year's Major League Baseball's draft by the Toronto Blue Jays. There are four freshmen playing on the JV team in Johnny Mooney, Steven Jacko, Tim Harmody, and Brandon Dim. So, where does that leave the freshman team, losing their top five players? No worries...The Solon freshman team is off to a 2-0 start, outscoring perennial baseball powers Mentor and Kenston by a combined score of 25-4.
A few fun facts about some Solon freshmen:
- Ben Petersen set a state of Ohio middle school record in the discus and shot put last spring
- Peterson and Zach Mandry are on pace to earn an amazing 12 varsity letters. The only other athlete to do that at Solon is current Comet Kristen Confroy
- Mandry was the #3 player on the varsity golf team in the fall
- Petersen becomes the first freshman ever to start a varsity football game at Solon
- Last year as 8th graders, the football, basketball, and baseball teams combined to lose ONE GAME!!
What else makes this class so special? In this era of specialization, where kids now tend to concentrate on one sport year round, Solon has, at last count, SIX freshman that are three sport athletes:
- Ben Petersen ( Varsity Football, Varsity Hockey, and Varsity Track)
- Zach Mandry ( Varsity Golf, Varsity Hockey, and Varsity Lacrosse)
- Gil Barksdale ( Football, Basketball, and Varsity Lacrosse)
- Johnny Mooney ( Football, Basketball, and JV Baseball)
- Tim Harmody ( Football, Basketball, and JV Baseball)
- John Alvarez ( Football, Basketball, and Baseball)
How special can this Class of 2016 be for Solon? The answer is..No one REALLY knows. These kids ARE just freshmen, and a lot can happen over the span of four years. One thing is for sure, they have already left an imprint on Solon sports.
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