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Cooper eyes transition

MORGANTOWN — His stock is rising. And so will Zac Cooper’s minutes on the field of play this season. A junior-to-be this fall with the Mountaineers, Cooper saw action in all 13 games last year. But as WVU’s defensive coordinator Jeff Casteel pointed out Wednesday, Cooper’s playing time was limited. “We normally brought Zac in as a rush linebacker on third down,” Casteel explained during a media gathering of Mountaineer coaches who discussed the opening of spring drills one week from Friday. “Zac contributed in a lot of different ways,” Casteel explained. “He logged a ...

Brothers shine on backside

Expectations were high when littermates Hallo Mr Brendon and Hallo Mr Pete arrived in Wheeling late last summer. So far, they haven’t disappointed Steubenville Kennel trainer Debbie Schweizer. Both have climbed the ladder to Grade AA and have become solid 3/8 racers. “We had high hopes for both Brendon and Pete when they came in last year,” Schweizer said. “They still have room to develop, but I’m very happy with the way they have grown.” The two brothers, January 2006 greyhounds out of Hallo West Acre-Kiowa Baby Betty, have found a new home since moving to the backside. ...

‘Pete’ Jasper: ‘A great kid’

Jeremy ‘Pete’ Jasper was a good man. He was kind and he was caring. Although rather quiet, he had a great sense of humor. He was always his friendly self, whether it be a smile, a “how you doing,” or a conversation about the greyhounds he deeply cared for in the Lester Raines Kennel at Wheeling Island. On Thursday, Feb. 28, Pete — who grew up in the Smithfield area — unexpectedly passed away at the age of 23. Lester Raines Kennel trainer Joel Roden said Pete was a joy to be around. “He was an all around great kid, a good employee and a good attribute to the kennel,” ...

Wrestlers are starting at younger ages now

As I stood in the interview room at the 71st annual Ohio state wrestling championships I listened to the Toledo Blade interview a kid that said he had been wrestling since age four or five. It was so long ago he couldn’t even remember. So as this eventual four-time champion stepped on the mat to etch in his name into part of Ohio wrestling history, he had 13-14 years of experience under his belt. Wow! I love the sport of wrestling. I would rather sit alongside a mat all day than a three-hour basketball game any day, but something has to give. There has to be a point ...

Vavrek enjoying hoops life at Fairmont State

    Ashley Vavrek showed up at Fairmont State University fresh off a high school career in which she scored more than 2,000 points for Bellaire High School.     However, despite investing a whole lot of time into the sport of basketball, Vavrek admittedly didn’t make the transition to the rigors of the NCAA Division II ranks, and especially the West Virginia Conference, very well.     And needless to say it didn’t sit very well with the all-time leading female scorer in Lady Big Reds’ basketball history.     ...

Valley duo forms bond on the way to national tourney

Coming from the Ohio Valley wrestling community there is always one thing for certain — it’s a close knit group and no one is ever going to break stereotype. Regardless of where you choose to go in life or where you choose to wrestle you are always a part of that wrestling family and that close bond has only strengthened this year for a pair West Liberty State College wrestlers. Lucas Huffman (125) and Kayne Melko (149), both OVAC prodigies, had a similar goal this season, to qualify for the NCAA national tournament. With Huffman being a senior and Melko a rookie to the ...