The Ohio Crossover Athletics Best Defensive Player Award is given to a player who exemplifies excellence on the defensive end of the court. This player through effort, hard work, and ability is able to disrupt the opposing team and take them out of their offense by shutting down his opponent one-on-one or contributing to his team's success with great help side defense. I am proud to announce that the winner of the 2013 OCA 8th Grade Boys Best Defensive Player Award is Jake Knechtly from Batavia Middle School.

Jake Knechtly was the “motor” for many of our best defensive games during the season. He played the critical role of sixth man and always changed the tempo of each game. Jake never took a play off and led the team in steals this season. He always guarded the opposing team’s best offensive player and could be counted on to make a key defensive stop when the team needed it most. Jake is a coach's dream. His intensity and drive cannot be coached because that only comes from a player’s heart. He has the inner drive to always give 100 percent on every possession and this is very rare. In the future, that is a quality that will make Jake a success both on and off the court. Congratulations Jake!