Watkins Memorial High School

Local football standouts receive All-Star nod

ZANESVILLE -- Four area football players will represent Licking Heights and Watkins Memorial in this summer's Licking County-Muskingum Valley All-Star Game.

Representing Licking Heights are receiver and defensive back Ty Stallings and linebacker Devin Ortiz. Quarterback and defensive back Devonte Marable and running back Bryce Phillips will represent Watkins Memorial.

The game is at 7:30 p.m. July 22 at Zanesville High School's John D. Sulsberger Memorial Stadium. Muskingum Valley rallied for a 21-20 victory in 2010 to regain a 15-14 edge in the series, but Licking County has won seven of the past 10 games, including the last two played in Zanesville.

"It's one of the best all-star games in all of Ohio," said Heath coach Mark Collier, who will coach Licking County. "It has a lot of good tradition, (it's) a way to honor these kids one last time. A lot of these kids battle each other all season, and it's a chance for them to play together."

Stallings will join Granville's Ty Compton, Newark's Brandon Clay, Utica's Scott Cline and Licking Valley's Dyjon Bowers-Stoneking and Alex Ratai at receiver and in the secondary. Other linebackers joining Ortiz include Heath's Travis Drumm, Johnstown's Frank Chambers and Newark's Robert Cole.

Marable will share time at quarterback with Utica's Jason Hoar and Lakewood's Chad Auber. Phillips likely will share carries with running backs Britt Wilder, of Newark Catholic, and Tregg Hall, of Valley.

"A lot of these kids know each other, and I'm looking forward to getting to know them and figuring out what all their talents are," Collier said. "We have players from four or five different divisions.

Watkins Memorial Roundup: Lilly selected as girls volleyball coach ...

Watkins Memorial High School didn't have to look far to find its next girls volleyball coach.

Jennifer Lilly, who served as an assistant last fall under former coach Heather Owens, will be recommended for the position at the next school board meeting on June 17, athletics director John McGiffin said.

Owens, who followed Tori Fedak as coach, stepped down after leading the Warriors to a 5-19 overall record in her only season. Lilly will be the team's third coach in as many years.

"It's always nice when you can promote from within," McGiffin said. "She's going to be a fine coach. It's a real nice fit for our program."

Lilly, a Northridge graduate, played volleyball and basketball at Capital University from 2002-06. She ranked among the basketball team's top 10 in career points (1,103) and rebounds (798) when she graduated. As a senior, Lilly broke the school's volleyball record for career blocks (455) while playing on a team that won the Ohio Athletic Conference tournament and qualified for the NCAA tournament.

Lilly teaches at the middle school, where she also is a girls basketball assistant.

•The team's 800-meter relay was among central Ohio's best all spring. It advanced to the state meet, which was held June 3-4 at Ohio State, but not without a few anxious moments.

Senior anchor Connor Sensabaugh sustained a leg injury during the finals of the regional meet May 27 at Pickerington North and the Warriors had to settle for a fourth-place finish in 1 minute, 29.53 seconds as Thomas Worthington (1:27.81) prevailed. Also running for the Warriors were Devonte Marable, Brenden Kemp and Le'Trel Taylor.

"He was cramping up and had a huge knot on his hamstring," coach Marty Dahlman said of Sensabaugh. "We were fortunate to finish. We've been right on the edge of doing

something pretty cool, but it's a setback."

The top four in each regional event advanced to state.

Sensabaugh did not compete in the regional 200 final after he won that event (22.65) in the OCC-Capital Division meet as the Warriors captured a fourth consecutive title. They set meet records in both the 400 (43.35) and 800 (1:30.17) relays that day, and the 800 relay later placed third (1:29.74) in the district 3 meet May 21 at Hilliard Bradley. The 800 relay, which had finished third in the state indoor meet in March ahead of fourth-place Thomas, broke its outdoor school record (1:29.44) earlier this spring.

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