A look at the 10 cards that Mogadore teacher and girls basketball coach Jennifer Ritch used as part of a scavenger hunt.

By Tom Nader
Publisher and Editor

March Madness has found its way to Mogadore.
Or, at least, a form of it has.
Introduced by English teacher and girls basketball coach Jennifer Ritch, a March Madness Scavenger Hunt has taken over the hallways of Mogadore’s school building.
Designed to bring a little bit of fun to the normal school day, Ritch also enjoys the opportunity to share some of her passions with her students: College basketball’s most exciting weeks of the season and card collecting.
“I have been an avid card collector since I was 7, and I was unable to do the Wildcat Collector’s Club that I created a couple of years ago this year because my schedule didn’t allow time for it,” Ritch said. “So this lets me share some cards with some kids who might not have exposure to the world of sports cards or March Madness.”
Here is how it works.
Cards are scattered and hidden throughout the school.
Students are challenged with finding a card, identifying the NBA player on the card, then research where that player attended college.
From there, the student brings the card back to Ritch during one of her open periods of the day and reports accurate information. If the correct answers are given, the student wins a candy bar.

With the help of senior Corey Lehner, Mogadore English teacher and girls basketball coach Jennifer Ritch, made a special card for School Resource Officer Kevin Love, who shares a name with the former NBA All-Star and Cleveland Cavaliers champion.

If the student gives an incorrect answer, the card goes back out into the scavenger hunt.
Ritch hid 10 cards on Thursday in coordination with the opening day of the men’s basketball tournament. All of the cards were hidden in the upper and lower hallways and classrooms of the building’s high-school wings.
One card, specifically, was identified as the grand prize and was designed with the help of senior Corey Lehner.
“One of them is a Kevin Love card with our Student Resource Officer’s head taped over K-Love’s head because our SRO is also named Kevin Love and he is an avid basketball fan and has an awesome sense of humor,” Ritch said. “Unfortunately, Kevin is at a training event (Friday), so I am bummed he cannot experience his local fame,” Ritch added.
A little after 9:30 a.m. on Friday, sophomore Rylee Clark found the special Kevin Love card and received the notoriety for doing so — along with a Starbucks gift card.
“I plan on giving Kevin the framed card, so he can put it on his new office desk,” Ritch said. “He would always come into our girls basketball practices and check in on us and always wish us good luck before our tournament games.”
In the monotony of another week of school in March, Ritch has found a way to interject some fun to keep things interesting and memorable at Mogadore.
“I love March Madness and it is my absolute favorite time of the year,” she said.

Mogadore sophomore Rylee Clark was the one to find the special Kevin Love card on Friday morning. Jennifer Ritch/Special to Portage Sports