BELLAIRE – The Buckeye Local Board of Education filled its football head coaching vacancy Monday.

Now, the ball is in the hands of the Bellaire BOE. The Big Reds are still looking to fill the vacancy created when Steve Andres was non-renewed after two years. The Reds were 5-15 in those two seasons.

John Holman is the new grid boss at Buckeye Local. The Panther brain trust is hitching its wagon to a young Urban Meyer protege. Time will tell if the school board’s decision was a prudent one.

The successful Bellaire grid candidate, meanwhile, will come from a field of 19 applicants.

District Superintendent Darren Jenkins said the final decision is still some time off.

“We are at the beginning of our process. We are currently screening candidates and conducting preliminary background checks of candidates,” Jenkins said. “We will schedule first-round interviews based on those results. We anticipate the process consisting of at least two rounds of interviews. Therefore, it may be a while before the process is concluded and a coach for the 2016 season named.”

It would be safe to say the new coach will be in place sometime in January. That is normally the month football programs start to crank up their off-season lifting and conditioning programs.

Of the 19 job-seekers, two are in-house. Andres has reapplied for the position.

After being non-renewed, he is a long shot at best.

Mark Spigarelli is the other Bellaire High staffer who has applied for the position. Although never a head football coach, the former Big Red grid standout brings with him a well-stocked and diverse coaching resume.

Spigarelli was an assistant for John Magistro during the Big Reds’ glory days of the 1990s, which produced two state runner-up teams. He later served as defensive coordinator for Gregg Bonar after Magistro retired.

For the past six seasons, he has served as an assistant with West Liberty University, producing numerous all-conference performers.

Spigarelli also served as Bellaire’s head baseball coach, leading the Big Reds to a regional berth. He is a member of the school’s Wall of Fame.

From what I have gathered, at least one former Bellaire head football coach, in addition to Andres, is seeking the position.

While the last two years have yielded just five wins, better times are on the horizon at Nelson Field. Quality young talent is starting to flow down the Big Reds’ pipeline, highlighted by a stellar eighth grade bunch.

CRC

THE CANCER Research Classic’s ninth edition is primed to unfold Saturday at Wheeling Jesuit University.

Under Dr. Gregory Merrick’s meticulous care, the event has become the nation’s premier prep hoop event. The classic took on even larger proportions last week when Merrick reached agreement to have every game broadcast on ESPN. That is a huge addition to an already first-class affair.

The CRC has a track record of playing host to the nation’s prep elite. The first eight editions of the event have produced nearly 500 college players. Of that lofty number, some 350 have went on to perform at the Division I level.

The hoop extravaganza also boasts some of the best prep coaches. Three coaches who have applied their trade at the CRC are also involved with the USA Basketball – the training ground for USA Olympic basketball.