By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

Aurora baseball’s Rocco Zembala was not looking for the spotlight, but when you do things the right way for the right reasons, the spotlight will naturally find you.

That was what happened for Zembala on Thursday night.

Greenmen baseball head coach Trent Dalton received this email that told the story:

“Last night, as we were wrapping up soccer practice at the stadium at 9 p.m. A student from AHS, Rocco Zembala, was running the stairs at the stadium. While this seems to be just like him, to be putting in work and staying physically fit, one of our players shared that he was running the stairs to honor victims of 9/11. Recognizing the symbolism of his efforts and connecting with the tragedy of others is noble. It struck me as something special; he was taking what he knew about the tragedy of that challenging day and willing to personally commit to do what he could to understand the physical obstacles that some faced.

“While he was there for a good chunk of our practice, at the end, he had other students join him and he led them in the final set of stairs. Seeing students put in work or focus on others when no one else is around shows the commitment and sacrifice that exemplifies what I hope all my students — and even my kids — strive for.

“John Wooden is famous for saying, ‘The true test of a person’s character is what they do when no one is watching’ I hope Rocco’s strong character leads him to great things bot in and out of the classroom!”

MORE PATRIOTISM

The Rootstown Youth Football & Cheerleading program coordinated with Mogadore on Sunday for a sign of patriotism.

In games played at Mogadore’s Lions Park, Rootstown brought red, white and blue wristbands for all players for both football teams, while the cheerleaders used red, white and blue pom poms.

Youth football director Mike Klem and cheer director Toccara Ball were the coordinators.

MILESTONE FOR HANNAN

Friday night was a milestone night for Rootstown High School football head coach Tom Hannan.

Hannan, who is in his 44th year coaching overall and 29th year as a head coach, collected his 100th career win as a Portage County football head coach.

In total, Friday’s win was all-time win No. 140 for the veteran.

Hannan’s career has included stints at Thompson Ledgemont (2 years), Lorain Catholic (7), Crestwood (16), Rootstown (2), Lakewood (1) and Morral Ridgedale (1).

Hannan’s career wins total rank him seventh in Portage County history, trailing Scott Pollock, who totaled 147 during a career with Streetsboro, Mogadore and Southeast.

END ZONE TO END ZONE FOR TALBERT

Kent Roosevelt’s Week 3 football victory over Ellet include a bit of history.

Senior Ke’Shan Talbert set a new school record for longest interception return for a touchdown when he picked off a pass in his own end zone and raced it 102 yards to the other end zone for the score.

The previous Rough Riders record was held by Bill D’Angelis, who ran an interception back 99 yards for a touchdown during the 1982 season under head coach John Nemec.

ROOTSTOWN’S BOLAND RECOGNIZED

Rootstown sophomore Dylan Boland was named the Greater Akron Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association’s Division V Player of the Week.

Boland has 10 goals on the season and the Rovers are 6-2-0.

It is a solid second season for Boland, who was named the program’s Outstanding Freshman award winner last fall after totaling seven goals and four assists.

An interesting layer to Boland winning the award is that he is the third in his family to be recognized for it, following his father Russell in 1996 and his uncle Michael in 2001.

FLOWERING PLUMS FOR SOUTHEAST GIRLS GOLF

It is one of Portage County’s best traditions.

The Southeast girls golf program dedicated another tree at Olde Dutch Mill, the Pirates’ home course, as a lasting sign of appreciation for this year’s seniors.

The Pirates’ senior class this fall includes Jessi Mix, Aubree Varga and Layla Tittel.

The tree dedicated is a Flowering Plum and it sits alongside Hole No. 1 at the course.

AURORA VOLLEYBALL REFLECTS

Following the announcement by Penn State’s Izzy Starck to step away from the Nittany Lions’ team for the remainder of the 2025 season to prioritize her mental health, the Aurora High School volleyball team used part of their practice time last week for a free writing initiative designed for reflection on “how we approach conflict, pressure and success. … It’s easy to get caught up in winning and the drive to succeed, but it’s just as important to pause and address our confidence levels and recognize the things we’re genuinely proud of in ourselves.”

BACK IN THE CLASSROOM

Last Monday, I spent the morning inside Rootstown Middle School doing an interview for an upcoming story.

The teacher/coach’s room is the old room of Mr. Dickau and Mrs. Huth-Mercer, which brought back an immediate wave of nostalgia from my days in the building.

It is always fun when my job weaves county-wide memories on such a regular basis!

PORTAGE SPORTS BASKETBALL PREVIEW NIGHTS RETURN

Portage Sports is very excited to announce the return of our Basketball Preview Nights to help jumpstart the 2025-26 high school boys and girls basketball seasons!

Waterloo High School will host the two events, with the Girls Preview Night scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 6, and the Boys Preview Night scheduled for Thursday, Nov. 13.

Mark your calendars!

We look forward to showcasing all of these great teams, communities and school districts!

The schedules include:

GIRLS BASKETBALL

THURSDAY, NOV. 6, 2025

• 4:45 p.m. — Waterloo vs. Windham
• 5:30 — Southeast vs. Crestwood
• 6:15 — Kent Roosevelt vs. Norton
• 7 — Aurora vs. Streetsboro
• 7:45 — Field vs. Garfield
• 8:30 — Mogadore vs. Ravenna

BOYS BASKETBALL

THURSDAY, NOV. 13, 2025

• 5:30 — Mogadore vs. Streetsboro
• 6:15 — Rootstown vs. Field
• 7 — Crestwood vs. Garfield
• 7:45 — Aurora vs. Southeast
• 8:30 — Waterloo vs. Windham