The Mayfield girls basketball team has a special tradition that has carried on over Tony Ware's 28 years as head coach.
Every Christmas Eve morning, the current team members meet with Ware, their assistant coaches and any alumni that would like to join them.
This year 18 alumni were at the annual event to share old memories and create new ones.
Once again, the alumni team came out with a victory (with a little help from Rich Banish, an assistant coach and annual referee). Despite current junior point guard Halle Rubino's half-court runner as the buzzer sounded, the alumni hung on for a 65-62 win.
Afterward, the women exchanged presents, had their pictures taken and enjoyed lunch.
Mayfield's tradition exemplifies what high school sports is all about.
It's about building lasting friendships, making your mark, meeting new friends and being the best you can be.
As you can tell from the list below, many of the alumni are currently studying in college or have graduated from college and are now in the working world.
What a great example they are to the current members of the Wildcat team.
It has to mean so much to the high schoolers to welcome the alumni back year after year. There is so much they can learn from them and so much the alumni can learn from the high schoolers.
The credit should not only go to current and former players, but also the Wildcat coaches who care enough to make this annual event possible.
Ware and his assistants are class acts. They instill a family-type atmosphere in their program and that camaraderie they foster touches every girl who has ever been a part of the Wildcat team.
It's what the spirit of Christmas is all about.
Luckily, in a world where the negative can sometimes take center stage, positive events like the annual alumni game are still taking place.

-Theresa Neuhoff Audia

Mayfield alumni who participated in this year's annual Christmas Eve game:
 
Helen Daher - '07 - grad of Mount Union - Athletic Trainer @ Brookside High
Danielle Deininger - '07 - grad of Cal U of PA - Spec. Ed
Min-Yee Deng (statistician) - '11 - current student of Aerospace Engineering @ U ILL
Danielle (Ruggieri) DeSatnik - '04 - played @ Lake Erie - accountant
Katie Dolciato - '08 - grad of BGSU in Graphic Design
Lauren Gatto - '09 - grad of Niagara Univ - currently playing there pursuing MBA 
Britt Grimes - '06 - grad of BGSU (phys ed major)
Jenna Grimes - '12 - current Spec Ed major @ KSU
Tara Henderson - current student of Exercise Physiology @ KSU 
Jacquee Herron - '11 - current student of Chem Engineering @ OSU
Sammy Markel - '07 - grad of Malone - nurse @ CCF 

Desirae (Thomas) Parker - '00 - current JV Coach and CCF employee

SaSha Seals - '10 - current student @ Akron - Exercise Science 

Becky Steele - '06 - grad of Portland Art Institute - Bent Images Lab (animator)

Katie Whidden - '04 - played @ Elon Univ - works @ Athletic Mentors (Kzoo, MI)

Nicki VanHorne - '08 - grad of OU - current Med student @ OU

Kristen (Carver) Winovich - '06 - grad of BGSU - graphic designer in Toledo

Shu Wu - '10 - current radiology student @ Akron