The Olmsted Falls senior is a three-sport athlete in football, basketball and baseball, but there was a time it was all taken away from him.

“I think it has definitely matured me as a person,” DeLisio said. “That’s a lot at a young age, but I put my head down with the mindset that no matter what, the grass is greener on the other side. Just trying to work and be really focused on your goal at the end of the day. One step at a time.”

In the beginning of 2018, DeLisio was limping around playing basketball and it was thought to be a knee issue. Later on in May, he was diagnosed with a hip lesion after getting an MRI. It’s a rare condition where an area of the bone was withered away. The lesion was fortunately found on accident, and he had surgery two weeks later.

Fast forward to the following April at a baseball practice at T3 Performance in Avon. DeLisio was back and ready to go playing sports, and his team was working on bunting drills. He collided with one of his teammates, fractured his skull and had to get emergency surgery. That included brain surgery to make sure there wasn’t any further damage.

He missed the rest of the baseball season and his eighth-grade football season, but he was able to return to basketball in the winter of 2019-20. The rehab process was difficult, and DeLisio said the mental aspect was much tougher than the physical. He made it back to playing sports despite a hard path.

“For me, it was trying to wake up every day and find a reason to keep pushing,” DeLisio said. “My reason was to make sure that my siblings knew that no matter what, everything is going to get better. They were a big motivator for me. Obviously, as a middle-school kid, it was hard. It made me mentally tougher, and I matured physically and mentally.”

Olmsted Falls boys basketball coach Chris DeLisio has seen many athletes over the years come up from his time going to school and coaching here. He has seen the different challenges teenagers face, but this time it was up close and personal with his own son facing a traumatic injury.

“As a family, I think we’ve always tried to do a good job of finding the positives and the next. This definitely tested our ability to do that,” Chris said. “… As much as Peyton went through, I’m just really proud of him. Obviously there’s a pride as a dad, but there’s a pride as a coach.

“When you watch the kids that you coach and what they do and go through, every kid is trying to overcome some obstacle. To watch Peyton play with the effort that he plays with after everything that happened, I’m just so proud of him.”

Peyton plays basketball. He still plays catcher in baseball. He played safety in football. He hasn’t shied away from contact and like his father mentioned, he plays hard with full effort. If there’s a loose ball, he’s on the floor. There’s no hesitation despite the injuries he has been through.

Being a leader means something to Peyton. He hasn’t felt sorry for himself once through this journey, and he hopes others follow in his footsteps by working hard.

“I’ve never really played sports scared,” Peyton said. “I’ve always been a big believer in if you’re going to do it, you should do it to the best ability and as hard as you can. … Finally after all of those years, just getting to be with the guys and creating relationships (was great).

“At the end of the day, it’s not an individual legacy that you want to leave, it’s a great team legacy. As a team, we’ve built those relationships and tried to set an example for a lot of people younger than us.”

Peyton and Chris spoke highly of the support system in their corner. Peyton said he couldn’t have done any of this without them. Chris couldn’t thank the Olmsted Falls community enough for its support during those hard times.

Chris is proud of how his son has overcome all of these obstacles, and he really wanted to have this story out there for perhaps another kid who is trying to find their reason to keep pushing to get back into sports.

“One of the reason you love sports is the life connections of the lessons that you learn as an athlete that help you go into life,” Chris said. “When you see young kids thrown into that, it’s reversed. How can I life situation guide them through sports in that moment? Usually, it’s vice versa.

“It was no different for Peyton. He had to find a way to be a productive member of the teams he was on despite not being able to play. (We thought about) how he can find a role as a leader and be an extra set of eyes for his coaches.”

Despite the circumstances, Peyton pushed through and has taken the best from it. He’s currently playing a big role on the basketball team as a starter, averaging 5.9 points per game and leading the team in 3-pointers.

With the rest of the basketball season and baseball season coming up this spring, he’s on track to finish his career on a good note. Looking back to over five years ago, he had to overcome a lot to get there.

“At this point in my life, it’s almost something that I’m grateful for,” Peyton said. “In all honesty looking back at it, you hate it in the moment and it’s really terrible, but I’ve overcome it and grown from it. It gave me a fearless mindset of no matter what happens, everything’s going to work out just fine.”

3-pointers:

Rebounds:

Assists:

Steals:

Blocks:

Sitting at 5-7 entering a difficult part of the schedule, the Titans are looking for more consistency. They’ve shown the ability to hang with some of the area’s best for a half. With 10 games left, this team wants to compete across four quarters and have a chance to win in the final minutes.

“We’ve shown that we can compete,” Lorain coach Matt Kielian said. “But we haven’t really shown against the good teams that we can do it for four quarters. It’s important that we take a game like this (a 59-46 win over Westlake on Jan. 16) and build on it. It’s about consistency and about competing. It’s important that we hammer that home.”

Lorain is led by veterans who are trying to end their careers on the right note. Jai’den Guerra-Howard and Asiah Kielian have lived up to their expectations this season as leaders of this basketball team, and other seniors such as Ike Rowser and Sae’vonn Brown have had good seasons.

They realize that this is it for them. In recent memory, some talented Lorain players have led their teams on a postseason run and have become legends. It’s unknown how this year’s group will fair in the playoffs, but they want to leave it all out there for four quarters.

“I’m just leaving it all on the floor,” Guerra-Howard said. “I don’t just want to have a good senior year, but for the team, not just my stats. It starts with me so they can all lead. … That’s what we’ve been working, playing all four quarters, playing throughout.”

The Titans play a hard schedule every season, including the gauntlet of the Lake Erie League and nonconference games with the best of the best from the Southwestern Conference. It hasn’t been kind to them thus far, and it won’t be down the stretch with some very tough contests.

It starts with a home game against Maple Heights on Jan. 23. The win over Westlake earlier this week was Lorain’s second home win of the season. The other came against Bedford on Jan. 5.

“We’ve had a rough start with home games, I think this our second win at home,” Rowser said. “We just have to keep continuing to grow from here.”

After the rematch with Maple Heights, the Titans get only two days off before traveling to Garfield Heights on Jan. 25. The rematch with the Mustangs was postponed from Jan. 19 due to weather.

Although the first meeting against Maple got out of hand rather quickly, Lorain hung right with Garfield for a half before fading in the second half. That’s not to mention upcoming conference games against Warrensville Heights and Bedford, and matchups with the SWC’s three best teams currently in Avon, Elyria and Berea-Midpark.

The Titans are going to be tested, and while they’ve shown they can compete for a half, they need to crank the intensity up a notch to get some wins.

“It’s just building on our successes and turning our weaknesses into strengths,” Kielian said. “It’s about competing and moving on to the next play. I think it’s important to realize this is it. For our seniors, this is it. We’re trying to ascend and get better every week heading into the tournament. We’ll see what happens then.”

The Comets won a thrilling double overtime game at home back on Dec. 6 with a half-court buzzer-beater. Although there wasn’t a shot at the buzzer in the second meeting, the Eagles returned the favor with a 51-47 victory to cap off an emotional senior night on Jan. 17.

FINAL: Avon 51, Amherst 47

Makenzie Ptacek ices the game with a steal and an and-one!

Happy senior night!@MJournalSports @avoneagles @SteeleComets pic.twitter.com/Ff4Q5mEJrv

— Travis Nelson (@travisnelson40) January 18, 2024

Avon (9-6, 3-5 SWC) started hot with an 11-point lead after one quarter, but Amherst (7-6, 4-4 SWC) battled back in the second half to tie it up late. For a fitting close to the senior night festivities, the Eagles’ veterans showed up when it mattered most.

Molly Drenik had a monster game with 16 points and 18 rebounds, and she put them back in front on a layup with 15.1 seconds left. Needing a defensive stop to win the game, Makenzie Ptacek came through with a steal and an and-one on the other end to ice it.

Molly Drenik puts Avon back in front with 15.1 seconds left!

She’s up to 16 points and 18 rebounds@MJournalSports @avoneagles @SteeleComets pic.twitter.com/p4qMxohObf

— Travis Nelson (@travisnelson40) January 18, 2024

“I’m really proud of our girls because after that Midview loss, I told them that we have to toughen up and get our grit back,” Avon coach Maggie Ferrando said. “Don’t count us out yet. I know everybody’s upset that we lost our starting point guard, she’s a huge part of our team, but we can still play and I still believe in these guys.”

The Eagles are banged up and only dress nine girls, but the five seniors on this team impact winning. Drenik drew a lot of attention but still put up a huge double-double. Ptacek’s speed is a problem defensively, and she put up eight points on top of that. Both Emma Owens and Madigan O’Leary knocked down two 3-pointers each and Grace Mangan scored five points in the first quarter. On their night, all five gave major contributions.

“We’ve definitely been on a rough patch, but it was great to get a win where we all played well together,” Drenik said. “I always love it when everyone on the team gets to contribute and we all have a great time. It’s really good for us to have, especially with some big games coming up.”

Avon came out in a zone defense and it took over a quarter for Amherst to figure it out offensively. While the Comets struggled and shot 2-for-18 from the floor in the opening period, Avon got out to a 16-5 advantage. The lead grew to as many as 13 in the second quarter, but Amherst got it down to eight at halftime.

Although the Comets never led, Ava Darmos tied the game at 47-47 on a putback with 1:02 remaining. Amherst’s dynamic duo of Kayla Ferancy (17 points) and Kristen Kelley (14 points and 14 rebounds) got going in the second half, but it still wasn’t enough. With two evenly matched teams, Avon’s fast start proved to be the difference.

“We lost the game in the first quarter,” Amherst coach John Rositano said. “They came out charged up and we didn’t. They took advantage and went up 13, and then you’re fighting and battling back. We actually did and tied it up, but it’s hard.”

The Eagles have been through an up-and-down stretch, but they learned from their mistakes just four days after a 56-52 road loss to Midview. Rebounding was a big factor in that game, but even against a bigger Amherst team, they boxed out and limited second-chance buckets. Drenik obviously led the way there with nearly 20 rebounds, but five other Eagles had three or more boards.

“They boxed out well, that’s all we’ve been harping on,” Ferrando said. “I’m proud of our guys for toughing it out. We’ve been talking about finding a way. Somehow, some way, we have to find a way no matter what that is. They found a way tonight. … We talk about the “want-to” a lot. It was definitely there tonight and we weren’t leaving here without a win.”

That want-to showed late in the game. After Amherst tied it to put the game in the balance, Avon made some big plays to hang on. Drenik’s bucket and Ptacek’s steal capped off a game that the Eagles controlled mostly from start to finish. As good as the beginning of the night felt with the ceremony and the great start, the ending felt even sweeter.

“It felt great, I was scared that I was going to get my last foul,” Ptacek said. “I decided that I was just going to go for it and I got it. I was also really happy with how I handled the layup and everything. … It felt really great, I’m glad that we pulled it off.”

Both teams are back in conference action on Jan. 20. Avon travels to Avon Lake and Amherst hosts North Ridgeville.

PHOTOS: Avon vs. Amherst girls basketball, Jan. 17, 2024

Boys basketball

1: (1) Avon 8-3

2: (2) Elyria 7-4

3: (4) North Ridgeville 6-5

4: (3) Avon Lake 5-6

5: (5) Lorain 5-7

6: (6) Fairview 8-2

7: (7) Rocky River 6-4

8: (NR) Elyria Catholic 4-5

9: (9) Brookside 8-4

10: (NR) Firelands 7-5

Dropped out: Amherst 5-6, Open Door 8-5

Watch list: Wellington 9-2, Keystone 5-6, Columbia 4-5

Crop comments: The top six teams are a leg above, ranking the rest is a difficult assignment. Avon stays at No. 1 following conference wins over Midview and Amherst. The Eagles look to win a third straight game in a rivalry matchup with Avon Lake on Jan. 19. … Elyria has four straight wins. The Pioneers went on a huge run to end the season last year, and they are positioning themselves to do it again. They extended the win streak with wins over Midview and Amherst. A big game against Berea-Midpark awaits. … North Ridgeville was on the flip side with a three-game losing streak, but the Rangers picked up a big win at Avon Lake. It was the first time in six years that they won at the Shoremen’s gym. Ridgeville is back in action hosting Amherst on Jan. 19. … Avon Lake turned a corner with a five-game win streak of its own, but has now dropped three in a row to Elyria, Olmsted Falls and North Ridgeville. The Shoremen could use a marquee win over Avon this week. … Lorain needed a win and got one over Westlake on Jan. 16. The schedule gets tougher, starting with a home game against Maple Heights on Jan. 19. The Titans have proved they can compete for a half with these talented LEL teams, but they’re looking for more. … Fairview is No. 6 once again after a dominant win over North Olmsted on Jan. 16. The Warriors are in the mix with North Ridgeville, Avon Lake and Lorain for the third spot. Those four teams feel interchangeable at this point. … Despite losing to Elyria Catholic, the Pirates of Rocky River stayed in the seventh spot. They have one game this week against Valley Forge. … Speaking of Elyria Catholic, the Panthers jump up to the eighth spot. EC has had its own ups and downs, but it’s a good home team and there’s more than one reason to believe it would beat the LC8 teams ranked behind them at this point. … Brookside lost its first LC8 game of the season to Firelands on Jan. 16, but stays in the ninth spot. Despite the loss, the Cardinals get the benefit of the doubt over their conference foes to remain in the lead. … Firelands has lost to both Wellington and Keystone, but is sitting in good shape following the Brookside win at 7-5. … Amherst drops out of the Crop, as it’s spiraling in the wrong direction. The Comets play North Ridgeville and Firelands this weekend, so they have opportunities to turn the season around. … Open Door has now won three games in a row, but dropped out of the rankings for now. The Patriots have some big games coming up where they can find themselves right back in the top 10. … Trying to rank the LC8 is a tough task. There’s a lot of parity. Wellington, Keystone and Columbia are on the outside looking in. All five of these teams including Brookside and Firelands have beaten each other, and will be fun to see how the conference race shakes out.

The Titans (5-7) started the game with four layups off turnovers en route to a 59-46 victory over the Demons (5-7). It took Westlake three minutes to start the game before it finally got a shot off.

“I feel like we left some points on the board trying to do a little too much, but at the same time, our effort was there,” Lorain coach Matt Kielian said. “We competed the entire time, and that’s one of things that we’re trying to make sure that they understand. We want to compete for four quarters and just be consistent.”

Westlake’s first four possessions resulted in an errant pass that Lorain stole and finished for layups on the other end. Asiah Kielian got the party started with a steal and layup to get the Titans on the board. The next three turnovers all turned into six straight points for Jaiden Guerra-Howard. He led all scorers with 19 points.

The Demons were able to cut the deficit to three after finally getting some offense going, and ending up trailing by five after one quarter. Although the early turnovers were costly for Westlake, Lorain pulled away because of its strong second quarter.

There have been times where the Titans have struggled to score this season, including the fourth quarter of this game, but the second quarter might’ve been their best. They scored 25 points in the frame and extended the lead to 17 at the break.

After not making any 3s in the first, Lorain made all four of its triples in the second. Ike Rowser is the team’s best pure shooter, and he knocked down three of them to open the flood gates. Leading, 19-12, he made two in a row to boost the lead to 13. Westlake fought back in the second half, but couldn’t fully recover after that.

“It feels good, especially when my teammates believe in my shot. Just swinging that ball one more (time),” Rowser said. “I was just ready to knock down the shot at all times. I had to get us going from 3.”

Lorain’s lead reached as much as 19 in the second half, but Westlake kept trading baskets. The Demons were without two of their best players down low, Derek Occhipinti and Sam Brucchieri, but the result might not have changed much as they’re not ball handlers. The turnovers and Lorain’s outside shooting suddenly put the game out of reach.

“I think the turnovers were the entire game,” Westlake coach Luke Harris said. “I think that made all of the difference in the world. If we handled the ball and handled their pressure, we would’ve had wide open shots. Every time that we did turn it over, Lorain did a great job on capitalizing.”

Toward the end of third quarter, Lorain’s offense started to dry up. Westlake was able to cut it to 14 after five straight points from Ryan Turk. He scored a team-high 13 points on the night. Hayden Purdy and Andrew Wallenhorst both scored to start the fourth, cutting the deficit to only 10.

After a three-minute scoring drought to begin the fourth, Guerra-Howard made a much-needed jumper for Lorain to give his team a spark. Down the stretch, Anthony Fernandez made a 3 for the Demons to make it a nine-point game, but they were held scoreless for the final 2:43. This was a step in the right direction for Lorain’s efforts to play four consistent quarters.

“For the past couple of games, if you look at all the scores, we’ve been with every team in the first half,” Guerra-Howard said. “We were trying to get the lead up so we could play for all four quarters. That’s what we’ve been working on, playing all four quarters.”

Both teams return to action Jan. 19. Lorain jumps back into LEL play with a home game against Maple Heights, and Westlake travels to Independence.

THE SCORE

Lorain 59, Westlake 46

The sophomore lefty is averaging 20.2 points per game in his five appearances, and he’s quickly proven to be the leading scorer for this young team.

“It feels great having that kind of confidence in myself and the trust that my teammates have in me,” Radcliffe said. “As long as they trust me, I feel like I’m always going to play good, and they’ll have my back no matter what.”

In a 66-53 win over Rocky River on Jan. 12, which is EC’s biggest win of the season so far, Radcliffe showed what he can do at all three levels. He’s shooting 38.1% from 3-point range and he made one in this game. He also can knock down open mid-range jumpers and has the length to get deep into the paint.

That doesn’t include his impact on the defensive end also, as he’s averaging over two steals per game.

“He can score in a multitude of ways,” Elyria Catholic coach Jeff Huber said. “Some in transition, some from 3, some from the free-throw line and driving to the basket. I think that makes him a tough cover, and he’s certainly a very talented player. We count on him heavily, and I think that he’s going to have a great career.”

The Panthers have built chemistry along the way this season, but it was going to take some adjusting after losing a lot of talent from an 18-win team. It’s going to take trust when all of these players are in the same boat trying to grow together and win basketball games.

Coming into this year, new players were going to have to step up. This year’s Panthers are led by only two seniors. A lot of young players are getting big minutes, and Radcliffe is one of two players currently averaging double digits. Junior Zavior Castillo is averaging 14.8 points per game along with 9.4 from senior Teddy Budinger and 8.1 from freshman AJ Defazio.

The Panthers are a balanced scoring team behind Radcliffe, as there are multiple guys who can in double digits on every given night. This team has an exciting future ahead of them. But already in glimpses this year, they’re starting to show something.

“We definitely are,” Radcliffe said. “Everyone’s getting playing time, and that’s why we’re playing so well. We have depth on the bench, and that’s really good for us. We’re all learning together, and that’s what’s going to be so good about us for the next couple years is that we’re going to have a lot of experience in our core.”

Through not even half of this season, you’ve seen what the team has to offer, good or bad. Elyria Catholic’s full-court pressure has been lethal, forcing over 14 steals per game. On the flip side, the offense has the ability to put up points, especially at home. However, things have gone south such as losing after going up double digits early at Bay and losing four times in double figures.

We’ve reached the meat of the season, and EC has a chance to leave its mark. It already learned in one game how to get out to a great start and hold onto it against Rocky River. There are some difficult games ahead, but having a volume scorer such as Radcliffe could help solve a lot of issues.

“The things you’re looking for in a younger team is if we’re developing, and I think (the Rocky River win) was a good developmental step for us,” Huber said.

At home against Avon on Jan. 13 in a back-and-forth game, the Middies stepped up late and scored the final seven points to win, 56-52.

Throughout the game, Midview (5-6, 3-4 SWC) hung around, but it felt like it couldn’t get an important stop or basket to take control. Leah DiFranco gave the Middies a 49-48 lead midway through the fourth quarter, but four straight Avon points put the Eagles (8-6, 2-5 SWC) in front by three.

Grace Mangan’s bucket extended the lead to three around the three-minute mark, and those were the final Avon points. Erica Baldoza drained a 3 to tie it with 2:10 remaining and DiFranco gave Midview the lead for good with just over a minute left. Both players made a free throw in the final minute and the rest was history.

PHOTOS: Midview vs. Avon girls basketball, Jan. 13, 2024

"We've definitely gone through our trials and tribulations without Liv (DiFranco)," Midview coach Brittney McNamara said. "I think we're really figuring out who's going to score for us and who can help. Girls have been stepping up that normally wouldn't if Liv was here. The girls are taking everything to the chin and just keep moving on."

DiFranco continues to be the Middies' heartbeat. The sophomore scored a team-high 20 points and also pulled down nine rebounds. Her production is going to be there, but when Midview also gets 14 points from Erica Baldoza and 12 from Alana Stacey like it did in this game, the team is tough to guard. Not only those two players, but the entire team was scrapping and grabbing timely offensive rebounds.

"Losing Mary (Meng), we knew we were going to have to step up rebounding this year" DiFranco said. "After losing Liv, we average about 5-5. We all just have to crash the boards hard and get tipped balls. We doing rebounding drills every day in practice because we all know that's a huge part of winning."

Both teams were shorthanded, but that didn't stop the Eagles and Middies from leaving it all out on the floor. Midview didn't have an answer for Molly Drenik, who put up 17 points in the first half and ended up finishing with a 20-point, 11-rebound double-double. Avon took advantage of Drenik's size as the John Carroll commit made six straight baskets at one point in the first half.

However, the ironic part of that for the Eagles was that finishing at the rim and grabbing rebounds hurt them down the stretch. Drenik got rolled up on going for a rebound in the third quarter and had to miss a good chunk of period. She came back in but didn't regain her first-half rhythm.

In a game that featured many lead changes and a seven-point margin as the biggest for either side, there was no margin for error. Those 50-50 balls that Midview grabbed came up big in the fourth.

"I think we played pretty well to be honest," Avon coach Maggie Ferrando said. "Like I told our team, in the second half, we missed a bunch of layups and a bunch of rebounds. We gave them way too many second-shot opportunities, and we continue to say that if we don't box out, we won't win."

Both teams are back in action on Jan. 17 to resume SWC play. Midview travels to Elyria and Avon hosts Amherst. The Middies will be feeling good heading into that one.

"It's a testament to the heart that they have for the team and this community," McNamara said. "They don't want to let the people of Midview past down because you're sad about losing Liv or anything else. We're here to keep competing and getting better."

THE SCORE

Midview 56, Avon 52

After scoring the first 11 points but falling to Bay earlier this week, the Panthers weren’t going to let their early lead slip away again. EC scored the first 15 points of the game and kept the lead for the entire game in a 66-53 victory over Rocky River on Jan. 12.

Elyria Catholic (4-5) led, 17-2, after one quarter, but Rocky River (6-4) crept back into it during the second. The Pirates cut the deficit to three at one point and hung around during the middle of the game, but EC wouldn’t allow a repeat of the other night to happen.

“It was great. We’ve got a resilient bunch of kids,” Elyria Catholic coach Jeff Huber said. “A team like River, we knew they were going to make a run. One of the things I was proud of was in the second and third quarter when they were chipping away, a couple of our kids were talking about this was just what happened on Tuesday and what we had to do differently.”

Through their nine games so far, there have been plenty of ups and downs for the young Panthers. They graduated a lot of talent from last year’s team, and this team only has two seniors on it, including five underclassmen in the starting lineup.

This group is learning on the fly and getting valuable reps. That includes figuring out how to get off to a strong start and sustain it. EC didn’t let a veteran Rocky River team get back into the game. To do something like that shows a little something about this inexperienced squad.

“It felt amazing (to keep the lead). That Bay game was really rough for us,” Jacob Radcliffe said. “This Rocky River game was such a good bounceback. We played outstanding, and I’m just really proud of our guys.”

In Radcliffe’s fifth varsity game, he delivered with a game-high 19 points. He averaged 20.5 points per game in his first four of the year. The sophomore had help as Zavior Castillo scored 14 and AJ Defazio had 12. This three-headed monster was tough to guard for the Pirates.

Despite starting the game with a 15-0 deficit, Rocky River didn’t stop fighting. The Pirates started the second quarter firing on all cylinders with an 11-0 run. However, every time River got close, EC had an answer. It was a three-point game at one point in the second, but the Panthers stretched their lead back up to eight by halftime.

“We had a terrible start, and we’ve had that for a couple games now,” Rocky River coach Mike Murray said. “We were able to fight back, we made some adjustments. We were able to get back into the game, but it takes so much energy to do that.”

Elyria Catholic started the second half in a zone defense, limiting Rocky River’s drives to the basket. The Pirates couldn’t knock down their outside shots, and that helped EC keep them at bay. From there, the Panthers controlled the rest of the game and didn’t allow River to rally.

THE SCORE

Elyria Catholic 66, Rocky River 53

3-pointers

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