Garfield G-Men football falls to Edgewood in double overtime shootout
The Garfield G-Men football team will learn a lot about just what kind of team they will be this season after a season-opening defeat. The G-Men lost 51-43 against Edgewood in double overtime last Friday evening at Corlew Stadium in Ashtabula. “It was a tough one,” said Coach Mike Moser. “We buried ourselves but then put ourselves in a position...
Cardinal volleyball stays resilient, sweeps Garfield to remain undefeated
The Cardinal Huskies’ volleyball team has not allowed themselves to get complacent in the wake of finishing a historic season last year. The Huskies continued their undefeated start by sweeping Garfield 25-22, 26-24, 25-22 last Saturday afternoon at Middlefield. “We talked early in the second set when we were down 5-0 that we were not going to give a game...
Badger girls’ soccer has focused mindset, dispatches Bulldogs
The Berkshire Badgers girls’ soccer team is using a fast start to the season to prove that last year’s success was no fluke. The Badgers continued their perfect start by rolling past Lakeview 7-2 last Saturday afternoon in Cortland. “It has been a great start,” said Coach Ian Patterson “We had a close match against Lakeview last year on senior...
Terriers’ football eager to begin new chapter in Presidents’ Athletic Conference
The Hiram Terriers’ football team’s time in the North Coast Athletic Conference may have ended but Coach Xavier Dupree said that the team is not dwelling on the past. The Terriers are looking toward the future as they prepare for a new challenge in the Presidents’ Athletic Conference. “We are excited, the guys are excited, chomping at the bit,” the...
Badger boys’ soccer cruises past G-Men in season-opening victory
For the last several years, any time the Berkshire Badgers boys and Garfield G-Men boys’ soccer teams met, it has been a tightly contested affair. But the Badgers left nothing to chance by winning the season-opener 15-0 against Garfield last Friday evening at Great Lakes Cheese Stadium in Burton. “We came out and we knew what we wanted to do,”...
Ravenna boys’ soccer triumphs against Southeast
For the second straight season, the Keys to the Arsenal will remain in Ravenna, as the Raven boys’ soccer team bested neighborhood rival Ravenna Southeast 3-2 last Friday evening at Portage Community Bank Stadium. “I think this speaks to the hard work that those young men put in the offseason, and it felt like things just absolutely clicked,” Coach Eric...
Berkshire football fueled by experience to set new milestones
Last season witnessed the Berkshire Badgers’ football team set a milestone by winning the first playoff game in school history. A year after the Badgers’ historic season, they will not rest on their laurels and use their wealth of experience to keep pushing forward for more success. “We graduated eight seniors that really poured everything they had into the program...
Windham volleyball swept by Waterloo in season opener
The Windham Bombers’ volleyball team will be starting from square one at the beginning of the season. The Bombers showed flashes but succumbed to self-inflicted errors, losing their season-opener against Portage County Conference foe Waterloo 25-19, 25-21,25-18 last Saturday morning at Marty Hill Court in Windham. “We definitely need to work on getting confidence in our playing and stop second-guessing...
Recent Hiram grad Kyle Martini returns as new men’s volleyball coach
Although it has only been a few months since graduating from Hiram College, Kyle Martini is not finished with his alma matter just yet. The 2025 graduate has been tapped to become the new men’s volleyball coach, as formally announced by Hiram on Aug. 8. “I think it just shows personally how much Hiram has meant to me,” the first-year...
Crestwood football begins new chapter with smaller roster
After two consecutive seasons of playing .500 ball, the Crestwood Red Devils will have their work cut out for them this year. In the wake of graduating a big senior class, the Red Devils return with a younger and smaller roster, giving them a lot less margin for error. “Wins will come as we develop football players as men,” Coach...
Bombers’ football seeks growth to complement youth
Windham Bombers’ football Coach Jake Eye acknowledged that his team has its work cut out for them. The Bombers will try to adjust on the fly as they enter the season with a roster shy of varsity experience after graduating a wealth of talent. “Every year is a new year, and every team has their own identity,” the eight-year...
Garfield G-Men football returns with more experience and confidence
As young as the Garfield G-Men football team was last year, it did not prevent them from once again reigning as the Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Grey Tier Champions. The G-Men return a more experienced squad this year in the wake of its continued success in the MVAC Grey Tier. “Keep in mind that every year is different; there...
Cardinal football ready to show fight in new conference
The Cardinal Huskies’ football roster may be small in numbers, but Coach Keith Fife said they are not lacking in spirit. The Huskies will show just what a small team can do as they begin play in the Northeastern Athletic Conference this year. “We have 19 kids, so it is a little rough with having 19 kids right now, but...
Hiram elevates Macy Roell to become women’s volleyball coach
In the wake of longtime Hiram Terriers women’s volleyball Coach Brittany Dye’s departure from the program, Hiram has promoted from within to fill her position. Graduate Assistant Coach Macy Roell has been tapped to succeed Dye as the new women’s volleyball coach on an interim basis, as formally announced by Hiram on July 25. “We are going to see how...
Hiram alum Molly Middleton picked to be Ravenna’s new cross country coach
Longtime cross county/track Coach Molly Middleton discovered that retirement from coaching was not all that it was cracked up to be. Almost two years after stepping down as Marlington’s girls’ cross country/track coach, she is stepping back into action, having been announced as Ravenna’s new cross country coach on June 20. “When one of the Ravenna cross country parents reached...
Ravenna alum DaVante McKinney takes over as girls’ basketball coach
Ravenna graduate DaVante McKinney said he can remember the rich tradition of basketball during his playing days. McKinney will try to bring the Raven girls’ basketball team to its former glory, having been announced as the new head coach on June 20. “This community has giving me so much just from growing up here,” the first-year coach said. “Friends, family...
Craig Barstow seeks to bring stability as new Berkshire Badgers’ baseball coach
The 2025 season was a challenging year for the Berkshire Badgers’ baseball team, with longtime coach Nick Burzanko abruptly resigning in the fall of 2024. Craig Barstow will try to get the Badgers back on track, having been formally announced as the new head coach on July 7. “It is an honor,” the first-year coach said. “I went to school...
Cardinal fields first varsity girls’ golf team in school history
Since taking over the Cardinal Huskies’ golf program five years ago, Coach Mike Topalian has reshaped things and built a solid foundation for the boys’ team. His efforts are also bearing fruit with the girls, as the Huskies will have its first girls’ varsity golf team in school history this year. “It is something that I have been wanting to...
Crestwood boys’ basketball promotes Andrew Mertz to head coach
Filling the shoes of longtime Crestwood Red Devils boys’ basketball Coach Josh Jakacki is no easy feat for anyone. Andrew Mertz will attempt to carry the torch, having been approved as Jakacki’s successor by the Crestwood Board of Education on June 27. “I am very excited for the opportunity,” the first-year coach said. “I have had most of these guys...
Alaina Davis jumps in as new Ravenna girls’ soccer coach
As Alaina Davis’ playing career drew to an end, she wanted to still keep soccer as a key part of her life. Just months after graduating from Malone University, Davis has landed her first coaching job by becoming the Ravenna Ravens girls’ soccer coach. “It is really exciting,” Davis said. “I have played soccer since I was 8-years-old and I...
Crestwood alum Brittany Dye takes the helm as new Athletic Director
Even the best laid plans can change quickly. Brittany Dye’s plans for the fall season seemed to be set in stone at Hiram College but opportunity knocked and opened the door for her to return to her alma matter, having been approved as Crestwood’s new Athletic Director by the Board of Education on July 8. “It is an honor and...
Longtime Portage County softball Coach LeRoy Moore reaches 200 career victories
After his second coaching stint at Crestwood High School ended in 2023, longtime Portage County softball Coach LeRoy Moore acknowledged that he pondered whether his coaching career had reached its climax. It turns out he was not finished as a softball coach. In his second season with the Streetsboro Rockets, Moore recorded his 200th career coaching victory. “It is always...
Former Cardinal Coach Russ Buckley takes over Berkshire Boys’ Soccer
Russ Buckley spent four years coaching the Cardinal Huskies boys’ soccer team in the Battle of Kinsman Road. He will now see what it is like on the other side, having been formally approved by the Berkshire Board of Education to become the Berkshire boys’ soccer coach. “The one thing I like about Berkshire is it is community-based,” Buckley said....
Cardinal girls’ soccer program returns to action
As the Cardinal Huskies prepare to make their mark in the Northeastern Athletic Conference, they will do so by reviving a varsity program. Beginning in the fall of 2025, the Huskies will field a varsity girls’ soccer team for the first time since 2020. “It is pretty great to have a varsity team again this year,” Coach Dakota Ward told...
Hiram alum Giselle Bahena returns to the fold as head softball coach
During her six years of attending Hiram College, Giselle Bahena acknowledged that she had come to view Hiram as a second home. Two years after graduating, the Terriers’ alum is returning to become the head softball coach, having been formally announced as Hiram’s 19th softball coach in program history on June 2. “It was a home for me for six...
Garfield Athletic Director Jim Pfleger Takes Reins Of Track Program
Garfield G-Men athletic director Jim Pfleger knows full well what the G-Men Way is when it comes to the track program, given his own experience as a thrower during his high school days. That, as well his younger brother, Matt. Jim will try to preserve the G-Men Way by taking over as Garfield’s new head track coach. “There are certain...
Matt Hill receives nod as new Garfield G-Men boys’ basketball coach
For Matt Hill, the son of former Windham boys’ basketball Coach Marty Hill, the winningest coach in Portage County history, basketball is not just a family tradition but almost a way of life. Hill will now have a chance to author his own coaching chapter after being hired as the Garfield G-Men boys’ basketball coach after being formally approved...
Crestwood’s Tom Henderson named OHSBCA Division IV-V Asst. Coach of the Year
Crestwood Red Devils girls’ assistant basketball Coach Tom Henderson has learned that no matter how hard he tries, he is always pulled back into coaching high school athletics. In his second time coming out of retirement, the longtime coach was named the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association Division IV-V Assistant Coach of the Year on March 28. “I was...
Windham grad Hankins eager to make his mark as new Athletic Director
Since returning to Windham in 2001, graduate Dougle Hankins has worn many hats while working in the school district as a teacher and a coach. He now wears a most important hat, having been hired as Windham’s newest athletic director. “I have had an interest in being the athletic director since I first started in 2001,” the Windham alum told...
Justin Rahin embraces Ravenna roots as new boys’ basketball coach
The City of Ravenna has always been like a second home of sorts to Justin Rahim. Rahim will be joining the Portage County ranks of high school coaches, when he was announced as Ravenna’s new boys’ basketball coach on May 13. “It is not something I thought about. If you had told me I was going to be a coach...
