Northmor Baseball Returns to State Championship After 31 Years; Highland Falls Short

For the Northmor Golden Knights, the feeling of déjà vu is welcome as they prepare to compete in the Division VI state baseball tournament. On June 3, during a tightly contested regional final at Pleasant Hill Newton High School, the eighth-ranked Knights pulled away late to secure an 8-2 victory over unranked Fort Recovery.

“We scored and they scored to tie it. We scored and they scored to tie it,” Northmor's coach Buck Workman reflected on the tense 2-2 deadlock after six innings. "In the seventh, we had another one of those innings where we broke it open. We played a little small-ball and then the guys started raking. The next thing we know, we have six runs on the board." This late-game surge propelled Northmor (25-5) into the Final Four, where they will face either No. 4 Hartville Lake Center Christian or No. 11 Doylestown Chippewa at 10 a.m. on June 11 at Akron's 7 17 Credit Union Park. The state championship is scheduled for June 12 at the same location.

This marks Northmor's first trip back to the Final Four since 1995, when they lost to Cincinnati Summit Country Day. Coach Workman noted the unwavering support from their community, saying, “Anytime Northmor goes to events, I feel we always have more fans than anyone else. Our community is amazing about supporting us and our athletes. I’m glad we can give them another week of baseball.”

The Golden Knights have shown remarkable resilience throughout the playoffs, rallying in critical moments to secure victories. In previous matches, they overcame a deficit against No. 1 West Jefferson, scored a late run against No. 23 Grandview Heights, and erupted for eight runs in the seventh inning against Dayton Christian. “This group doesn’t get fazed by a whole lot,” Workman stated. “They keep competing. It’s that whole seven-inning mantra.”

Brody Beck was instrumental on the mound, allowing only four hits while striking out seven. At the plate, Billy Bowlin contributed with a double and a single, while Jack Bowdre and Brady Chapman each had two singles. Bowdre and Ethan Hinton each earned two RBIs, and Brady Carr crossed the plate twice.

In contrast, Highland's season came to an end as they were narrowly defeated by Sandusky Perkins, 6-5, in eight innings during the Division IV regional championship. Perkins took the lead with four runs in the fourth inning, but Highland fought back, briefly capturing a 5-4 advantage before losing in extra innings. Highland coach Donnie Kline acknowledged the intense competition, stating, “There was a lot of traffic on base for both sides...their offense is pretty deep.”

Despite the loss, Kline expressed pride in his team’s accomplishments over the season, highlighting the senior class's significant contributions to the program. Highland finishes with a record of 22-10, having won their eighth consecutive league title and reaching the regional stage for only the fifth time in their history.