Random Thoughts: football and more

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent editor

The latest installment of Random Thoughts includes a warm welcome to fall sports, a two-sport fall athlete, Deion Sanders, previews and Pigskin Pick’Em, 8-man football and the Chicago White Sox

Welcome back

Welcome back all fall sports. Golf started things off in very early August and was followed by tennis and soccer. Volleyball has or is tipping off for most area teams and high school football’s regular season starts this Friday (Thursday for a small number of teams). It’s nice to get things underway.

Double the fun

How many student-athletes earned match medalist honors in golf on Thursday, then kicked a pair of extra points and attempted a field goal the following night?

Probably not many at all, but it happened in Van Wert last week. Griff McCracken carded a 38 at Willow Bend on Thursday, then was in action Friday night at Eggerss Stadium. It’s fairly rare to see a golfer-varsity football player combination, but it’s happening in Van Wert.

Neon Deion

This is a week late but I’ll say it anyway. Deion Sanders and Colorado – this is not going to end well for either side.

At the recent Big 12 Media Days, Sanders was combative and nitpicky with reporters. His two sons are clearly his top priority, along with his “brand.”

While I agree that Colorado needed a shot in the arm, this probably wasn’t the way to go about it. Neon Deion’s act is going to get old very quickly, especially if the Buffalo don’t start winning pronto.

Previews

Our previews of Crestview and Van Wert football will be published on Wednsday’s Sports page. A big thanks to Crestview head coach Cole Harting and Van Wert head coach Keith Recker for taking the time to answer questions and share information about their respective teams, along with their thoughts on the upcoming season. 

Pigskin Pick’Em

The first Pigskin Pick’Em of 2024 will appear on Thursday’s Sports page. Now in its eighth season, the feature will be published each Thursday through state championship weekend.

As always, Pigskin Pick’Em will feature five games of the week with a bonus game or two on occasion, then the “Best of the Rest.” The picks will include all WBL, NWC, GMC and MAC schools/games.

Road trip

Ohio’s only 8-man football conference, the Northern 8, has eight members. All of members are in northern Ohio but they aren’t exactly clustered together.

Stryker is the westernmost member, just beating out Holgate. The easternmost member is Southington Chalker, in Trumbull County, which borders Pennsylvania. The other easternmost member is Sebring McKinley, in Mahoning County. A quick check of Google maps shows it takes just over three hours to travel to and from Styker and Chalker, or nearly four hours if the Ohio Turnpike isn’t used. It’s about three hours and 15 minutes between Holgate and McKinley, or nearly 3:45 without the turnpike.

The other four schools are Toledo Christian, Fremont St. Joseph, Danbury and Sandusky St. Mary Central Catholic. Those schools are separated by about 40 minutes, tops.

I still think 8-man football in Ohio could be successful. I think a number of small schools around the state would benefit from the switch.

White Sox

I’m not a Chicago White Sox fan but let me reiterate – I feel bad for their fans.

In a record-breaking season, not in the good way, the White Sox set a record for earliest elimination from playoff contention. Saturday’s 6-1 loss to Houston officially put the team out of postseason contention. That beat the previous record by three days, set by the 2018 Baltimore Orioles.

Not to rub it in, but the White Sox are on pace to lose 123 games this season, which would also break a record set by the 1962 New York Mets (120 losses).

As always, if you have thoughts or comments on any of the above subjects, feel free to email me at sports@thevwindependent.com.