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Braska Omni captures Panhandle Sprint stake

It takes a good greyhound to make a stakes final.It takes a little luck to win a stakes final.The old adage came into play on Labor Day as Darren Henry Kennel's Braska Omni closed in the stretch to win the $10,000 Panhandle Sprint at Wheeling Island. It was the second straight stake victory for trainer Donna Wilcox as BD's Flip captured the Winner's Challenge in August."It's always nice when one of your dogs wins a stake race, but to win two in a row at Wheeling is really special," Wilcox said. "The competition keeps getting tougher and tougher."Charter Kennel's Silver Jones took ...

Buckeyes seek 800th win Saturday

THE BUCKEYES are hoping for OSU's 800th win Saturday when they face Ohio University, but the team from Athens plans to pull out all the stops.OSU senior linebacker Marcus Freeman said a potential 800th win for the Buckeyes Saturday "would put Ohio State in the top five all-time. It shows how much history is here at Ohio State."It is a huge accomplishment, and it makes us want to go and beat Ohio University even more. We are all proud to a part of this team and to be recognized as the team that reached that mark is an honor."Currently, the Buckeyes have an all-time record of 799-304-53 in ...

Buckeye players insist they didn’t overlook OU

COLUMBUS - One by one the Buckeyes insisted they didn't overlook their in-state MAC opponent. Trailing Ohio University's Bobcats 14-12 after three quarters of play would indicate otherwise.While a majority believed OSU could, indeed, overcome a less than inspiring effort, few envisioned the Bucks needing two fourth quarter scores to finally quell all notions of a historic upset in front of 105,000."I'm not sure what the other 799 looked like...but I'm still proud of our guys," related an obviously relieved Jim Tressel, referring to the school's 800th career football victory.After making ...

New event was great

It's not often that a new event comes into the Ohio Valley and just turns the entire area on its ear.Well, Ken Halloy, the St. John Central graduate and now President of Halloy Boy Sports Marketing in Columbus - did just that this past week.Halloy was the mastermind behind the inaugural Friends of Coal Classic, which was held on Labor Day at Wheeling Island Stadium.The Friends of Coal Classic - which included three prep football games - was more than just a trio of football games however. It was a blast for fans of all ages for the better part of two days."Honestly, we were thrilled with ...

Bridgeport opening more eyes each week

One of the area's best stories of the young football season is in Bridgeport. The Bulldogs - who for several years have been working dilligently to get their program back up from some seriously lean years - are 3-0 and playing as well as anyone around.Coach Rudy Vavrock - a Bulldog alumnus himself - has worked on getting this program to the level of respectability since he took over in 2003 and it's been a steady work in progress. Bridgeport's got the makings of something special so far in 2008.The Bulldogs' offense has been sharp, scoring 50, 34 and 41 points in wins over St. John, ...

Browns not ready for the prime time?

CLEVELAND - The year of the Browns.At least, that's the perception many of us had when the National Football League released its 2008 schedule.Wow! Suddenly, Cleveland was high-profile. There the Brownies were, slotted for no fewer than five national TV network games in prime time.And why not? Romeo Crennel guided them to a 10-6 mark a year ago as they barely missed the playoffs. The Browns displayed sufficient evidence they were one of the NFL's rising teams - perhaps even on the verge of greatness.Well, we're not gonna let one little el-stinko of a season opener dispel those notions, ...