Breaking News

Local Sports Columns

This week in MOV athletics

Now the Winter Tab and schedule book are done and in reader’s hands, I can turn my attention to the action on the court, in the water and on the mats. Last year, I started a column to keep high school sports fans up-to-date with the happenings each week in the Mid-Ohio Valley prep sports winter scene. I received a lot of good feedback, and so have brought my Monday morning column back again this year. Before we get started with the week ahead, I wanted to send a shoutout to the Parkersburg South wrestling program. Shaun Smith’s Patriots entered the InterMat.com national high ...

South starting something brand new

When Parkersburg South boys basketball coach Mike Fallon told me neither the girls program nor his squad had ever hosted a tournament at the school before I was shocked. Supporters of the Patriots love the hardwood game. Not to mention, a student fan base known throughout the state as the Southside Psychos takes pleasure in making Rod Oldham Athletic Center an uncomfortable place to play for visiting teams. Adversity stands as something all coaches want their teams to go through during the season, and let’s be honest. The Psychos do a good job of cheering and making more than just ...

Big Red girls in the spotlight

No. 1 vs. No. 2. Top dog against second banana. Great taking on really, really good. Any way you wish to call a matchup like this there is no denying it is going to be special. While a contest of this caliber usually would come toward the end of the year during state tournament time, fans in attendance at 6:45 p.m. today at the IOGA tournament inside Glenville State’s WACO Center have a chance to catch a good battle early in the season. Top-ranked Buckhannon-Upshur and second-ranked Parkersburg High girls’ basketball programs face off in a possible matchup to come March ...

PHS boys have a big game tonight

The 2017-18 hardwood season may be a few days old, however this fact doesn’t mean teams are scheduling easy opponents to give them a chance to warm up. Parkersburg High School’s boys basketball program already has been hard at work against a number of tough foes. Through the first three games, Jeff Mennillo’s squad (2-1) already faced Musselman and Morgantown. The level of competition grows higher still this weekend. After a home-slate opening win over the Mohigans, the boys welcome reigning state champion Huntington for a 7:30 p.m. varsity start today inside Memorial ...

The joy of basketball

I suppose, like any sport, the reason one plays something is because they like or love the activity. As we quickly approach winter, that means my favorite sport will be heating up on the hardwood. I’ve already been able to take in several different basketball games in the early going, but one I wish I could’ve made and covered was Roane County’s annual beginning of the year trip to Elizabeth. Last season, I only had one opportunity to watch then-Raider junior standout Lucille Westfall and that came against Wirt County. This past Saturday, Westfall and her Raider teammates ...

Stanton is now a Yankee

Oh man... Why couldn’t it all have been just a bad dream? Did Giancarlo Stanton really put on the dark blue pinstripes at an introductory press conference Monday at the Winter Meetings? Could it be true the reigining National League Most Valuable Player joined the team with the reigning American League Rookie of the Year, who could have been the junior circuit’s MVP if not for a post-All-Star break slump? Surely the nightmare of joining the league leaders of home runs the previous season in one tower of power lineup, which led the league in round-trippers last season, ...