Best of the Monday Mailbag 2024

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

The Monday Mailbag has come to an end for 2024. Thank you to everyone who submitted questions or comments. The feature will be back in August, 2025. In the meantime, here are some of the top questions from readers during the 2024 fall sports season.

August 19

Q: You obviously have no idea what you’re talking about. There’s no way Van Wert will finish fifth in the WBL this year. Just look at the success they’ve had since 2020. The Cougars will finish much higher than fifth. Try supporting the team sometime. Name withheld upon request

A: Of course my prediction could be wrong. The Cougars could finish higher or lower than fifth. It has nothing to do with support – the prediction is based on the information supplied by the coaches and what other teams have lost or return and the number of games the team is expected to win or lose.

The fact of the matter is, Van Wert has lost more starters than any other WBL team. Coach Recker himself said 21 of 22 starters (at one point in 2023) have graduated. Having said that, there are some players returning that have varsity experience. They didn’t necessarily start games last season but did log varsity minutes and that should help them this season.

Wapakoneta, Defiance, and St. Marys Memorial are the clear favorites to finish 1-2-3 in some order, and don’t count out Celina. As I mentioned in the preview, there are 2-3 other teams that may be ready to move up in the standings as well.

I would be interested to see your predicted order of finish.

August 26

Q: It comes up every year – why doesn’t Parkway and St. John’s join the NWC?

Not to downgrade the NWC which is one of the stronger conferences around, but most would agree that the MAC is the premiere small school conference in the state of Ohio. That said, I understand why they have turned down invitations to join the NWC. Name withheld upon request

A: You’re right, it does seem to come up every year and there may be good reasons for that.

If you’re talking about travel, wouldn’t Delphos St. John’s be much better suited to the the NWC? No more trips to Versailles, Minster, Anna, Coldwater, Marion Local etc? Those trips are in the neighborhood of 50 minutes to an hour each way. Had the Blue Jays accepted the NWC’s invitation, the longest drive would have been about 30 minutes, to Allen East and Columbus Grove. That’s good for all sports, especially for weeknight games. Then there would be the trips to Delphos Jefferson, Lincolnview and Spencerville, all 15 minutes or less.

In Parkway’s case, it’s a matter of competitiveness in football. When the NWC invitation came, it was pointed out that the Panthers have won something like 10 percent of their conference football games. How is that good for anyone involved? That’s not a knock on anyone, but it’s a legit concern. At some point, a serious discussion has to be had about that. 

Yes, the MAC certainly is the premiere small school conference in Ohio (and I would argue one of the top ones in the country) and there’s something to be said about being a member of it. I get that, but at what price does it come? I understand both teams have enjoyed success in other sports (Delphos St. John’s had a football dynasty from 1997-2010), but let’s face it – football drives the bus.

The powers-that-be at both schools made the decision they thought was best for them. We can question it but in the end, they did what they thought was right. Who knows, things may change in the coming years.

September 9

Q: What are your thoughts on Ohio State’s non-conference schedule? I think it’s set up for three easy wins and I think it’s a little embarrassing. Why not schedule at least one good team? Name withheld upon request

A: I just had this conversation with WERT’s Scott Alan Friday night and he pointed out that OSU was actually scheduled to host Washington, not Western Michigan, and he’s right. The Buckeyes were forced to cancel the non-conference home-and-home series against the Huskies after Washington joined the Big Ten.

Southern Mississippi was supposed to be the home opener for Ohio State this year, but they mutally agreed to cancel it last November. If it’s any consolation, Ohio State will host Texas to open next season, and play on the road against the Longhorns in 2026.

Like you, I prefer to see at least one game against a decent or better non-conference opponent but the changing landscape of college football prevented that this year.

September 23

Q: What is going on with the points explosion in high school football? It seemed like there were shootouts all over the place on Friday night. Doesn’t anyone play defense anymore? Name withheld upon request

A: It’s true there were some high scoring games around the area Friday night but in reality, it was just three games. One of those was probably the most entertaining of the night, especially if you like offense. Bath rallied to defeat Elida 62-56. I do know that the Wildcats had over 600 yards of total offense, including more than 350 combined yards and five touchdowns from quarterback Zach Welsch, and more than 230 yards rushing by running back Mikey Hale, who had a 99-yard touchdown run, which ties an OHSAA record.

Allen East outlasted Crestview 48-41, so 89 points and about 800 yards of total offense, while Celina outlasted Kenton 38-35 as the two teams combined for approximately 1,000 yards of total offense.

The game is geared to offense these days. People like points, long touchdowns and lots of yards. I don’t want to sound like my dad but back in my day, 28 points was considered a high scoring night. The game was different then as teams ran the ball a lot more, passed a lot few times and chewed up the close. And no, it wasn’t THAT long ago.

There were a couple of lopsided games in the NWC (Columbus Grove 65 Delphos Jefferson 6) and Bluffton 55 Spencerville 7, but with all due respect, those games featured state-ranked teams that simply outmanned their opponents.

October 14

Q: Not an easy answer, I’m sure, but how do certain schools in certain sports continue powerful traditions throughout the years and often through multiple coaches? Just a few examples out of many: Van Wert boys cross country, Kalida boys soccer, Shawnee girls tennis, Marion Local football, Crestview volleyball, Parkway softball. Name withheld upon request

A: It’s actually a very simple answer – success breeds success! The standard has been set and the kids and coaches want to meet or exceed that standard. A lot of hard work goes into it and often times the athletes you see had parents, aunts, uncles, etc. that were the ones who help set the standard.