SOFTBALL: Huron, Danbury, Monroeville earn No. 1 seeds

Huron's softball team won its first-ever district softball championship last spring. The Tigers will get the chance to defend their crown as a No. 1 seed when tournament play begins the week of May 6. They were chosen atop the rankings in the Division III Shelby District for the second consecutive season. "It's something they've worked hard for, and it's something good to have," Huron coach Jude Schmidt said. "It means a lot to this senior class and the juniors for all the work they've put in." Last season, Huron defeated Margaretta in a district final to claim the trophy. This time around, the 3-seed Polar Bears chose to stay on the same side as the Tigers, meaning they would conceptually meet at the district semifinal stage. Huron and Margaretta split during the regular season. The Polar Bears stayed away from 2-seed Ashland Crestview, which beat Margaretta in non-league action earlier this month. "It is what it is," Schmidt said. "If you're gonna go far, you've got to beat them all. You've got to beat all the good teams. Now we've just gotta go out and make it happen." Huron will open action after a bye against the winner of Bucyrus and Willard. Margaretta has a bye into the sectional final as well and already knows it will face Western Reserve, the No. 11 seed. Edison also checks in as a solid No. 5 seed in the D-III Shelby District. The Chargers have a win over Margaretta on their resume from when freshman Abby Cloud no-hit the Polar Bears in a 2-0 victory. The Chargers open up in a sectional semifinal against No. 7 Wynford. With a win, Edison would travel to No. 4 Upper Sandusky in a sectional final. D-IV Clyde District Danbury, which had never won a district game before winning a district semifinal last spring, has elevated to the No. 1 seed in its district this time around in the Clyde Division IV field. "We're happy to have a No. 1 seed, but there's a lot of parity this year," Danbury coach Jim Fish said. "It's gonna be a tough district to get through." The Lakers will face the winner of No. 7 Emmanuel Christian and No. 8 Toledo Christian in a sectional final. The district semifinal would be contested on Clyde's turf against either No. 4 Woodmore or No. 5 Lakota. The Wildcats defeated the Lakers earlier this month, 5-1. If the seeds hold, the other district semifinal would pit No. 2 Gibsonburg — the defending district champion — against No. 3 Fremont St. Joseph. Also in this bracket, 9-seed St. Mary Central Catholic travels for a sectional semifinal at 6-seed Old Fort. The winner goes to Gibsonburg. D-IV Galion District Monroeville earned the top seed at Galion, which is loaded with Firelands Conference teams. The Eagles, who have won eight games in a row as of the tournament draw, should get past Crestline in a sectional final, then could face 4-seed Lucas in a district semifinal. Coming from the other side could be 2-seed New London, 3-seed South Central or 5-seed Mansfield Christian. St. Paul will open play in this bracket as the 7 seed at 6-seed Seneca East. The winner of that game goes to Lucas. D-II Willard District This district appears to run through top-seeded Lexington and ace left-hander Makaree Chapman. Norwalk is the best local seed here, at No. 4. The Truckers open at No. 3 Shelby in a sectional final. Clyde, the No. 5 seed, also opens in a sectional final. The Fliers will host 6-seed Ontario, with the winner likely getting Lexington in a district semifinal. Clyde lost 7-3 to Lexington earlier in the season. Perkins and Bellevue will face off in a sectional semifinal, with the 7-seed Pirates hosting the 8-seed Lady Red. Bellevue won the first matchup between the teams, with the second scheduled for this Wednesday. The winner of this matchup travels to No. 2 Clear Fork. Ninth-seeded Vermilion will get a home sectional semifinal against No. 10 Tiffin Columbian. The winner will go to Lexington for a sectional final. D-II Genoa District Port Clinton is the only area team in this bracket, and with standout pitcher Ashton Sanchez back to full health, PC won't be an easy out. When she last pitched in the postseason as a freshman, Port Clinton pulled off two upsets to reach the district tourney. The 5-seed Redskins earned a first-round bye and will host the winner of Lake and Fostoria in a sectional final. PC beat Lake 3-1 early this season and has a 5-3 win over Fostoria. If seedings hold, Port Clinton would take on 1-seed Maumee in a district semifinal. The 2-seed Eastwood, 3-seed Wauseon and 4-seed Otsego all stayed on the other side of the bracket. D-I Clyde District The area's only Division I team, Sandusky, will go on the road to open the postseason in a sectional semifinal as the No. 14 seed. It'll be 13-seed Toledo St. Ursula hosting the Blue Streaks. The Arrows are 6-8 this season.