Random Thoughts: well wishes and more

SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports

Parker Wynk

The response to Celina quarterback Parker Wynk and his injury has been nothing short of incredible, nor is it surprising.

Most people have heard by now that the senior Bulldog quarterback suffered a serious neck injury during the first half of Friday’s opener against St. Henry. He had no feeling in his arms or legs and was taken from the field by ambulance. Over the weekend his mother shared updates online and said that Wynk was regaining some feeling. We all hope that in the coming days, his recovery process continues to progress.

The outpouring of support from all around the area and beyond has been amazing. Well wishes, thoughts and prayers have been sent from near and far and a GoFundMe account established to help with medical expenses and other needs rapidly received a number of donations. I know Wynk and his family are very appreciative of all of the support. In these crazy times, it just goes to show that there are many, many good people out there.

WBL opening weekend

Most high school leagues and conferences have two or three weeks of non-conference football games but the Western Buckeye League has just one, then it’s off to league play.

Opening weekend in the WBL has some very intriguiing matchups.

• Elida at Van Wert – this has the potential to be a very close game.
• Ottawa-Glandorf at Defiance – the Titans snapped an 11-game losing streak last Friday, while Defiance topped a good Napoleon team 9-8.
• Wapakoneta at Celina – the defending WBL champion Redskins had their 28-game regular season winning streak snapped last Friday. Celina is coming off a huge win over defending state champion St. Henry and is dealing with the loss of quarterback Parker Wynk.
• Kenton at Shawnee – will Bob Olwin get his first win at Shawnee or will Kenton’s aerial show be too much?
• St. Marys Memorial at Bath – the preseason WBL favorite Roughriders will start on the road against a Bath team that can score a lot of points.

1-0 vs. 1-0

I’m happy for both teams – Delphos Jefferson and Parkway both picked up convincing wins in Week No. 1, with the Wildcats downing Evergreen 34-6 and Parkway surprising Brookville 27-14. Both wins are considered upsets.

Now, Jefferson and Parkway will meet Friday night in Rockford – which of the two teams will move to 2-0 for the first time in a long time?

College football here

College football fans rejoice – the new season is upon us! Week 0 (that makes no sense to me at all, but that’s what they call it) kicks things off this Saturday and eight FBS games are on the schedule. Now, none of them are what you’d call primo matchups but it doesn’t matter – college football is here. No primo matchups doesn’t mean no good games – there are a couple of intriguing ones, including North Carolina and TCU and Memphis at UNLV. Memphis is led by former Ohio State quarterback Air Noland.

Volleyball here

The high school volleyball season is now underway. Lincolnview wasted no time, playing two matches last week. The remaining teams teams began playing Monday or are about to beginning playing. I’m excited to see what the 2026 season brings.

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