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Marietta features strong OV flavor

MARIETTA — The Ohio Valley to Marietta talent pipeline is flowing quite well. The Pioneers opened their football season with a 41-0 victory at Hiram and did so with a roster that features no fewer than nine former OVAC players on the squad. Taking that a step farther, four were in the starting lineup and three were among the five players of the game chosen by the coaching staff. Caldwell grad Tanner Clark — a pre-season all-American — was impressive from his running back spot. He rushed for 121 yards, hauled in three passes for 21 yards and scored twice. Linsly product Vic ...

Beallsville pays tribute to Caldwell

BEALLSVILLE — It has always been my belief that there are two ways to truly honor special individuals. One is Hall of Fame induction. The second is naming something after that worthy person. Dave Caldwell entered the OVAC Hall of Fame in 2017. It was a well-deserved honor. This past Friday, Beallsville High’s football field was christened “Dave Caldwell Field.” It was a fitting tribute to a dedicated man who walked those sidelines for 29 very successful years as head coach of his alma mater. Caldwell guided his Blue Devils to 197 wins, six OVAC championships and six ...

Day won’t soon forget his official debut at Ohio State

COLUMBUS — Ryan Day’s official debut as Ohio State Buckeyes head coach will be one he never forgets. But, it also probably won’t be his most memorable game, either. At least he certainly hopes not. And that has nothing to do with the end result because the Buckeyes achieved the ultimate goal and won the game with relative ease. By virtue of the Buckeyes scoring four touchdowns in the first nine minutes of the game, the outcome, a 45-21 final, was decided fairly early. After that opening barrage of fireworks, Ohio State — until a touchdown pass to Jeremy Ruckert in the ...

Myers hits his way into Charleston HOF

WHEELING — John Marshall is one of the blue blood baseball programs in the OVAC. Bob Montgomery guided a Monarch powerhouse for 42 years amassing 869 career wins, including the 1985 state championship to go with seven OVAC crowns. He was inducted into the OVAC Hall of Fame in 2017. Obviously great programs feature great players. John Marshall was no exception during Montgomery’s tenure. One of his best was Michael Myers. Not only did the talented center fielder star on the prep level, he did so at the next level. After graduating JM, Myers went on to script a stellar diamond ...

Huggins praises Merrick, current WVU hoop team

WHEELING — Bob Huggins can be a volcano on the coaching sidelines. The WVU hoop mentor, however, can be soft-spoken and praise worthy when the occasion arises. The latter was the case Wednesday afternoon when Huggins was the featured speaker at the annual Light of the Valley luncheon at ...

WCC grad Stein seeks to defend Maryland state title

WHEELING — After winning a state football championship, what do you do for an encore? That is the question at hand for Kurt Stein. The Wheeling Central product guided Oakdale High to the Maryland Class AA state title last fall. Maryland has four grid classifications. The state championship game — a 35-7 rout of Glenelg — capped an impressive post-season run. In the state semifinals, Stein’s charges defeated three-time state reigning champion Damascus, ending the nation’s longest winning streak at 53. That was last year. Now, Stein must replace 26 seniors from his ...