MORROW -- The 2024 fall athletic season at Little Miami High School featured historic program wins, overtime thrillers, and amazing performances by student-athletes and coaches alike. As a Department, LMHS moved up the conference rankings in the ECC All-Sports Trophy points by improving in a number of sports, and the pivot forward was seen and felt by all of Panther Nation. Below are a few highlights from the fall season.
By the Numbers:
State Championship Participants: 8 in cross country. Boys' team finished 3rd as a team.
Regional Championship Participants. 10 in cross country. The boys' team finished as team runners-up. The girls' fielded three participants with one advancing to State.
District Champions: 1. The LMHS Boys' cross country won their first D-I District Championship in school history at VOA Park on Oct. 21.
District Runner's Up: 1. The LMHS Boys' soccer team finished their season at 12-4-3 and defeated Fairfield 7-6 in a dramatic overtime penalty kick shootout on Oct. 22. They fell to district champion (No. 4) St. Xavier 0-1 at Loveland on Oct. 26.
Top Wins: 12. The Little Miami boys' soccer team won the most games in a season since they were 13-4-2 in 2019.
Biggest Wins: 2. Boys' soccer over Fairfield and girls' soccer over Springboro.
ECC Champions: 1. For only the second time since joining the Eastern Cincinnati Conference in 2020, LMHS claimed their second team championship (Boys' bowling in 2021-22) and first in boys' cross country.
ECC Coach of the Year: 1. Cross country head coach Jim Brant has won numerous COY honors during his coaching career that has spanned nearly three decades, but this was his first as the Panthers XC head coach in 2024.
ECC All-Conference Athletes: 35.
1st Team: Justin Evans (Cross Country), Ian Patrick (Cross Country), Ryne Reynolds (Cross Country), Michael Zegarski (Cross Country), Ella Brown (Cross Country), Sophia France (Cross Country), Ethan Dowden (Football), Lauren Perry (Golf), Delandre Hutton (Soccer), Brandon Prough (Soccer), Zach Stevens (Soccer), Ella Cook (Soccer), Emma Hartmann (Soccer), and Jade Wall (Volleyball).
2nd Team: Derek Gomez (Cross Country), Mitchell Reynolds (Cross Country), Stella Cornelius (Cross Country), Mitchell Lyons (Football), Cody Neltner (Football), Jenna Lynch (Golf), Eli Kosobud (Soccer), Noah Ross (Soccer), Emily Bayles (Soccer), Sydeny Fallat (Soccer), and Morgan Reynolds (Soccer), and Miya Cornelius (Volleyball).
Honorable Mention: Noah Orr (Cross Country), Sami Mueller (Cross Country), Eli Schoellman (Football), Austin Nicholas (Golf), Danni Gentry (Golf), Cade Wojnicz (Soccer), Maddie Meadows (Soccer), Jasmine Denicola (Tennis), and Kendall Oeder (Volleyball).
Boys' Cross Country: Jim Brant was named the 2024 ECC Coach of the Year and Justin Evans, Ian Patrick, Ryne Reynolds, and Michale Zegarski were all first-team All-ECC honorees. Derek Gomez and Mitchell Reynolds claimed second-team accolades and Noah Orr was an honorable mention nominee this season. The Panthers were undefeated during the 2024 regular season and won their first ECC championship in school history this fall. But the Panther's success didn't stop there, LMHS kicked off the postseason by winning their first OHSAA D-I District Championship in school history and followed that a week later by claiming second place as a team at the OHSAA D-I Regional Championships in Troy. And last weekend, the Panthers traveled to Fortress Obetz in Obetz, OH where they logged their top team performance in school history by finishing third in the OHSAA D-I State Championships. Michael Zegarski placed in the Top 20 at The Meet and was named All-Ohio for this impressive finish.
Girls' Cross Country: The LMHS Lady Panthers also had many Top 5 team performances this 2024 season and won the Eaton Invitational along the way. In late October, they finished third overall at the ECC Championships against top-league competition. The Lady Panthers were led by Ella Brown and Sophia France who were both named first-team All-ECC, and Stella Cornelius earned second-team status for her efforts. Sami Mueller was tabbed honorable mention this season. Additionally, Sophia France ran great in the OHSAA postseason and made her way to Obetz in early November as the lone Lady Panther to qualify for the OHSAA State Championships where she finished 65th (19:06.22) in a field of 182 runners. France finished 20th at the Regional Meet in Troy, and fellow Panthers Stella Cornelius (41st) and Ella Brown (57th) also advanced into Round 2 of postseason action.
Football: In front of a sellout crowd on Military and First Responders Night, the Panthers stopped the visiting Walnut Hills Eagles on the final play of the game inside the Panther's own 5 yard-line and held on for a thrilling 20-13 win for first-year head coach Arryn Chenault's first career victory. Little Miami advanced into Round 1 of the OHSAA postseason where they fell to ECC foe Winton Woods 35-0 and dropped to 1-10 during their first season as members of OHSAA D-1, Region 4. Senior defensive lineman Ethan Dowden was the lone Panther to be named first-team All-ECC. In 2024, Dowden recorded 38 total tackles, six sacks and 15.0 tackles-for-loss. He also logged one interception which was returned for eight yards. Additionally, Mitchell Lyons (WR) and Cody Neltner (DB/WR) were named second-team All-ECC and Eli Schoellman claimed honorable mention status following the 2024 campaign.
Boys' Golf: The Panthers finished 7-4 in head-to-head action and finished at No. 5 in the ECC under second-year head coach Robert Rothermund's direction, and that included impressive wins over both Lebanon and Kings. Austin Nicholas was named honorable mention All-ECC following the Panthers 2024 season.
Girls' Golf: The Lady Panthers were 7-6 in dual match action in 2024, and had nice team wins over Kings and Milford during the regular season. In tournament play, they claimed second in the Harrison Dog Day's Invitational, fourth at the ECC Preview and fifth at the ECC Postseason meets. Little Miami was led by three top golfers this season as Lauren Perry earned first-team All-ECC honors, Jenna Lynch was named to the second-team, and Danni Gentry was honorable mention. To open the season, Jenna Lynch led the Panthers as she scored a school record logging a 33 on nine holes. Two days later, the Panthers traveled to Walden Ponds for the annual Eastern Cincinnati Conference Preview Tournament where they placed fourth out of 10 with a score of 355 total. And just days later at Harrison's Dog Days of Summer Invitational at Miami Whitewater, the Lady Panthers placed second overall and broke two more school records. Little Miami scored a team-low round of 345 to set a new program standard, and both senior Jenna Lynch (76) and sophomore Lauren Perry (78) broke Alex Gomez's previous 18-hole record of 79. Lynch finished her senior season at No. 3 in the ECC with a 9-hole average of 39.57 and fellow Panther Lauren Perry was ranked No. 7 at 40.30. Additionally, we want to extend a special 'thank you' to former head coach Chris Lynch for his leadership and coaching efforts as he departs the program for retirement with Jenna's approaching graduation.
Boys' Soccer: The improvement of the Little Miami Panthers varsity boys' soccer team under the direction of second-year head coach Andy Schur was massive in 2024. The Panthers finished the season at 12-4-3 overall and won their first OHSAA postseason game since leaving the SWOC and entering the ECC after the 2019 season. Little Miami started their season 5-0-1 before suffering their first setback of the season to Kings, but from there they proceeded to win six-straight matches as they rose to 11-0-1 and were ranked No. 9 in Ohio with four games remaining in the season. To conclude the regular season, the Panthers traveled to Springboro where they battled the state-ranked hosts to a 1-1 tie, which catapulted the Panthers into the postseason where they drew a Round 1 home matchup with GMC rival (No. 12) Fairfield. What transpired in the game with Fairfield, has turned out to be the most thrilling finish of a Little Miami contest this 2024-25 school year! After two scoreless halves and one overtime session, the game went to penalty kicks and the host Panthers outlasted the visitors 7-6 in overtime as the Rat Pack stormed the field to celebrate the historic win! Panthers who earned ECC postseason accolades were Delandre Hutton (1st Team), Brandon Prough (1st Team), Zach Stevens (1st Team), Eli Kosobud (2nd Team), Noah Ross (2nd Team), and Cade Wojnicz (honorable mention).
Girls' Soccer: Another program that saw a dramatic vertical assent upward during the 2024 fall season, was the 2024 Little Miami Lady Panthers varsity soccer team led by first-year head coach Dann Marketos. In 2023, LMHS finished the season at 3-13-3 and in 2024 the Lady Panthers improved by five wins as they rose to 8-7-3 overall. Little Miami's biggest win of the 2024 campaign came when they hosted state-ranked Springboro (21-1-1) on Sept. 9 and toppled the visiting Panthers 2-1. Little Miami kicked off the season by yielding their best 10-game (6-3-1) start since joining the Eastern Cincinnati Conference before the 2020 season and concluded their season by falling 3-1 to St. Ursula in Round 1 of the OHSAA postseason. Lady Panthers who earned ECC postseason accolades were Ella Cook (1st Team), Emma Hartmann (1st Team), Emily Bayles (2nd Team), Sydeny Fallat (2nd Team), Morgan Reynolds (2nd Team), and Maddie Meadows (honorable mention).
Girls' Tennis: Under the direction of longtime Little Miami coach and alumnus Mike Frith, the LMHS Lady Panthers varsity tennis team finished the fall season at 7-10 overall and 1-7 in The Conference. In the rugged ECC, Little Miami knocked off rival West Clermont this season, and in nonconference play, the Lady Panthers had strong wins over Talawanda, Fairfield, Western Brown, Colerain, Madeira, and McNick. The Lady Panthers were led this season by senior Jasmine Denicola in first singles plays and she was named honorable mention All-ECC following competition. Strong efforts and play were also turned in by Juliette Wilkerson (second singles), Macala Clark (third singles), Riley Reis, and Hannah Weigle (first doubles), along with Rylee Melton and Ava Hamm (second doubles).
Volleyball: Little Miami's longest-tenured head coach is Mason Boulton who is approaching nearly three decades and 300 wins as the Lady Panthers head coach, and this season, his Lady Panthers finished their 2024 campaign at 9-14 overall and 6-12 in ECC play. This included winning four of their last six matches before pushing rival Kings to four challenging sets in Round 1 of the OHSAA D-II First Round at Lebanon. Little Miami finished No. 7 of 10 in the ECC this fall but earned strong nonconference wins over Lakota East, Lakota West, and Harrison which will certainly fuel a strong rebound as they enter the offseason. Panthers who earned postseason accolades were Jade Wall (1st Team), Miya Cornelius, (2nd Team), and Kendall Oeder (honorable mention).
