If you're not used to newspaper lingo, you probably don't understand what that headline means atop this blog entry. It signifies the end of a story, and I thought it would be appropriate for my last blog entry, which you could call a going-away blog.

Tuesday night's Lorain County Holiday Classic was my last day at The Morning Journal. Next week, I will begin work with a newspaper in Southeast Pennsylvania, an hour north of Baltimore and less than two hours west of Philadelphia.

Covering the Classic was an appropriate going away for me because high school basketball is my ultimate passion between high school sports I covered at the Journal. It's weird because I played football and was only a camera guy for basketball at Oberlin, but anyone who knows me knows that's just one of the quirks that comes with me. I don't want to make this a soggy going-away commentary, so I will get into some house-cleaning opinions, but first I want to give you some final rankings from me as the boys high school basketball season begins to approach its midway point.

Yeah, it's almost here. Admiral King is 7-0, and that's where I will start:

1. Admiral King: They aren't as good as their 7-0 record, but they are head and shoulders above the competition. I don't think that will change. What's funny is this team could be better next year when comparing what they will have back (Malcolm Barnett, Anton Harris and Gary Donald) compared to other area teams. But, look at who else is here: four-year starter Chris Kimbro and three-year starter Adrian Casey, both Lorain County Mr. Basketball frontrunners. Then, role players are stepping up like Marquan Anderson with established guards Bryant Parker and Vincent Lee. This team just doesn't have a hole. Height is a weakness, but what the Admirals possess in the post is not. This team will win the Division I Midview District.

2. Vermilion: The Sailors just suffered a loss to Admiral King in the Lorain County Holiday Classic championship game, but that doesn't change their standing. Yes, they lost a West Shore Conference game to Bay, but Admiral King is the barometer. North Ridgeville, the favorite in the WSC, didn't look as good against AK like Vermilion did, pushing its lead to 10 points in the first half and just playing with a swagger and heart. Vermilion may not win the WSC, but it will beat Ridgeville at least once and make things interesting. The Sailors will also repeat in Division II as district champions in Westlake.

3. Southview: The Saints have disappointed me with losses to Warrensville and North Royalton, but North Royalton is solid. The foursome of Josh Biber, Montrell Elliott, Quincy Ezell and Quinton Ezell has gotten a lot of attention from the Journal over the years. Hype could be a good word. But, these guys have talent and it is their time. They will win 15 games and that bodes well around here.

4. North Ridgeville: Tough losses to Admiral King and Valley Forge push them behind Southview in my eyes. They have the area's best bigman in 6-foot-11 Drew McGhee and the area's best Scottie Pippen impersonator in 6-5 Keene Cockburn. The key for Ridgeville will be the use of sophomore point guard Danny Montgomery. If he gets more reigns in the Rangers' offense, the Rangers will be better off.

5. Edison: This team was overlooked at the beginning of the season. I admit it, and I want to give them some respect before I step out. They have size to go with their talent, too.

6. Perkins: I joked with someone about Sandusky at the Classic. The Blue Streaks have lost a lot of kids to Perkins, including what would have been their best basketball player in Shon Alexander. Instead, he's Perkins' best player.

7. Keystone: I was ready to put Clearview up here, but Keystone's impressive wins -- including one over Clearview -- has to push them up. Matt Herb has been playing since he was a freshman. He's undersized, but the Wildcats have solid players on the perimeter to make it work in the Patriot Athletic Conference Stars Division. We may have found a favorite for that division title.

8. Clearview: The Clippers will be better than Keystone by the end of the season, but you have to respect what the Wildcats did this week, beating Clearview by one at the Avon Holiday Tournament. Clearview, though, is poised for a strong run with James Washington as a senior in the post and a slew of juniors around him. Don't look ahead to next year. This is their year.

9. Amherst: John Srnis is just a perfect fit as coach at Amherst. Many coaches have had trouble with parents at that school. Please treat him well because he deserves it. Srnis has always been a great basketball mind and he seems to have found a comfort level with the Comets that he didn't have at Elyria. He will turn Amherst into a force in the Southwestern Conference. He will be the Macgyver of coaches in the area!

10. Avon Lake: The Shoremen have height, but some disappointing losses early have set them back.

tie, Norwalk: Hat's off to Steve Gray. He lost one of the area's biggest and best players in Kyle Smith, but the Truckers still have a solid team in place.

tie, New London: Tom Howell has quietly done a solid job since taking over for Dale Marschall after the program went through a "hey day," if you will, with Marschall's son Erik, now at Bowling Green. With Western Reserve down, New London has reason to believe it can retake the Firelands Conference title.

OK, I cheated a little with a three-way tie for 10th, but I felt like mentioning those teams. As for some predictions, here's a few. Chris Kimbro will be Mr. Basketball for Lorain County. Coaches can nominate only one player from their schools, and Mr. Basketball has traditionally been a guard's award. Kimbro initiates with the ball so much that it's hard to ignore him. Southview's Josh Biber and North Ridgeville's Drew McGhee will also get consideration, and I have to believe McGhee has an inside track because he has a scholarship to Miami of Ohio lined up.

As for the Journal Player of the Year, I'll go with Adrian Casey, Kimbro's teammate at Admiral King. Casey lost out to McGhee last season, Admiral King is easily the best team in the area, and Casey's double-double production has not only remained steady, but it's getting better.

Speaking of player of the year awards, I want to lobby for Miss Softball later this spring. Typically, these Lorain County awards for top senior are not split between two players, but this year it has to be a must. There's no way Elyria's Tess Sito and Keystone's Kara Dill can be separated. They're both unbelievable as pitchers, hitters and fielders. They play in the area's most productive sport, and I can't think of a season in a sport where two players were that much better than anyone else. Heck, Sito played baseball when she was younger. If the committee has to, give her Mr. Baseball and Dill Miss Softball.

It's the only fair thing to do, and if you know me, I'm all about that.

I hear there's a possibility Elyria Catholic's football program is considering the addition of black jerseys, if the players get permission to have fundraisers. This would be nice, and I find opposition from EC traditionalists somewhat amusing.

Change is inevietable. Look at Oberlin. A majority of former students and athletes were 100 percent opposed to changing the school nickname from Indians to anything else. The reason for that change came from pressure from those outside the community -- such as Oberlin College students bringing in activists to stir change for a class project.

Changing a jersey is minor. In fact, I believe the football team uses black practice jerseys. And let's face it. Alternate jerseys have become common in sports, so it's only natural that high schools, which can make it happen, would do the same.

Entering my junior year of high school, a football coach said to me "you guys worry too much about what you look like," when there was talk of changing our home jerseys from blue to red. He was right, but pride does play a key role in high school athletics, and the jersey is a key part. When I see kids wanting to do something like change their jersey, I see school pride.

If they can make it happen by creating funds on their own -- especially at a school that requires tuition -- that is a tremendous amount of school pride. If their request to seek this endeavor is not approved by the school or shunned by alumni, then they don't deserve to have kids with this pride at their institution.

Think a mouthguard is overrated? Maybe you only need them for sports like football or if you're playing in the post.

Not true.

Two Friday's ago, Firelands senior guard Justin Morell lost three teeth in the Falcons' 53-52 loss at Clearview. He lost them when Clearview forward James Washington made a key block late in the fourth quarter. Morell, without hesitation, went after the loose ball after Washington's block and crashed to the floor chasing after it. So did Clearview's Kyle Baughman, whose knee crashed into the back of Morell's head and smacked it into the floor, creating a lesson for Morell and his teammates.

Firelands coach Steve Lias said mouthguards were offered before the season began. It was something they went over because a player lost a few teeth during practice last season. Morell, a first-year senior, wasn't around for that one and didn't take a mouthguard before the season.

Now, he will. And so will a few of his teammates.

Lias estimated only four players between varsity and J.V. used mouthguards before Morell's teeth came out. Now, half the players on varsity and J.V. are using them.

Every dive to the floor for Morell or any other Firelands player may not come without the thought of Morell's teeth. The hustle did earn him some glory and three new pearly whites, but at least the mouthguard will take away any hesitation -- and not the respect that comes with such hustle.

I meant to write this sooner, but every season, and just about every sport, when all-star sections like Friday's All-Star Football Edge come out, I think about who's coming back next year. So, I'll get right to it. Here's my pre-pre-pre-preseason All-Journal Football team for 2009:

QB - Eric Schwieterman, St. Paul: He will be a senior and gets a slight nod over Elyria Catholic's Danny Reaser.
RB - Anthony Hitchens, Clearview: He will be my preseason favorite for player of the year.
RB - Mike Mansnerus, Avon Lake: With the second half he had and Christian Pace back to anchor the offensive line, who can stop the Shoremen?
WR - Josh Russ, Elyria Catholic: If Reaser can't make this team, Russ definitely will. By the way, Danny Accordi would be just as good of a selection.
WR
TE - Dan Schneider, Avon Lake: I smell a deep playoff run for Avon Lake, and a lot of big plays for Schneider, who I think may be the most underrated player in the area next season. He will tie things together for Avon Lake with his run blocking and ability to stretch the defense with his pass catching, something the Shoremen will desperately need.
OL - Christian Pace, Avon Lake: He, along with Joe Coyne, were the two guys I wish I could have gotten on the first team this year. Pace is a lock!
OL - Jared Schuster, Elyria Catholic: The offense will work because of this anchor.
OL -Isaiah Byler, Elyria: Injuries really hurt Byler this year.
OL - Kyle Cory, Edison: The Chargers are my early pick to win the Sandusky Bay Conference.
OL - Greg Knapp, Wellington: Having him back on the line will be big for the Dukes.

DL - Josh Pierce, Avon: Next season, the Eagles' defense will be their focal point -- just like it was in the playoffs.
DL - Eddie Wimbley, Sandusky: He could lead the area in sacks. I believe he's Francis X. Bova's favorite player.
DL - Dakota Schwann, Monroeville: The Eagles have to bounce back, right? Having him and Carl Black returing in the interior is reason to believe so.
DL - Tony Petrosky, Midview: Bill Albright got some great play from Petrosky this year as a sophomore. Knowing how good Midview's program is, you can bet Petrosky will be a beast.
LB - Jake Niece, Firelands: As you can probably tell by the recognition we've given him the last two years, I dig the way he plays linebacker. But, you got to love the way he's been playing since he was thrown into the fire at Firelands as a freshman when things were bleak.
LB - Austen Gray, Wellington: When a Wellington player is left off the first and second team for football, I feel bad. Even at 4-6. Gray should be a lock next season.
LB - Anthony Hitchens, Clearview: We don't put guys down twice, but I really thought Hitchens would get that this season until we decided not to do so. He's even better as a linebacker than a running back.
LB - Jaron Hicks, Oberlin: The Phoenix should improve yet again next season, and Hicks is a big reason why.
DB - Dan Tracht, St. Paul: Expect the Flyers to keep, well, flying. They keep plugging guys in, but Tracht will have been a three-year presence.
DB - Jake Neuschaefer, Elyria: He will be a junior next season and a reason for optimism at Elyria with its underclassmen.
DB - Zach Rogers, Elyria Catholic: Rogers played excellent this season. You will hear his name more.

K - Ryan Galik, Avon: He will be a senior and was a contender to make a team this year. Collin Owens is another top kicker next season. Owens stepped in for Lucas Wright at Clearview when the Clippers beat up on Brookside. Owens looked like a better kicker that night.
KR - Tony Williams, Clearview: In junior high, he was the one name I kept hearing among what will be the 2009 season's senior class.

There you have it. As for a player of the year ranking, how about this: 1) Hitchens, 2) Schwieterman, 3) Mansnerus, 4) Reaser, 5) Running back Josiah Holt of Midview.

Avon can celebrate. Ryan O'Rourke is the Golden Helmet winner, which goes to Lorain County's top senior, and Matt Kiessling is this year's Lombardi winner, for top defensive lineman.

Coming Friday, he will be The Morning Journal's Football Player of the Year in the All-Star Football Edge, our last Edge of the year.

O'Rourke was a pretty simple choice for the Golden Helmet and the Journal award. He didn't throw an interception until his team's regional final loss 13 games into the season. Ask any coach, and a stat like that is unheard of. He broke practically every passing record at Avon and a few for the county.

Opening night in high school basketball had a little bit of everything. First, blowouts. Second, a nice closely-contested game between Firelands and Keystone.

The Firelands victory was no surprise. Notice, despite a 2-19 finish last season, they were given a considerable boost in our preseason rankings. The reason is simple: There's considerable talent back for the Falcons, and they should mesh much better with coach Steve Lias, who has known them for years.

As for the blowouts, that's customary early in the season. Amherst's victory was not surprising. I went into the game expecting an extremely raw performance from Oberlin, although through the first quarter, in a close game, I thought Oberlin would win. The Comets looked polished. Will they have enough to compete and win in the Southwestern Conference? Yes, but my preseason pick is Avon Lake. The Shoremen have too much height with Mark Homenik and Mike Herrilko.

The Clearview-Vermilion game, which Vermilion won handily, was quite interesting. The reason for the blowout may be the difference between Division II and Division III programs. Clearview has talent, but Vermilion has numbers -- particularly with post players who move well. I have yet to look at the box score, but I'd assume James Washington was outnumbered inside by Derek Hoebing, Derek Barbato, Tim Clark ... you get the picture.

I spoke with New London coach Tom Howell last night after his team's 59-57 win over Edison. I expect both teams to be strong this season and at least get to the district semifinals this season. In the Firelands Conference, Western is down -- at least when it comes to coach Chris Sheldon's expectations -- so I wonder how much of a door that opens for New London to retake a conference championship or St. Paul to emerge? The first New London-St. Paul game ought to be quite interesting.

Every sport -- basketball in particular -- seems to go in spurts. That's usually because every once in awhile, a class has a considerable number of athletes playing varsity by their freshman or sophomore years.

This trend is usually more common for programs than overall sports, but it's been commonplace in boys basketball.

Consider this season a climax season for boys basketball. Look at Admiral King and Southview, for example. The majority of both lineups will have seniors who've been playing for three or four years. Vermilion has an excellent senior class returning from last season's regional run and Clearview -- although it has mostly juniors -- will be a different team next year when post standout James Washington graduates.

A lot of programs are hitting the end of strong runs, talent wise, with graduating seniors. Because of that, boys basketball as a whole, in a sense, is hitting the end of a run. That may not be a good run, but consider two Lorain County boys teams making regionals last season a big step up. I expect that step up to continue this season, but take a big step down next season.

So, go out and enjoy some high school basketball games. The regular season starts Friday and OHSAA Foundation (scrimmage) games are going on now. EC and North Ridgeville will play a good one Tuesday night.

Consider this year's senior class much like the Class of 2004 that featured Jordan Beard, Brett Bartlett and Chad Szalay. Go out and watch players like Clearview's Washington, Oberlin's Morgan Jones, Southview's Fearsome Foursome or Admiral King's Chris Kimbro and Adrian Casey.

Enjoy it. Next year, they will be gone. And so will some good basketball.