The All-Ohio teams are scheduled to be released in the next couple of weeks, sure, but we all know the honor of making those squads is nothing compared the thrill of landing a spot on the Delaware Gazette All-County teams.

Talk about a true benchmark of success.

It’s the list the area’s top players strive for before the season even tips off … and it’s finally here, bestowing bragging rights on the county’s best to display proudly, at least until next season.

Sense a bit of exaggeration? Possibly. But all kidding aside, based on the quality of basketball Delaware pumps out on a night-to-night basis, earning a spot is a pretty big deal.

Here are some of the highlights from the 2010 squads:

• Big Walnut senior Jodie Jindra earned girls’ basketball player of the year. She led the Golden Eagles in points and rebounds, boosting the bunch to a 12-2, second-place finish in the OCC-Capital Division. Her best game came in a lopsided win over Franklin Heights in early December. She netted a school-record 34 points. On the season, Jindra averaged 12.6 points a game.

• Orange senior Taylor Rieger, the boys’ player of the year, was a vital part of the Pioneers’ second straight title-winning season. Orange wrapped up the conference crown with a 12-2 mark in the OCC Capital and Rieger’s 18.6 points a game were a big reason for it. His best showing came in a showdown against rival Olentangy, when he poured in 31 points in an impressive win.

• Olentangy’s John Feasel nabbed girls’ coach of the year laurels — an easy pick in a year in which his squad won the OCC-Cardinal Division crown with an 11-3 mark. His Braves, after a down year last winter, made it all the way to a Division II district final earlier this month … all that with just one senior on the roster.

• Hayes coach Jordan Blackburn is the boys’ coach of the year. In his first campaign at the reigns, he led the Pacers to a winning season which was punctuated by a D-I sectional semifinal win against St. Charles — the squad’s first postseason win in years. The way Blackburn guided the team was especially impressive considering it was such an emotional season. With just one senior on the roster and a locker room full of heavy hearts following the death of former Delaware coach Larry Eberst, the first-year leader managed to get the Pacers to play an inspired brand of ball all season.