If you don’t care, may as well root for Bengals

February 12, 2022

Sunday marks the 30th anniversary the last time my favorite team the Washington R- no, Football T- wait, Commanders (still not sold on that) played in the Super Bowl. Eventually, I decided to help other people in the same boat by suggesting who to root for in the big game if you just don’t care. It might be a little easier this year since a team from Ohio, with a quarterback from Ohio, will be taking the field, although I think we can all be forgiven if we didn’t see that coming. But maybe the Cincinnati Bengals beat your team on their improbable run or there’s some other ...

Warren hoops legend remembers going head-to-head with Burrow

February 11, 2022

Former Warren Warrior two-time All-Ohio basketball player Evan French remembers his very first impression of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow when the two faced off with their respective teams in the Division II Regional semi-final at the Convocation Center on the campus of Ohio University back in February of 2013. French had heard all about Burrow’s prowess on the football field but his abilities on the basketball court had been somewhat under estimated. “I could tell right away that he was a real-time hooper and that he was a complete player,” said French of Burrow ...

Parkersburg girls in position to make some noise

February 4, 2022

PARKERSBURG — Things are looking up for the Parkersburg girls’ basketball team, and a hot streak has the Big Reds in position to make noise late in the year. Now, I won’t get ahead of myself. Even first-year head coach Chris Murray said the win over Class AAAA No. 1 Huntington was “just another game.” In no way does that minimize toppling the top squad in a 64-63 thriller on Tuesday, but Murray is exuding the leadership that made him successful during his previous head coaching gig at Belpre. He knows PHS still has more road games than home games left in the regular season. ...

Tempo keys ‘Jackets’ resurgence

January 19, 2022

Age is non-discriminate when coaches learn to adapt on the fly. Four games into a winless season, Williamstown girls basketball coach Fred Sauro heeded the advice of his three assistant coaches. Even at 74 years old, Sauro didn’t rule out any input which would produce results. After wrapping up their second straight win Saturday at Wheeling Central Catholic, the Yellowjackets improved to 5-7 and secured the No. 10 slot in the Class AA ranking for the second straight week. “A conscious decision was made by our whole staff with my assistants Howard Rowsey, Lori Nohe and Brian Gray ...

BENNETT: Enjoying the win

January 13, 2022

Things are looking fairly solid for the Little Kanawha Conference when it comes to basketball. It appears, for both boys and girls, there’s a strong chance of once again having programs on both the LKC West and East dancing in Charleston. Kudos to St. Marys senior Grant Barnhart, who last week moved past Mike “Moose” Morris to the top of the all-time scoring list for the Blue Devils. Barnhart’s 19th point out of his game-high 30 in a 66-45 win at Trinity eclipsed Morris’ total of 1,271. Unfortunately, it seems like positive COVID-19 tests continue to be an interruption for ...

A name which still resonates at PCHS

December 30, 2021

Madeline Huffman visited her old stomping grounds at Parkersburg Catholic High School. The purpose was two-fold — join her former teammates during a recognition ceremony and watch her younger sister play at the Mary ‘O’ Crusaderette Classic. And by every indication, whether it was stated during a 25-minute video montage honoring the accomplishments from the past two seasons, or mentioned by PCHS coach Marty Viereller, the name ‘Madeline’ and her legacy still resonates throughout the Crusaderette girls program. “Everything everyone said tugs at the heart strings a little ...