Indian Lake’s football team carved out a 2016 season that created memories players, coaches and the Laker community will never forget.
The Lakers captured their first 10-0 regular season in school history, earned their first playoff victory and won a second consecutive league championship.
Indian Lake’s storybook season tops the list of top local sports stories for the past year.
After winning a league title and making the playoffs for the first time last season, there were high expectations for the Lakers this fall with a talented group of returning players led by standout quarterback Alex Jacobs.
The Lakers answered those lofty expectations by rolling through the regular season, outscoring their opponents 460-91.
The momentum carried into the postseason, where Indian Lake routed River Valley 34-7 in the first round of the playoffs.
A valiant effort against a talented Ottawa-Glandorf team in the second round resulted in a 33-28 loss.
Jacobs was named the Central Buckeye Conference Mad River division offensive player of the year, while senior Brandon Henderson was selected the division’s defensive player of the year.
It was a memorable year for many other local teams and schools in 2016. Here is a rundown of some of the other big local sports stories from the past 12 months.
Triad’s baseball team finishes as state runner-up
Triad’s baseball team advanced all the way to the Division IV state title game. The Cardinals beat Cuyahoga Heights 6-0 in the state semifinals to earn a matchup against perennial power Newark Catholic in the championship game. Newark Catholic edged Triad 5-4 in the title game.
Shortly after the Cardinals’ tournament run, head coach Will Nichols announced he was stepping down after 19 seasons as head coach. Nichols went 377-159 during his time at Triad.
Chiefs win Division I district baseball title
Read complete story Saturday’s Examiner.
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