Mar 6, 2025
Waterford’s Brynnlee Pottmeyer, left, looks to pass during a regional final game against Hiland earlier this season at Logan. (Photo by Jordan Holland)
Two schools separated by a mile are headed to the Final Four in their respective divisions.
And funny enough, they’ll both be playing at neutral sites within 15 minutes of one another.
At 7 p.m. Friday, Fort Frye will take on Rootstown at Claymont High School while Waterford will face off against Mogadore at Dover High School in a pair of state semifinal matchups.
Needless to say, Tuscarawas County will have an overwhelmingly Washington County feel to it Friday night.
“It’s kind of crazy,” Fort Frye head coach Dan Liedtke said of both programs’ success. “I know a lot of people talk about that, and it’s a great thing for both communities. It makes it pretty exciting. There’s exciting things going on in the area. Two teams, and only a river separates them, a bridge. It’s really, really good for the whole area.”
Fort Frye’s Elle Casto (12) handles the ball during a regional semifinal game against Belpre earlier this season at Pickerington North. (Photo by Kerry Patrick)
Waterford head coach Jerry Close agreed and added, “It’s pretty neat to have both teams going to the Final Four. Both teams have been very successful over the years. It’s great for the community. We’ve been ranked first in our divisions all year long, so it’s nice to see us finish where we’re supposed to. I think Marietta was first in their division at one point, too. That’s pretty good for one county.”
The Cadets are in the Final Four for the first time since 2020 — the year the state tournament was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fort Frye took care of business against Harvest Prep in Saturday’s regional final.
Against Rootstown, the Cadets are facing a squad with one loss this season. The Rovers (26-1) narrowly got past Smithville 37-36 in the regional championship.
Rootstown is led by Nadia Lough, a 5-foot-10 senior forward, who is averaging 12.7 points, 7.6 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. She shoots 51% from the floor. The Rovers also have Colbie Curall (10.1 points, 7.7 boards, 3.0 steals, 2.1 assists), Kelsie Bittecuffer (10.3 points) and Addy Germann (9.9 points) who are all capable of doing damage.
“I think we match up pretty good,” Liedtke said. “They’ve got a really good player down in the post in Nadia Lough. We’ve gone up against good post players before, but she’s really strong. They have another very good post player in Colbie Curall. I’m sure they’re going to look to them a lot with our size, and they’ve got guards who can shoot it. We’ve got to try to stop a lot of their penetration and limit their ball feeds down in the post.”
Fort Frye’s Ava Huffman (4) and Waterford’s Avery Wagner (30) go up for the opening tip during a regular season game in Beverly. (Photo by Patricia Miller)
Fort Frye (21-4) has been up for the challenge at every turn this season and will be ready for whatever the Rovers have in store.
Emmie Duskey is the lone senior for the Cadets and is a leader in every sense of the word. Duskey averages 17 points, 5.5 rebounds, 3.9 steals and 2.7 assists per game.
Sophomore standouts Ella Dowler (11.5 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 2.0 steals), Ava Huffman (7.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, 2.0 assists), Haven Shilling (7.5 points, 6.2 rebounds) and Aubrie Lang (3.8 points, 4.6 rebounds) round out the starting lineup while Elle Casto plays big minutes off the bench.
“This team, they’re special,” Liedtke said. “We’ve had a lot of special teams, and they’re all different. The way this team plays together, it’s like a family. Practices are fun. Practices aren’t very long with only eight players, but when we’re in there we go at it. They stay focused, and when it’s like that you always have a chance.”
At Dover, Waterford will be looking to earn its second consecutive trip to the state finals. The Wildcats fell to Fort Loramie in last year’s state championship game and vowed to get back.
They’ll have to get through a Mogadore quad that comes in at 23-4, with two of those losses coming against the aforementioned Rovers.
“It should be a pretty good matchup,” Close said. “They’re a smaller team, but they’re quick and scrappy. Turnovers are going to be a big key. We’ve got to take care of the basketball.”
Mogadore, also nicknamed the Wildcats, are led by Amelia Morris’ 12.8 points and 9.8 rebounds per game. The 5-7 senior forward will have her hands full down low against the 6-4 Avery Wagner, who has been a defensive force throughout postseason play.
Seniors Ari Tompkins (9.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 3.4 assists, 2.4 steals) and Julie Tompkins (7.8 points, 4.2 rebounds, 2.4 steals, 2.3 assists) are twin sisters who complement Morris well.
“They’re a little bit more of a free-flowing team,” Close said. “They’re quick up and down the floor and score quickly in transition. It’s a little bit different of a style than what we’ve seen.”
At this point, Waterford (25-1) has seen just about everything. Close’s squad plays as tough a schedule as there is in the state and is truly battle-tested. Hiland, an Eastern Ohio basketball powerhouse, was no match for Waterford in the regional final as Kendall Sury scored a game-high 26 points to lead the Wildcats to a 50-34 triumph.
The senior trio of Sury (12.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 2.6 assists), Wagner (12.7 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 54 blocks) and Avery Smithberger (8.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 2.9 assists) leads the way, but Elsie Malec (5.1 points, 3.1 rebounds) and Brynnlee Pottmeyer (5.9 points 3.3 rebounds) know their roles as does Ava Hurley off the bench.
“They’ve been locked in pretty well all year,” Close said. “It’s still business as usual. This was one of their goals and is where they expected to be, so they’re happy, but not satisfied. We’re excited to be back here. They’ve put a lot of hard work into this and I’m glad they’re getting to continue to play.”
Contact Jordan Holland at jholland@mariettatimes.com.
GIRLS BASKETBALL AVERAGE 18.1 – Allie Ellyson (Gilmer) 17.9 – Addie Davis (SM) 16.9 – Faith Pickens …
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