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ALBRIGHT: Groundwork is set for LKC’s 75th birthday to be a memorable one

Give me as much Little Kanawha Conference athletic activity as possible! Give me more of the coaches, teams and everything else that makes the league great! Give me more of the heart-pounding, nerve-wracking action that rocks the Mid-Ohio Valley starting in late August to late May from Upper Glade all the way to Parkersburg and from Kidwell to Clay! Give me more of the games, meets and matches that mean more because they mean everything! And fill the eyeballs of everyone in the MOV with as much of all of it as possible for the LKC’s 75th birthday. Football? Undoubtedly. ...

ALBRIGHT: It won’t take Williamstown XC runner Alyssa Sauro long to become a household name

Prepare yourselves, Class A and Little Kanawha Conference girls’ cross country teams. There’s a new Williamstown running queen to worry about. One who’s more than capable of grabbing Ella Hesson’s vacant throne and making it her own. Sorry to Hesson, but now that she’s running at Davis and Elkins, someone needs to take that top spot. Perhaps, this development shouldn’t be standing out as an important talking point when it comes to the Yellowjackets ... the group is chasing after a fifth straight state title, afterall. Alyssa Sauro’s not just another freshman coming onto ...

Point of no return

DeAndre Hopkins. Sports fans, even casual ones, know who the best wideout is in the NFL. When it comes to his opinion on personal bodily choice, a lot of people are in an uproar. Last week, the Arizona Cardinal posted on his Twitter account the following: “Never thought I would say this. But being put in a position to hurt my team because I don’t want to partake in the vaccine is making me question my future in the @Nfl.” After deleting the tweet less than an hour after posting it, Hopkins soon thereafter posted the single word “freedom” followed by a question ...

ALBRIGHT: Williamstown’s Rickie Allen is a perfect fit at linebacker

Football fans won’t have any problems guessing the position Williamstown’s Rickie Allen is playing this upcoming season. It’s — undoubtedly — linebacker. He’s just got the look. No, not the one Roxette sings about in “The Look.” First of all, this isn’t the 80s and secondly, well he isn’t a female. Rather, all his attributes lend themselves to him being a picture-perfect Sam LB in the Yellowjackets’ system. Say it’s the 4-4 scheme that makes him so good if you must. Talk about how he’s had great teammates in the past to learn from in Brady Ankrom and Eric ...

BENNETT: Staying busy during summer

I have to admit getting back to the office actually felt pretty good this week. However, a couple weeks of vacation definitely were needed for a recharge. From all accounts, Saturday’s Summer Smackdown 3 was quite the success according to Dawghouse Promotions’ Mike Sheppard, who said it was his best event yet — despite all the stress. It’s looking like the next show will be held the middle of October. I wanted to give a shout out to a pair of local student-athletes. Parkersburg High’s Molly McLean (girls golf) and Parkersburg South graduate/West Virginia University signee ...

ALBRIGHT: PHS girls’ basketball doesn’t need to look far for its next head coach

It’s time. Parkersburg High’s Phil Wilson deserves better, and quite frankly so do his coaching abilities. If an assistant coach’s job is to be prepared to step in at a moment’s notice to assume head coaching duties, then Wilson’s gone above and beyond the call — repeatedly. It is no wonder he’s celebrated the Big Reds’ recent two state championships harder than most. “He’s put pretty much everything into the program,” daughter Bre Wilson said. Exactly. And now his reward should be the head coaching job of one of the premier programs in the state. Save the ...