FOOTBALL

Marquis Harrell, Avon

YEAR: Senior
HEIGHT: 5-11
WEIGHT: 200
POSITION: RB
LAST WEEK: Harrell rushed 22 times for 154 yards and two touchdowns during the Eagles’ 45-6 victory over Bay last Friday night. He also caught one pass for 51 yards.
OTHER SPORTS: Basketball (shooting guard) and baseball
PARENTS: Phillip and Rena Harrell
BIO: Harrell enjoys deer hunting — he uses both bow and shotgun — and likes to go bowling or to the movie theater with friends. During the summer he works out at the school weight room and plays travel basketball for Berea-based SMAC (Score More Athletic Club). He has traveled around Ohio, and to Indiana and New York for games.
FUTURE PLANS: Harrell’s plan is to play football in college — Ashland and Ohio University have both shown interest — and major in criminal justice. He said if he doesn’t go to college, he’d like to join the Marines.

Brandon Russo, Olmsted Falls

YEAR: Senior
HEIGHT: 6-0
WEIGHT: 165
POSITIONS: RB/WR/DB
LAST WEEK: Russo rushed 14 times for 46 yards and three touchdowns in the Bulldogs’ 48-31 win over North Olmsted last Friday night. Russo also caught eight passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns.
OTHER SPORTS: Basketball (small forward) and track (long jump)
PARENTS: David and Lisa Russo
BIO: Russo enjoys playing video games — Madden ’09 on his PS2 — going to the movies — his favorite is “300” — and just hanging out with his friends. He runs on the school track and lifts in the school’s weight room during the summer. His favorite pro athlete is Browns Pro Bowler Joshua Cribbs.
FUTURE PLANS: Russo wants to play football in college — he has been in contact with Mount Union, Ohio Nothern, John Carroll and Otterbein among others — and to major in computer science.

CROSS COUNTRY

Jack St. Marie, Westlake

YEAR: Sophomore
LAST WEEK: He earned a regional berth for the second straight year with an 11th-place finish at the Elyria Division I District meet on Oct. 18 with a time of 16:52, a personal record by 6 seconds. St. Marie shattered that mark by another 24 seconds at Saturday’s Tiffin Regional as he clocked 16:28 and placed 23rd.
OTHER SPORTS: Track, swimming
BIO: In addition to be an outstanding high school athlete, St. Marie is an accomplished triathlete. He was third for the elite national age group triathlon championships for 16-19 year-olds in August at Colorado Springs. St. Marie was 11th in his age group at the ITU World Championships in Vancouver. He is a two-time All-SWC in cross country, taking sixth this fall and 14th as a freshman. St. Marie is a member of the key club, French club and SADD. He has a 4.7 grade-point average.
PARENTS: Denis and Lee St. Marie

Rachel Botoulas, Olmsted Falls

YEAR: Freshman
LAST WEEK: She qualified to regionals with a fifth-place time of 19:47 on Oct. 18, at the Elyria District. It was the first-ever Division I ticket for the Olmsted Falls girls program and the team’s first individual regional berth since 2004. She dropped another 9 seconds off her personal best last Saturday at the Tiffin Regional where she finished 3nd in 19:38.
OTHER SPORT: Track
BIO: A native of Lake Placid, N.Y., Botoulas has dropped 2½ minutes off her time since the beginning of the season. She enjoys horseback riding and skiing. Botoulas follows in the footsteps of her dad, a former runner while in the Marines. She has a 3.8 gpa.
PARENTS: George and Claudia Botoulas

Andy Ventura, Avon

YEAR: Senior
LAST WEEK: Earned the final regional ticket of the day as he finished 16th at Tiffin in Division II with a time of 16:40, a personal record by 19 seconds. He’s the first Avon boy to qualify to the state meet since Steve Wharton, Brian Holowecky and Jeff Mott made it in Class A for Avon in 1984.
Other sports: Track, club hockey
BIO: Last year, Ventura finished 21st at the Tiffin regional in 16:59, missing the state meet by only five places and 10 seconds. His dad is the head varsity cross country coach for Lakewood High and one of the state’s top masters runners. Andy was all-county for the last two years. Ventura is a member of the ski club and plays club hockey. He plans to run in college, but is undecided on a major and a school. Ventura has a 3.4 gpa.
PARENTS: Rick and Kathy Ventura

Michelle Clark, Elyria Catholic

YEAR: Senior
LAST WEEK: Finished 11th at the Tiffin Division II Regional with a time of 19:39.91. She the EC girls’ first state qualifier since Jessica Patton in 1995.
OTHER SPORTS: Track, soccer
BIO: Clark is a first-year cross country runner although she has three years of track experience. She is juggling sports this fall and is in her  fourth year as a varsity soccer player. For soccer, she is two-time All-North Coast League, all-county and second team All-Greater Cleveland. Clark was the team MVP for soccer as a sophomore and the team’s top rookie as a freshman. Last spring, she was a regional qualifier in the 3,200. Clark is a student ambassador, peer minister, student senator and an EMH volunteer. She plans to run while majoring in pre-med and biochemistry in college, most likely Denison. Clark has a 4.43 gpa.
PARENTS: Mike Clark and Patty Saari

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