Saturday, June 16, 2001
Male LaRosa's Athlete of Year finalists named
By Dave Schutte
The Cincinnati Enquirer
Six of Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky's best male athletes have been named the finalists for the Buddy LaRosa's High School Athlete of the Year award.
The winner will be announced at the annual Buddy LaRosa's Sports Hall of Fame banquet Saturday, June 23 at the WCET-TV (Channel 48) studios.
Three of the finalists, Jayme Cramer (St. Xavier), Brent Grover (Highlands) and Gino Guidugli (Highlands), combined for 16 team and individual state championships.
The other finalists are Marcus Blanks, Moeller's all-time leading rusher, Colerain baseball standout Mike Fer ris and Danny Horace, a three-year starter for the Western Hills basketball team.
Here's a look at what each athlete accomplished.
• Marcus Blanks: A third team Division I all state selection, Blanks rushed for a single season Moeller best 1,850 yards in 2000 and career best 4,098 yards. En route to the records, Blanks topped 100 yards 20 times and also holds the single season (274) and career (667) rushing attempts records.
• Jayme Cramer: A four-year high school All-American and Swimming World magazine's Swimmer of the Year, Cramer won five individual and five relay state championships, including four this season. He is the current state record holder in the 100 butterfly (47.65 seconds) and 100 backstroke (47.65).
• Mike Ferris: A three-sport (baseball, football basketball) athlete who won nine varsity letters, Ferris was a preseason baseball All-American. He set most single season and career offensive baseball records, hitting a .452 with eight home runs and 39 RBI as a senior.
• Brent Grover: An all-state linebacker for the football team, Grover also played tight end and was the punter during the Bluebirds' run of three consecutive state championships. The winner of the National Football Foundation's That's My Boy Award, Grover also was a standout in track, winning the state championship twice in the discus and once in the shot put.
• Gino Guidugli: During a two-year career as the starting quarterback for the state champion Bluebirds, Guidugli broke virtually every school passing record. He passed for 7,516 career yards and 92 career touchdowns, completing 260-of-404 passes in 2000 for 4,367 yards and 51 touchdowns.
• Danny Horace: Named Division I honorable mention all-state, Horace led the Mustangs to a 14-0 Queen City Conference record, averaging 21.9 points and 12.1 rebounds. The Player of the Year in the QCC, Horace participated in the Nike and Adidas All-American Camps and the USA Youth Basketball Festival.
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Male LaRosa's Athlete of Year finalists named
