God Story with Anne Wilson

Contemporary Christian and country music singer Anne Wilson entertained everyone at The Fraze Pavilion in Kettering this past weekend

I first saw Anne Wilson (pronounced Ann) two years ago at the 2024 Country Concert Saloon Stage and stuck around just long enough for a couple songs. The tune I was most familiar with at that time was "My Jesus", which was a hit single that Wilson released in 2021. The song has quite a story behind it too. Wilson, a Lexington, Kentucky native who is now 24, had an older brother that died in a car accident when she was just 15 and he was 23. The younger Wilson says her brother was her best friend and following the tragedy she leaned on her faith in Jesus. After he passed, she felt called by God to pursue a career in music and encourage others to follow Jesus as well.

On the big screen and big stage in 2025

In 2025 Wilson returned to Country Concert again, only now as Friday's opening act on the larger main stage. This time I stuck around for Wilson's entire set and was impressed with her ability to both entertain a rowdy group of country music fans and communicate her spiritual message. I was also much more familiar with her setlist, including songs like "Sunday Sermon", "God & Country", "Rebel", "Rain in the Rearview", and "Songs About Whiskey".

This past Friday I saw Wilson perform for the third time. Only this environment was a much different scene. The Fraze Pavilion in Kettering hosted Wilson as their headliner following an opening act by Leanna Crawford. If you've never been to The Fraze, it's a much different musical experience than Country Concert. The main difference being the overall amphitheater vibe. Country Concert is a three-day festival with tens of thousands of people. The Fraze is a three-hour evening outing with a maximum of 4,300 attendees. To put it nicely, Fraze fans are probably a little more polished. On Friday they were also predominately mothers with their young daughters that were giddy to see Anne Wilson. I felt extremely outnumbered, but had my wife by my side for confidence on a date night.

Anne Wilson says you can't
take the church out of me

Before I rave about Wilson, I have to compliment Leanna Crawford for her poise getting the evening started. Crawford charged out on stage for an upbeat opening song only to quickly discover her microphone didn't work. The music stopped, things got quiet, and it was a little awkward. Crawford handled it like a true professional though, joking with the front row fans and signing autographs. Five minutes later she was back in business with a new mic. 

Fortunately, Wilson didn't have any audio problems. She hit the stage around 9:00 singing "God Story" as the entire crowd stood and cheered. My wife and I were in the seventh row and center stage. It felt like we were in the heart of the Anne Wilson fan club, as most folks around us seemed to know every word of every song. Wilson played those familiar hits I heard at Country Concert and I enjoyed some newer music I'd become familiar with like "Devil Is Too", "Hold Your Horses", and "Jesus On The Radio". 

My favorite things about Wilson are her clever songwriting and that distinctive vibrato voice. While she's most certainly a faith-based singer, it doesn't take a deeply religious person to appreciate her tremendous talent and the fun she has on stage. I also want to say, her positivity is an inspiration that I greatly admire in this day and age. Finally, the fact that I've had Wilson's playlist on repeat ever since I left the concert tells me all I really need to know. She's one that I want to see again! 

Anne Wilson made us smile. And isn't that why you go to a concert!

Downtown Dayton's biggest weekend

The band Gaelic Storm became world famous in 1997 when they appeared in the movie Titanic. They have been a Dayton Celtic Fest regular for the past 25 years.

Dayton's 25th annual Celtic Festival happened this past weekend and was perhaps their most successful one in a quarter century. The free event takes place each year at RiverScape MetroPark on the banks of the Miami River for three days, Friday-Sunday. It's presented by United Irish of Dayton and is a July version of a St. Patrick's Day party for downtown Dayton. I've been attending over the past six years and every festival keeps me coming back for more. My DNA origins are 12% Celtic, so I can legitimately say these are my people.

City officials estimate the Celtic Fest crowd at 90,000 attendees over the weekend

Almost too pretty to drink

Starting on the corner of Monument Avenue and Patterson Boulevard, 40 food and merchandise vendors stretched for two full blocks. My favorite meal this year was the Dublin Pub Rueben and world famous cheese fries. There was even a free shuttle bus for festival-goers wanting a transport to the actual Dublin Pub restaurant over on 5th Street for an authentic experience. 

That sandwich and fries had plenty of beverage options too, including a Celtic Fest Red Ale brewed by Breckenridge Brewery that became my go-to most of the weekend. The coolest beer of the weekend though had nothing to do with temperature, rather artwork. There was a dedicated Guinness beer tent that had several "Stoutie" machines. After you purchased a Guinness beer with a nitro foam head, you could walk over to the machine and have a free design printed in the foam. There was standard Guinness logos, as well as custom printed images if you downloaded their QR code. The whole process took about 20-30 seconds. It was a neat gimmick that was fun for about one or two beers.

The Elders will soon play 11 shows in Ireland from October 16-26

Shannon O'Shea was a 

contestant on America's 

Got Talent back in 2016

The best thing about Celtic Fest is of course the music. Three stages hosted a variety of local and national performers in both Irish song and dance. Included were headliners Gaelic Storm, The Elders, Socks in the Frying Pan, The Drowsy Lads, Davy Holt, and Bastard Bearded Irishmen. Gaelic Storm is wildly popular and have been regulars at Celtic Fest since the early years. After starting as just a pub band from Santa Monica, California in the 1990's, today they travel the country singing stories from more than a dozen of the albums they've released. Lead vocalist Patrick Murphy is the only remaining original member of the band, but still a treat to watch after all these years at age 55. He's a true Irishman and perhaps even a little rowdy. After playing an earlier 8:00pm show on Friday, Murphy and Gaelic Storm closed the festival on both Saturday and Sunday.

My personal favorite though was a six-person band based out of Kansas City, Missouri. The Elders travel the globe and last played Dayton's Celtic Fest more than 10 years ago. They were thrilled to return to the Gem City. How do I know? When I was standing in line for that Rueben sandwich with my wife, the person directly behind us was The Elders fiddler, Shannon O'Shea. She chatted like we were old friends. O'Shea talked about her family back home, including her mother that encouraged her daughter to start playing fiddle at a young age. With an Irish name like O'Shea, she explained she couldn't quit! It was a neat moment before The Elders took the stage to close after Gaelic Storm.

They were no Irish sing-alongs at Pins across from Day Air Ballpark, but it was a full house like most other bars in the area

In addition to the massive Celtic Fest crowd, the Dayton Dragon were home all weekend at Day Air Ballpark just around the block. That brought another 7,000 folks each night. Local eateries and watering holes like Pins Mechanical, The Foundry, Brixx Ice Company, Mikey's Late Night Slice, and others enjoyed the huge influx of customers. It was great to see downtown Dayton bustling with business on the biggest weekend of the year. If you'd like to attend in 2027, the dates are July 30-August 1.

Irish shenanigans a few seconds before the collapse!

The Best of Country Concert 2026

From the very start, there's been no better value in country music 

Another Country Concert is now history and as the slogan states, I've got a smile that will last all summer long! The event in Ft. Loramie has been an annual pilgrimage for me, my wife, and friends for many years. This past weekend we thoroughly enjoyed three days of country music and people-watching, Thursday through Saturday, from our Stage Front seats. These are the same seats we've sat in the past eight years and will again in 2027. This year we weathered heat, humidity, and even some rain. It was all worth it and below are five of my favorite moments from the festivities. 

Perhaps Rowdy Ron was looking my direction and remembering our conversation from a couple days earlier 

An emotional start to Country Concert. Prior to the opening ceremony on Thursday afternoon, I crossed paths with concert emcee "Rowdy" Ron Ackerman from Lima's T-102 FM two days earlier on Tuesday. I officially introduced myself by stating that my biological father used to emcee the concert once upon a time. Ron replied that he was co-workers with my father at the radio station. He also explained the two guys got into a lot of trouble together. So, it was pretty cool to see Rowdy Ron on stage for the opening ceremony with the president of Country Concert, Scott Barhorst. Scott delivered a heartfelt tribute on behalf of the Barhorst family to his brother Paul, who was sorely missed this year by everyone in attendance. 

I'll be looking for the next opportunity to buy tickets for Graham Barham

Most deserving to be on the big stage. I'll admit, coming into Country Concert I was already excited to see Louisiana-born singer-songwriter Graham Barham performing on the smaller Saloon stage. Barham's music is unique, as it combines country, pop, and hip-hop. His hit single "Oil Money" is a perfect example of that sound collaboration and his entire set was full of energy. Barham didn't disappoint and was also wonderful at interacting with his concert crowd. He joked about being a 27-year-old still using TikTok and later jumped off the stage to get up close with his front row fans. Country Concert is a three-day party and Barham brought the fun already at the start of Day 1.

Hudson Westbrook is a bright young talent and wasn't afraid to get wet

Well worth watching in the rain. One guy that I underestimated turned out to be one of my favorite performers of the weekend. At 4:00 on Saturday there was a steady rain falling on Country Concert with no relief in sight. Hudson Westbrook took the stage and I convinced myself to get rained on for one song while my wife and friends ran for shelter. Hudson hooked me with his opener as I danced in the downpour and decided to hang around for his entire set. Fortunately, Shelby County United Way president Karla Young spotted me getting drenched and gifted me her extra rain parka. When the show was over, Hudson Westbrook gained a new fan in me.

Our camping group solicited donations for a new lawn chair and we received a total of two dollars along with a scratch-off lottery ticket

There's more to Country Concert than just the music. There's also the camping and the fun. This year for the first time ever, we joined some friends for the camping part. Although we didn't actually sleep overnight, we split a campsite and camper with several other couples. This gave us a shield from the weather, a spot to eat meals together, and it also provided lots of belly laughs. Let's face it, most concert fans need a break at some point during each day. After all these years, we finally discovered a campsite is the perfect solution.

My view of the weekend's best show from Jason Aldean in my Stage Front seats

Closing the weekend with a bang. After 45 years, Country Concert knows a thing or two about how to wrap up the weekend. The Saturday night headliner is almost always the best show and this year was no different. Jason Aldean is still one of Nashville's biggest stars at 49-years-old with a catalog full of hits. From his opener of "Hicktown" through his finale of "She's Country", I sang along to every one of them. This was Aldean's fifth year playing Country Concert and I've been to four of those five performances. This was his best yet. As I walked back to my car, I thought to myself the same thing I did last year; what a great weekend and I wonder how Country Concert will top it again next year!

We'll see you in 2027 Country Concert!

Mr. Perfect!

Russia senior pitcher Maddox Goubeaux threw a PERFECT GAME on Monday, April 13th, topping Houston 12-0 in five innings with 12 strikeouts against 15 batters. The Raiders also got a big night at the plate from senior Cooper Unverferth going 3-for-3 with a double and 4 RBI.

History of Russia

A History of Russia compiled by Ruth Davidson in the Bicentennial Year of 1976! 

Link here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WuAwuGjwC-SMIxGgzURQHSDECDvcSfb6/view?usp=drive_link

Preseason Preview: Russia Girls Basketball

The 2025-2026 Lady Raiders roster includes five players 6-foot or taller

With opening night of the high school basketball season tipping off this weekend, the Russia girls are preparing to build off last season's success. The 2024-2025 campaign ended when the Raiders fell in overtime at the district final to Mississinawa Valley 45-44. That finish should provide both fuel and expectations for the program and their fans in the months coming up. Below is Fish Report's recap from last year, our expectations for this year, and a few games you can circle on your calendar.

___________________________________________________________________________________

Recap 

Russia ended last year 14-10 overall and 8-4 in the Shelby County Athletic League. Their league record was third best in the county and also marked back-to-back seasons of 8-4. 

Highlight wins:

• An early confidence building victory at backyard rival Versailles 46-38 on December 14th. Junior Claudia Hoehne led the way with 17 points.

• A takedown of D-V Waynesville 53-43 at the Tiger Classic on January 20th. The Spartans finished the season 21-5, including 12-0 in the SWBL.

• A district semi-final defeat of Southeastern 53-43 on February 19th. The Raiders sank 13-15 free throws in the fourth quarter, including 9-10 from freshman Aryana Cordonnier.
  

With one lone senior last season in starter Addison Shappie, Russia proved they could beat quality competition. However, the Raiders also lost an abundance of close contests simply because they couldn't finish. Eight of their ten losses were by six points or less.

Last year's Ft. Loramie at Russia game went into overtime before the Redskins topped the Raiders 39-34

___________________________________________________________________________________

Expectations

Third-year head coach Michael Bashore and his staff will likely work towards closing ball games in the regular season, with an eye on this year's league title and ultimately a deeper postseason run. 

Star players:

• Claudia Hoehne (Sr., 6-2): Guarding the top returning all-league honoree and all-Ohio recipient from last year would have been a tall task for opponents. However, Hoehne is out with an injury. Replacing Claudia's scoring, her ability to crash the boards, and her presence in the paint on defense will be tough.
  

• Hazel Francis (Jr., 6-0): If you follow Russia volleyball or track & field, it's no secret that Francis has the best hops of anyone in the area. Her athleticism combined with experience as a third-year starter means Hazel should wake up feeling dangerous this season. Put her on your radar.
  

• Celeste Borchers (Jr., 6-0): Every great team has a coach on the floor. After starting as a freshman and sophomore, we believe Borchers fills that role this year. Celeste also brings a unique energy that Russia's program will desperately need in those key moments that define a season.

• Aryana Cordonnier (So., 5-7): This could be a breakout season for the youngster. Cordonnier is a proven spot-up shooter that becomes a nightmare for opposing coaches as she learns to shoot off the dribble. Ary's efficient passing and defending with physicality makes her a legit four-tool player.
  

The Raiders also return several additional seasoned veterans in Faith York (Sr., 5-8), Callie Goubeaux (Sr., 5-7), and Kylie Doseck (Sr., 5-10). Furthermore, Fish Report believes newcomers Cami Schafer (So., 6-0) and Ruby Francis (Fr., 5-8) will provide a youthful impact at the season evolves. If the program can find synergy with all that talent, Russia could be one of the top Division VII teams in southwest Ohio.
___________________________________________________________________________________

Calendar

Marquee matchups:

While the SCAL schedule should be entertaining, here are a few non-league games to circle on the calendar:

• Monday, December 22nd at Division IV Archbishop Alter. The Knights escaped Russia with a 3-point win last year and later finished as state runner-up.

• Monday, January 19th versus D-IV Brookville at Versailles. The Blue Devils played in D-V last year and fell in the regional semis to Versailles in double overtime.
  

• Tuesday, January 27th hosting D-VI Legacy Christian. The Knights played D-VII last year and finished 22-3 after losing in the regional semis to Mississinawa Valley, following the Blackhawks district final win over Russia.

Russia opens the season this Saturday night at home versus D-VI Arcanum. Fish Report will be broadcasting audio play-by-play for every girls and boys home game all season long. Simply click the 'Streaming' link at the top of this page to listen for free. Also, stay tuned to our website for updates on occasional broadcasts from the road.

The Raiders won't be happy with district runner-up hardware this season (Picture by Luke Gronneberg | Sidney Daily News)

Russia hoping to rewrite history

The last Russia boys cross country team to win a regional championship was back in 2009. Bottom - Coach Neal Schafer, Trevor Sherman, Blake Worthington and Luke Pohlman. Top - Coach Kyle Moore, Joel Meyer, Alex York, Chris Ball, Andy Toller and Coach Doug Foster.

Let's start with the obvious. In recent years it's not been uncommon for Russia fans to watch their cross country team run at the regional meet, then later that day watch the volleyball team compete in the district finals. In fact, diehard Raider spectators have been pulling double duty on this upcoming Saturday for many years. What is uncommon is Russia's potential to bring home those two tournament titles in the same weekend. Actually, it's never been done in school history.

This Saturday at 10:40am the Division IV state-ranked #7 Russia boys will race for the regional championship on the banks of the Great Miami River in Troy. Before the race is over, at 11:00am the Division VII state-ranked #5 Russia girls will aim for a district volleyball championship at Fairborn High School. Due to those starting times and venues, Raider fans will need to pick their favorite team to watch live this weekend. Looking ahead though, if the stars line up over Russia High School next week, followers could logistically watch both teams in person on Saturday, November 1st at the state cross country meet and regional volleyball finals. Alright and enough, we'll put away our Fish Report crystal ball for now.

This season the boys captured their first SCAL cross country championship since 2014

School record holder Samuel Phlipot

If you're heading down to Troy, be prepared for an early Halloween treat. In the D-IV boys race, a total of 19 teams and 38 individuals will be competing for just five team and 10 individual qualifiers to state. For clarification on the individuals spots, those runners who finish in the top 10 positions AFTER removing team qualifiers will advance. 

Last Saturday two district races were ran in the southwest region. In the race at Cedarville University, Russia edged the hometown Cedarville Indians by just two points for the championship. Fourth year head coach Zach Bell's Raiders were led by junior Samuel Phlipot in 2nd-place with a time of 16:21. Earlier this season Phlipot broke the school 5K record with a 15:54, which topped 2011 alumni Luke Pohlman's old record of 15:58. On Phlipot's heels at the district race was freshman teammate Paxson Bixler in 3rd-place with a 16:26. Russia's entire roster of seven runners this Saturday will all be underclassmen. Junior Owen Sargent, sophomore Evan Smith and junior Eli Schmitmeyer were the Raider's third, fourth and fifth runners respectively last weekend. Those three scorers have also recorded personal records in the past two weeks. Rounding out the top seven are junior Keagan Baldridge and sophomore Abe Hoehne. 

At last weekends other D-IV southwest district race down at Voice of America MetroPark in West Chester, #32-ranked Miami Valley Christian Academy won their championship with far slower times than the course at Cedarville. 

Russia hasn't captured a boys regional championship since 2009, when the program won the title for the third year in a row. The hope this year is a return to those glory days. A pre-race tailgate for Raider fans will be hosted by parents on Saturday at 7:00am. Breakfast on the grill will begin the party at Troy City Park by the shelter house across the street from Hobart Arena. 

Cross Country links: Results ~ Schedule ~ Course Map ~ Tickets

The Lady Raiders shared a SCAL championship this season with a 10-2 record

Seniors Chapman, Hoehne & Phlipot

Russia folks choosing to caravan to Fairborn High School on Saturday will witness Raider volleyball tradition. The program, led by 10-year head coach Aaron Watkins, has rattled off an amazing eight consecutive district championships dating back to 2017. Watkins is the school's all-time winningest coach with 176 career victories, a record he achieved back in 2021 when he surpassed former Raider's coach Joan Herron who had 107 wins in nine seasons.

The tournament trail for Russia has been paved with rose petals so far, winning easy matches over Calvary Christian and Yellow Springs. However, the district finals has a thorny history for teams looking too far ahead. The Raiders will depend on leadership from all-league senior libero Kourtney Phlipot, along with all-league juniors Celeste Borchers and Hazel Francis. Francis was runner-up in voting for top player in the Shelby County Athletic League, and back in September tied a school record for blocks in a match with 10. She now shares that record with 2015 alumni Kylie Wilson. Other key Raiders include starting seniors Claudia Hoehne and setter Izzi Chapman, juniors Violet Armstrong, Ava Gibson and Lily Francis, along with all-league sophomore starter Aryana Cordonnier and freshman starter Ruby Francis. 

Fish Report believes the odds are favorable for Coach Watkin's 177th win and a ninth district title, as Russia (18-6) will take on New Miami (17-5). The Vikings beat Felicity Franklin on Thursday. They also won the Miami Valley Conference White Division this season with a perfect 8-0 record under fourth year head coach Shalei McColm. Their top player is four-year starter Kadie Davidson (No. 5) who led the MVC with 100 service aces.

Only one thing is certain prior to Saturday's match. The winner of Russia versus New Miami will get a buzzsaw in the regional semifinals. That would be Northwest District champion and state-ranked #2 Leipsic. The Lady Vikes (24-1) topped Hardin Northern up in Findlay on Wednesday and will certainly be in attendance on Saturday to scout their next opponent. That regional opener is scheduled for next Thursday at 6:00pm at Northmont High School.

Sounds like super Saturday on tap. Enjoy the day Raider fans.

Volleyball links: Bracket ~ Tickets

The 2017 team began Russia's current streak of eight straight district championships. Bottom - Lexi Monnin, Whitney Pleiman and Kendall Monnin. Middle - Alana Gariety, Jenna Cordonnier, Morgan Wenrick and Faith Apple. Top - Ashley Scott, Cameo Wilson, Laurissa Poling, Samantha Gaerke and Claudia Counts.

Golden celebration coming up in Russia

50 years ago this monument was erected in the Village of Russia

The Russia Alumni Softball Tournament will take place August 8th-10th and this year is of particular significance for the annual event. Not only will Raider alums be celebrating the 25th anniversary of the tournament, but they'll also be honoring the 50th anniversary of Russia Community Park. 

On Saturday evening, August 9th at 8:00, a ceremony will take place recognizing volunteers and donors who established the park in 1975. A display will also be on hand with enlarged newspaper articles documenting the original planning and construction. Current Park Board President, Mitch Bergman, is inviting every Park Board member that served the past 50 years to attend for a group picture scheduled at the end of the ceremony. Highlighting the festivities will be a ceremonial pitch between Russia's first Park Board President, Ed Borchers, and Village Mayor, Terry Daugherty. 

The entire three day event is the biggest fundraiser of the year for the Russia Park Board, which uses proceeds for improvements and maintenance to Russia Community Park. Below is the entire rundown of pool play games, tournament bracket, and rules. 

Former Fairlawn Jet reaching new heights on the golf course

Matt Mullen was one to watch in the fall of 2021

Fairlawn alum Matt Mullen was once a star golfer in the Shelby County Athletic League. Mullen graduated high school in 2022 with many golfing accolades, including an individual state qualifier his senior year with the Jets. These days he competes with the Ave Marie University men's golf team in Florida and also stays sharp on the national tournament circuit. 

This past Monday, Mullen marked the biggest accomplishment of his career so far, when he earned a place in Final Qualifying for the 125th U.S. Amateur Championship. The letter Mullen received from the United States Golf Association congratulated him on his quest to become the next U.S. Amateur Champion and noted that the most elite players from around the world annually vie for a place in the championship. On July 3rd, Mullen will be notified of his Final Qualifying site to take place July 14-21.

A big smile on Monday after receiving his letter from the USGA!

To earn the spot, Mullen had to finish in the top nine at a tournament at The Concession Golf Club in Bradenton, Florida. Things weren't looking good when he was +5 through 15 holes. Then Mullen went birdie, birdie, birdie to finish +2 and tied for 9th-place with four other golfers. Next was a five man playoff for one remaining spot. On the first playoff hole Mullen knocked his ball to two feet on his approach for a tap-in birdie, his fourth in a row on the 19th hole of the day.

Just a kid from Sidney, Ohio!

Until the Final Qualifying date, Mullen will continue to play additional tournaments. This Wednesday and Thursday he's competing at PGA National Fazio Course in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida on the Minor League Golf Tour. To follow Mullen's progress, click here.

Seven Divisions in Baseball.. Much Ado About Nothing

Critics were concerned about a watered-down state tournament this year. In fact, Division-VII will showcase four of Ohio's top programs. (Photo by Luke Gronneberg | Sidney Daily News)

Zeb Borchers and the Raiders tuned up with 

a scrimmage hosting Graham on Monday. 

Russia's senior class will soon close out a

remarkable run of success the past four years.

When the Ohio High School Athletic Association expanded football from six divisions to seven divisions in 2013, the pigskin purists initially scoffed. The same can be said when basketball went from four divisions to seven this past season. Now folks are hollerin' about baseball! Calm down. Marion Local was winning football titles before 2013 and still are today. Russia has also been a recent regular at the state final four on the court and the diamond, including this weekend. Winning state championships will always be really, really hard. Ask former Russia basketball coach Spencer Cordonnier if that gold trophy his Raiders hoisted in March was given just for participating. Turns out, all those grandpas complaining about extra divisions and high school sports being better in the good ole days is much ado about nothing. 

The Division VII Baseball State Tournament pairings at Canal Park in Akron is exactly as it should be. When the action starts on Thursday at 1:00 PM state-ranked #1 Tiffin Calvert meets #6 Newark Catholic. Calvert was a small school state semi-finalist in both 2022 and 2023. Their opponent from Newark will be making their 18th trip to the final four and has nine titles. The 4:00 PM game will be #2 Minster versus #8 Russia. The Wildcats are appearing for the sixth time and previously earned three championships. The Raiders are returning for their seventh time in school history and have hauled home 1st-place hardware twice. Rest assured, none of the state media panel will need to open their Rand McNally's to find those schools on the map.

That latter matchup will surely create a parade of vehicles with orange M's and gold R's across US 30 on Thursday. Fans from both Minster and Russia always show up in full strength for baseball. However, the most common wisecrack in local coffee shops this week has been suggesting the game be played in Ft. Loramie. That'd be the halfway point between both communities they explain. It would also save burning all that expensive gasoline for the six hour round-trip commute. True, but the Redskin's ballpark wouldn't contain the 5,000 people that might enjoy stadium seats. That attendance figure is at least how many spectators saw the Wildcats and Raiders battle in 2017, at the D-IV state championship game at Huntington Park in Columbus. Minster beat Russia 2-1 in a thriller, on a walk-off base hit in the bottom of the seventh inning. This 2025 rematch is anticipated to have all that same drama. Even despite the fact it's in D-VII.

Russia's one run against Minster in 2017 came when Hunter Cohee scored on an Evan Monnier single. Area experts believe one run will likely decide the winner on Thursday.

Finally, one fact is certain in Akron when it comes to Minster coach Mike Wiss matching wits with Russia coach Kevin Phlipot. This will be a business trip and the business is winning. It's safe to assume the Minster and Russia skippers expected their programs to be in this position when the season started. It's also unquestionable the crowds for both schools would enjoy nothing more than a state semifinal victory over their powerhouse neighbor. When the brick dust settles between the Wildcats and Raiders, half of the Canal Park stadium is going to be disappointed. Nothing wrong with that. However, it'll be no surprise to Fish Report if the losing coach also tells his players to smile because it happened. Nothing wrong with that either. Because baseball culture like Minster and Russia share is one of the biggest reasons they're back in the state tournament. Regardless of how many divisions OHSAA gives us.

As seen above, Mike Wiss and Kevin Phlipot played a full schedule of games in 2020 after baseball was cancelled across the country. That dedication was a life lesson for their players even bigger than winning.

Russia versus Mohawk Regional Preview

District Championships are a longtime tradition at Russia and in Shelby County

Raider fans will be caravanning to another regional baseball tournament this week, just like they've been doing now for eight straight seasons since 2017. Baseball fundamentals are taught at a young age in Russia and the surrounding area. As a matter of fact, this year marks 27 consecutive seasons that a team from Shelby County has qualified for the regional final four. State-ranked #8 Russia (16-11) will meet #4 Mohawk (22-6) on Wednesday at 5:00 in the Division VII Southwest Regional semifinal. Prior to that game at 2:00, Fayetteville-Perry (7-14) will play in their program's first-ever regional semifinal taking on Cedarville (16-6). For Cedarville, they get the rare treat of competing in their home town. The tournament is being hosted at the neutral site of Yellow Jacket Field, home of Cedarville University.

The district puzzle for the OHSAA

Folks from southwest Ohio might be wondering where in the Buckeye State is Mohawk from? Well, the school is located in the northwest region, just outside the town of Sycamore and nine miles south of Tiffin. That's over 100 miles from their opponent in Russia and likely a two hour thirty minute bus ride to Cedarville. The northwest region has six districts for D-VII, but only four district champions can make up a regional tournament. Therefore, the southwest region with just three districts gets another district champion from another region. Before the tournament started, district athletic boards determined the bracket formula of where everyone would land. In 2024 that formula for the southwest region included the Central District champion instead.

This Wednesday's prime time matchup between Russia and Mohawk was set up late last week. On Thursday the Raiders earned their regional ticket after beating state-ranked #17 Tri-County North (16-10) in a six inning run rule, 10-0. Then on Saturday, the Warriors also won easily over South Central (16-11) by the final score of 9-1. 

Russia coaches have built a winning culture

Russia High School no longer needs an introduction to small school sports teams around the state. Foremost, their baseball tradition is well known and documented. Head coach Kevin Phlipot has racked up a whopping 216 career victories so far in just his 10th season. In the four year span from 2021-2024 the Raiders recorded win totals of 26, 25, 26 and a school record 27 last year. That lofty standard is perhaps why some baseball experts naively lost faith in the program this year as they scrambled together 14 regular season wins. A rational understanding would include opening the season just two weeks after Russia's basketball state championship with a roster full of multi-sport athletes, a brutal spring schedule of games, and a pitching ace that couldn't toe the rubber until May 9th.

Of course that pitching ace would be Braylon Cordonnier. For anyone living in a cave the past four years, Cordonnier is a Marshall University baseball commit recently named Shelby County Athletic League Player of the Year for the third straight season. He also injured the middle finger on his throwing hand during basketball season and was instructed not to bend it for a really long time. So, after four pitching starts to date, Cordonnier is just now getting his groove back. The best evidence of that was his most recent outing at the district championship. He threw a complete game shutout scattering four hits and two walks with nine strikeouts. Cordonnier is leading Russia at the plate too with a .478 batting average and six homers. Furthermore, one final statistic that's particularly glaring is 97 total plate appearances with 26 walks and only four strikeouts. It's safe to say "Bray" has forced opposing coaches to calculate their odds on every pitch. 

Braylon Cordonnier's sixth home run of the season versus Catholic Central went over the flagpole at Russia. He's also one dinger away from tying the single season school record.

Eight total seniors litter the Raiders roster. Along with Cordonnier are Vince Borchers, Zeb Borchers, Micah Grieshop, Landon Pleiman, Zeb Schulze, Caleb Unverferth and Benjamin York. The coaching staff recently told Fish Report these seniors have always embraced Russia culture and that's the biggest reason for all their success the past four years. Each senior contributes in their own way and has made a difference at some point through 27 games so far. One recent example is York hitting his first home run "since little league" at the district championship. In that game, the seniors also accounted for 10 of the 12 hits by the Raiders. 

Unverferth is veteran presence at any position

The other two Russia hits last Thursday came from junior Cooper Unverferth, who is second on the team in batting average at .360. For Fish Report readers old enough to remember, Unverferth is a modern day Craig Biggio. The former Houston Astros Hall of Famer was an all-star catcher and second baseman, as is Unverferth. Actually, "Coop" might be better than Biggio because he also has a team-best four pitching wins with a 1.00 ERA this season. His junior teammates for the Raiders include Leo Counts, Maddox Goubeaux and Michael Voisard. Sophomores on the roster are Eli Borchers, Brody Phlipot and Sam Prenger. Freshman are Grant Bergman, Quinn Hoying and Parker Lloyd. 

While pitching is arguably Russia's strongest quality heading into the regional tournament, one thing certain about the Mohawk Warriors is their penchant for timely base hitting. All 11 of Mohawk's hits in their district final win were singles, but most importantly they were 6-for-13 with runners in scoring position. Leading the way from the second spot in the batting order was senior Hunter Haynes with three hits. Haynes is the Northern 10 Athletic Conference Player of the Year and was the second best hitter in the entire conference this season with a .452 average. He's also swiped 26 stolen bases. Haynes is a pitcher too and earned the complete game win at the district championship allowing one earned run, three hits, and one walk with five strikeouts.

The final high school baseball season for Mohawk pitcher Hunter Haynes has produced plenty of memorable experiences for the senior already, and the Warriors journey isn't over just yet. The recently crowned Northern 10 Player of the Year helped lead Mohawk to the program's 1st… pic.twitter.com/mhX5QQLVRo

— OH.Report (@oh_report) May 31, 2025

Mohawk head coach Zach Hawkins was interviewed after the district championship and asked about his pitching staff. He ranks Haynes, senior Kaleb Bish, senior Elias Magallanes and sophomore Andon Clouse all number one pitchers. That may sound like typical coach speak, but in this case it's probably not. Haynes is 6-1 with a 1.52 ERA and Bish is 6-0 with a 0.76 ERA. Leading the Warriors in strikeouts is Clouse with 46 and a 1.56 ERA followed by Magallanes with 45 and a 2.12 ERA. Any Fish Report readers remember the names Maddux, Smoltz, Glavine and Avery? 

Finally, for any Russia fans overlooking a team that earned their regional ticket with 11 base hit singles. Keep an eye on Mohawk cleanup batter and third baseman #3 Kaden Bish. He's a first team all-conference honoree with his older brother Kaleb. The sophomore also wrestles and placed at the State Meet back in March, which might be a clue as to why he leads the Warriors in home runs with three. 

Fans heading to the game on Wednesday can purchase presale tickets online here: https://www.ohsaa.org/tickets. If you can't make the trip, you have options to listen live here: ScoresBroadcast.com or 97.5FM WTGR.com.