PATRICK: Chance of a lifetime

June 21, 2024

A former rower himself, Marietta High School crew coach Tanner O’Connor knows first-hand what his girls are going through as they prepare for Saturday’s competition on an international scope. The five-member team of Mo Caslow (coxswain), Eden Ingram (bow seat), Wilkey Smith (three seat), Katie Lovejoy (two seat) and Madi Lovejoy (stroke) are part of the 22-member field in the Junior 4+ Division for this weekend’s Henley Women’s Regatta. Races are held at England’s River Thames – the birthplace of competitive rowing. “Crew is the one sport where you spend 365 days ...

BENNETT: Hall time here again

June 6, 2024

It’s hard to believe another prep sports season is in the books. It was a great run by the Williamstown baseball team trying to make school history in the most ultimate fashion. Although the Yellowjackets of head coach Levi Maxwell were doubled up 6-3 by Charleston Catholic in the Class A state championship game and had to settle for a runner-up finish, it was the first time Williamstown ever garnered team hardware. Suffice it to say the graduation loss of Maxwell Molessa and his fellow seniors might be impossible to replace, but I know guys like Ty Ott and Parker Schramm will have ...

BENNETT: Looking back at state track

May 23, 2024

Sure, track meets are long and a lot of people for whatever reason aren’t big fans of the sport. However, I don’t count myself in that category. Although Saturday was indeed an extremely long day as it always is, there were a lot of amazing performances. We had several thinclads from the Mid-Ohio Valley who established new meet records and the last came courtesy of the Ritchie County boys. The Rebels’ 4x4 team of lone junior Dylan Malolepszy and the trio of seniors Cayden Moore, Alex Rogerson and anchor Garrett Copeland ended the meet in style. Another Rebel, senior ...

Column: Plenty of options for QB-needy teams in 2024 NFL Draft

April 25, 2024

The 2024 NFL Draft is upon us, and it looks to be one of the most important in recent memory. With six quarterbacks slated to go somewhere in the first round, the NFL landscape will look much different at the conclusion of the night’s festivities than before. I figured that given the circumstances, a ranked analysis of each first round quarterback prospect and their potential destinations is warranted. Caleb Williams - USC Williams is undoubtedly the number one pick, and therefore headed to Chicago. Carolina would have the first overall pick, but the Panthers gave it away in a ...

Column: Special siblings

April 20, 2024

One of the things that draws people into sports is a sense of belonging or family. At least that always was the case for me, but I grew up in a household with sports playing an impactful role. My brother and I had some fun times, although golf wasn’t really his thing. It’s not that he was a bad golfer, but the sport takes a certain temperament. He just didn’t possess that trait. Speaking of brothers, Greenhills Golf Course superintendent Alex Easthom experienced a little of the late Toby Keith’s “As Good As I Once Was” recently on the links. During an ...

Column: National Pastime

April 13, 2024

Admittedly, it had been way too long since I was able to take in my last Major League Baseball game. However, this past Sunday I managed to make the trek to PNC Park in Pittsburgh to watch the Pirates receive a gift-wrapped 3-2 victory thanks to an error by Baltimore shortstop Gunnar Henderson, who I initially thought was going to pull off a crazy game-ending double play with the bases loaded only to fire the ball errantly to first. On what was a perfect afternoon for baseball, Orioles starter Dean Kremer deserved a better fate after working seven solid frames and coming away without ...