SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports
The news came out on Wednesday of this week – an athletic league in northeast Ohio is leading the charge to have Ohio High School Athletic Association playoffs and tournaments split, public and private.
Administrators at member schools of the Suburban League are circulating petitions in hopes of placing a referendum for a public-private split before all member schools of the OHSAA next spring. The administrators will need at least 75 signatures from high school principals around the state to be considered for a vote by the full membership. There are some other requirements that must be met as well.
The Suburban League is a 16-team league that is split into two eight team divisions – Brecksville-Broadview Heights, Highland, Hudson, Medina, North Royalton, Solon, Stow-Munroe Falls Wadsworth in one division, and Aurora, Barberton, Copley, Kenston, Mayfield, Nordonia, Revere and Twinsburg in the other. The first eight are Division I and II schools, while the remaining eight are mainly Division II and III schools. All are public schools and all seem to be rather well off.
There are parents and fans of high school sports that are in favor of such a split. The most common reason is the belief that private/parochial schools have an unfair advantage by recruiting.
Here are two reasons why it’s not a good idea.
Goodbye
I’ve said this for years – if such a referendum item were to pass, it would almost certainly be a matter of time before the private and parochial schools left the OHSAA and formed their own association. They’d really have no reason to stay.
For those that say “good, let them leave” think about this – a PPHSAA (I’m calling it the Private Parochial High School Athletic Association) wouldn’t be bound by OHSAA rules. If you think recruiting is a problem now, think about how bad it could be if those schools didn’t have to abide by OHSAA rules. The answer is it could be much worse.
Open enrollment
The vast majority of Ohio’s public schools offer open enrollment, which allows students from other districts, usually neighboring districts, to enroll at a particular school. It’s believed somewhere between 75 to 80 percent of public school systems in Ohio offer open enrollment and it’s been somewhat of a game changer. One can easily argue that open enrollment could enhance schools’ athletic programs just as well as or better than private-parochial school recruiting.
(more…)POSTED: 09/17/26 at 8:34 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
Editor’s note: Last week’s Pigskin Pick’Em record and the season record have been updated with correct figutres.
SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports
The halfway point of the 2026 high school football regular season is upon us and it’s safe to say there have been some surprises as we hit mid-season. One thing’s for sure – it’s been an enjoyable season and there are many more good games on tap. A crystal ball won’t help, as conference/league title races remain murky in the GMC, NWC and WBL. Each one has multiple teams capable of winning a championship. As far as the MAC, there are some excellent teams but I’m not sure if any of them can knock off Marion Local.
Last week I went 13-5. It should have been 14-4, but I mistakenly typed Defiance instead of St. Marys Memorial in my WBL picks and then somehow didn’t catch it until after it was published. It counts as a loss, regardless of my intent. 15-3 is 72 percent, which is more in line with what I expect each week. That takes my season record to 70-30, 70 percent. I still have a lot of work to do. 19 games are on this week’s Pigskin Pick’Em schedule.
Games of the Week
Minster (4-0) at Coldwater (4-0)
4-0 vs. 4-0, or just another Friday night in the MAC. If you follow the Associated Press poll, both teams are highly regarded, but that’s also nothing new. Coldwater is ranked No. 3 in Division V in this week’s poll, while Minster is ranked No. 2 in Division VII. On paper it looks like a great matchup and it very well may be a great matchup on the field as well. However, I’m going to cite two things: Minster hasn’t beaten Coldwater since 2016 (they didn’t play in 2022 or 2023) and I generally don’t pick against the home team in the MAC, but there are exceptions. This isn’t one of them. It should be a good game but I like the Cavaliers.
The pick: Coldwater
Wapakoneta (1-3) at St. Marys Memorial (3-1)
The defending WBL champions vs. the preseason favorites. I love this type of game. Never mind Wapakoneta’s record – the three teams the Redskins have lost to have a combined record of 12-0 and all three (Oregon Clay, Celina and Ottawa-Glandorf) are state-ranked. The Roughriders opponents haven’t been quite as daunting. Wapakoneta and St. Marys Memorial have a common opponent, Celina. The Redskins fell to the Bulldogs 7-6, while the Roughriders lost 30-28, so that’s no help in making a pick. Recent history? Wapak has won five straight in the rivalry series. One can argue that the Redskins are the favorite here, but I’m going to go with the Roughriders. Am I being stubborn because that’s who I picked to win the league title? Maybe, but I’m going with the home team.
The pick: St. Marys Memorial
Wayne Trace (3-1) at Paulding (3-1)
I won’t be there to see it but I’m excited about this one. It has the potential to be one of the better games around the area this Friday night. After a season opening loss to New Bremen, the Raiders have been on a roll and have scored 55, 35 and 57 points in their last three games, all wins. Paulding’s only loss came in Week No. 3, 21-20 to Delphos Jefferson. It’s the only game the Panthers have allowed more than six points. In three wins, Paulding allowed 6, 0 and 6 points. Something is going to have to give Friday night. Paulding is probably a slight favorite here, but I’m very tempted to go with the Raiders. In fact, that’s what I’m going to do. Is it a slight reach? Perhaps, but I’ll say the Raiders win their fourth straight game.
(more…)POSTED: 09/16/26 at 8:27 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
On Senior Night, Lincolnview defeated Delphos Jefferson 203-213 in NWC girls golf action at Willow Bend on Wednesday. The Lancers were led by Grace Custer, who shot a 47, followed by Eme Renner and Avery Zielke (49 each) and Bellamy Miller (58). Delphos Jefferson was led by match medalist Kynlee Geary (42), followed by Brynlee Geary (45), Lani Warnement (52) and Mara Ryan (74). Shown above (left to right) are Lincolnview seniors Eme Renner, Grace Custer, Ellie Mueller, Sophia Brickner, Nevada Seabold and Zoey Osborne. Photo submitted
POSTED: 09/16/26 at 8:26 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
VW independent sports
BLUFFTON — Lauren Gearhart picked up a win at first singles, but Van Wert fell to Bluffton 4-1 in non-conference tennis action on Tuesday.
Gearhart defeated Ari Bowling 6-1, 6-1. Bluffton’s second singles player,
Hope Luginbill, defeated Maddy Thompson 6-0, 6-2. At third singles, Leah Hoffman trailed 5-2 in the first set but rallied to defeat Van Wert’s Alli Spieles 7-5, 6-2. Bluffton’s first doubles taem Kate Klinger and Willow Angel topped Bristol Wollet and Ella Kimmel 6-2, 6-2, and the second doubles team of Bekah Rehm and Peighton Bowers defeated Jr. Annabelle Miller and Ixchell Castillo 6-0, 6-2.
POSTED: 09/16/26 at 8:26 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports
NWC volleyball play opened with a bang at Lincolnview High School Tuesday night.
Five-time defending champion Crestview and county rival Lincolnview went the distance, playing five exciting sets. When it ended, the Lady Knights battled from behind several times and claimed a back and forth 17-25, 25-23, 23-25, 25-20, 16-14 thriller.
“I’m so proud of the girls for pulling together and trusting in each other to come up with the big plays and literally battling to the very end,” Crestview head coach Tammy Gregory said. “We even have the one and only Scott Sterling on our team – look him up if you don’t know him!”
Crestview entered the match just 2-4, but the Lady Knights faced four teams from the powerful MAC to open the season, including No. 1 Parkway on Monday, plus 10-0 Paulding. After a 7-0 start, Lincolnview has dropped three straight.
“It was a tough, physical match from start to finish,” Lincolnview head coach JaNahn Evans said. “This is what a rivalry match should feel like. The atmosphere was great, the crowd was into it, and it was a really fun environment to play in. There was a lot of energy in the gym, and both teams battled for every point. There were so many momentum shifts and runs, and it was great volleyball right down to the final point.”
“The loss stings. I’m not going to lie,” she added. “It makes you dissect every point in every set because in a match like that, every point matters. But I’m proud of the way our girls competed. They responded, they battled, and they continued to reset and play the next ball.”
During Tuesday’s match, both teams finished with astounding numbers.
Crestview’s Kaci Gregory had 19 kills and 13 digs and was 16-of-17 serving with an ace. Kaylee Owens had 12 kills, three stuff blocks and a pair of aces. Ayla Kreischer and Kendadie Schwartz each had 11 kills, with Kreischer adding a team-high 17 digs and two aces, while Schwartz added 27 assists, three stuff blocks and two aces. Nora Perkins had 31 assists and was 12-of-13 serving with an ace. Delanie Balliet was perfect from the service line, 24-of-24 with two aces and had nine digs. Alecta Baxter had five stuff blocks.
(more…)POSTED: 09/16/26 at 7:35 am. FILED UNDER: Sports
SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports
Believe it or not, Friday will mark the halfway point of the 2026 high school football season.
After two straight on the road, Van Wert will return to the friendly confines of Eggerss Stadium and will welcome in the Defiance Bulldogs. The game will mark 90 years to the day when football was first played at the historic stadium. On September 18, 1936, the Cougars played their first game in the stadium and defeated Fort Wayne South 13-0. While the opponent will be different, the Cougars and Van Wert fans are hoping for the same result.
The Cougars will try to bounce back from their first loss of the season, 49-28 at Celina. The undefeated Bulldogs jumped out to a 14-0 lead, only to see the Cougars rally to tie the game 14-14, but Celina scored the next two touchdowns and led 28-14 at halftime. Van Wert tied the game 28-28 in the third quarter but the Bulldogs scored the game’s next three touchdowns.
“Even though we gave up some yards in the run game, we did another decent job with our run fits outside of a couple quarterback scrambles and runs,” Van Wert head coach Keith Recker said. “We showed a lot of fight against a big, strong team, and just need to find the consistency of doing it all game.”
Recker said entering the midway point of the season, the Cougars are relatively injury free, other than the typical bumps and bruises.
The Defiance Bulldogs (1-3, 0-3 WBL) won their season opener 9-8 over Napoleon, but have since dropped three straight. Upon closer examination, the three opponents were 4-0 Ottawa-Glandorf (considered the surprise team of the WBL this season), defending WBL champion Wapakoneta and preseason projected league champion St. Marys Memorial.
“That’s the WBL for you, it’s alway going to be competitive and the physicality, I think, is what separates it from a lot of the neighboring conferences,” second year Defiance head coach Steve Rittenour said. “You are always going to have your St. Marys and Wapaks, but top to bottom, anybody can beat anybody on any given Friday in the WBL. As far as OG surprising people, I think that some people might have overlooked the fact that they had quite a few guys see experience last year and even though they had a poor record, their players played in a lot of games, and gained a wealth of confidence and knowledge from that experience.”
“I think year in and year out, the WBL is one of the toughest leagues in the area,” he added.
Defiance entered the season with significant graduation losses, having lost eight offensive starters and seven defensive starters from last year’s team. Among the new faces this year – sophomore quarterback Jack Foster (29-of-62, 345 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions) and junior Mason Noirot, who has emerged as the team’s top running back with 46 carries for 291 yards and three touchdowns.
“They are young and gaining experience and I think both have the potential to be very good football players, but they will have to continue to focus on developing their skills and learning the game,” Rittenour said. “Jack Foster has the potential to be a good quarterback in this league, but he has to keep focusing on the little things that make quarterbacks successful, but they tend to be the hardest to learn so that is an ongoing process. All of our young running backs need to run with a lower pad level and learn to be more physical as a runner, but that too will take time.”
(more…)POSTED: 09/15/26 at 8:28 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports
CONVOY — After a rough start to the season, the Crestview Knights broke into the win column with Friday’s 41-8 victory over Spencerville, but things aren’t going to get easier.
According to the website fantastic50.net, the Knights have the sixth toughest schedule in all of Ohio in Division VI, trailing only Huron, St. Henry, Versailles, Parkway and Spencerville. Including four losses by the Bearcats, Crestview’s first four opponents have a combined record of 10-6, while the remaining six opponents have a combined record of 20-4.
Crestview (1-3, 1-0 NWC) will hit the halfway point of the regular season with a trip to Fort Loramie (3-1), followed by a return home to Allen East (3-1), a game at Delphos Jefferson (3-1), back-to-back home games against Bluffon (4-0) and Columbus Grove (3-1), followed by a game against Lima Central Catholic (4-0) at Spartan Stadium. The slate of remaining conference games indicates just how strong the NWC is this season.
“My original thoughts on the conference haven’t changed since the start of the season,” Crestview head coach Cole Harting said. “I thought the conference was going to be very good from the top down and through the first four weeks, it has proved that.”
The decision was made to shuffle some personnel ahead of last week’s game against Spencerville. Freshman Calin Balliet started at quarterback and accounted for two passing touchdowns and a pair of touchdowns on the ground. He completed 15-of-18 passes for 148 yards and had six carries for 72 yards. Conner Hammons had seven carries for 55 yards and Hayden Waltmire had five rushes for 46 yards, with each one scoring a touchdown.
“Through the first three weeks of the season, our offense struggled with consistency and we felt that changes needed to be made to hopefully get things rolling,” Harting explained. “Cal adds a dimension to the run game that we didn’t have. He also does a nice job getting the ball out quickly to our playmakers. He played a great game last Friday and I look for him to continue to improve as the season continues.”
“Conner and Hayden bring more size to the running back position, they are still developing at that spot, but they have shown the ability to make tough runs and have the explosion to get into the second level,” he added.
(more…)POSTED: 09/15/26 at 8:28 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
COLUMBUS — Week 4 of the 2026 high school football season is in the books.
Football players from all over Ohio put up some amazing performances in the fourth week of the season. Here, the Ohio Prep Sports Media Association compiles the best of the best with the OPSMA High School Football Notebook.
Let’s take a look.
-In a battle of unbeatens, Lima Central Catholic got a second-quarter field goal from Brevan Stolly, a third-quarter safety and a 5-yard fourth-quarter touchdown run from senior quarterback Brady Parker in knocking off Columbus Grove 13-6. The win snapped Columbus Grove’s 26-game Northwest Conference winning streak and was a rare home loss for the Bulldogs, who entered the contest with a 126-35 career record on its home turf at Clymer Stadium.
-Bluffton’s Tayte Giesige threw just one touchdown pass in Friday’s 35-13 win over Allen East, but it was a milestone one for the Pirates’ senior quarterback. Giesige’s 61-yard TD pass to Lleyton Miller was No. 61 in his illustrious career, breaking the school record held by Mitchell Ault. Ault, ironically, was on hand to see his record broken, considering he is currently Bluffton’s quarterback coach.
-Coldwater’s Braxton Taylor rushed for 245 yards and five touchdowns as the Cavaliers improved to 4-0 with a 37-22 win over New Bremen in Coldwater. The 245 yards is the third-most in school history in a game while the five rushing touchdowns tie the mark held by Kevin Hoyng (2002) and Dylan Thobe (2016).
-Jett Warner rushed for 125 yards and a touchdown and passed for four touchdowns (to four different receivers) as Celina scored 21 unanswered points to defeat Van Wert 49-28 to go to 4-0 for the first time since 2013. Van Wert trailed 28-14 at halftime before two third-quarter touchdowns tied the game with 4:39 remaining in the quarter. Warner threw touchdowns pass to Caleb Schlater and Trey Anderson, then Anderson picked off Van Wert quarterback Zach Crummey (who passed for 272 yards) for a 38-yard return score with 4:10 remaining in the game to seal the victory.
-Jeff Williams of Lima Senior had two receiving touchdowns in a 42-33 win over Tiffin Columbian, one from 59 yards and another from 71-yards.
-Parker Lovell of Bluffton ran for 123 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries during a 35-13 win over Allen East. Lovell now has 12 rushing TDs on the season, 14 total on the season.
-Xavier Kelly of Van Wert made 12 catches for 147 yards and one touchdown, also taking a punt back for a touchdown in a 49-28 loss to Celina.
-Ottawa-Glandorf quarterback Tanner Vogt completed 18 of 25 passes for 266 yards and three touchdowns with an interception, adding 121 yards rushing yards and a touchdown on 20 carries as the Titans moved to 4-0.
-Bath quarterback Daniel Cole completed 32 of 39 passes for 317 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-28 win over Shawnee, the Wildcats first win of the season.
-Dyllan Fink of St. Marys ran the ball 19 times for 167 yards and a touchdown, adding another score on a 50-yard reception in a 35-21 win over Defiance.
-Maddux McFarlin of Kenton made 14 receptions for 145 yards and two touchdowns in a 35-20 win over Elida. On defense, he added an interception, a fumble recovery, one sack and a tackle for loss.
-Wayne Trace scored 50-plus points for the second time in three weeks, led by four rushing TDs by senior RB Carter Baumle, as the Raiders rolled past Ayersville 57-15 for their third straight win, the longest win streak for WT since closing the 2022 regular season on a three-game streak.
-In a battle of 3-0 teams looking to unseat Liberty Center in the Northwest Ohio Athletic League, Archbold made a statement in routing Delta 38-7 with 22 points in the second quarter for a 28-0 halftime lead. QB Maddox Pinter passed for 265 yards and four scores and rushed for another in the win for the 4-0 Bluestreaks.
-Fairview’s Gavin Garza and Liberty Center’s Jaxton Lawniczak didn’t need many touches to find the endzone multiple times. Garza had a rushing TD and returned both a kickoff and punt for touchdowns in the Apaches’ 55-0 win at county rival Hicksville while Lawniczak rushed twice for 31 yards and a TD and caught two passes for 54 yards, both TDs, in a 66-0 rout of Swanton.
(more…)POSTED: 09/15/26 at 6:25 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports
This week’s installment of Random Thoughts includes congratulations, the NWC football title race, a key GMC game, a titanic matchup that apparently won’t happen, Ohio State thoughts and a long season ahead for one Ohio NFL team.
Congrats
Congratulations to Van Wert’s boys cross country team for winning the Division III team championship at the Tiffin Cross Country Carnival on Saturday and to the Cougar girls team for finishing as the runner-up in the same division.
Congratulations as well to Crestview’s Derek Young, who won the individual title in Division IV. That should make individual title No. 4 this season.
NWC
After just one week of conference play, the NWC football title race appears to be a two or three team race.
Lima Central Catholic knocked off defending champion Columbus Grove in a 13-6 thriller last Friday. On paper, it appears as though the biggest remaining challenge will be in Week No. 7, October 2, when the Thunderbirds travel to Bluffton. However, LCC has games at Allen East and at Fort Loramie before then. Both teams are 3-1. Lima Central Catholic, by the way, are in the midst of five straight on the road.
In addition to the game against LCC, Bluffton will travel to Fort Loramie in Week No. 9, then will host Columbus Grove in the regular season finale.
Fort Loramie, who’s only loss is to Minster, still has to face all three (Lima Central Catholic, Columbus Grove and Bluffton) and will do so during the second half of the season.
Key GMC game
A pair of 3-1 teams will meet in a key GMC game this Friday. Defending champion Paulding will host Wayne Trace. I expect this to be a good game. Wayne Trace has won three straight for the first time since 2022. Both teams scored over 50 points in Week No. 3 wins and since getting shut out in the opener, the Raiders are averaging 49 points per game. Paulding is averaging 34 points per game through four games, so both teams can score. Perhaps the scoreboard will go into overdrive on Friday.
Titanic matchup won’t happen
(more…)POSTED: 09/14/26 at 10:15 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
VW independent sports
Tennis
Van Wert 5 Kenton 0
On Senior Night, Van Wert enjoyed a 5-0 sweep of Kenton on Monday.
At first singles, Lauren Gearhart had an quick victory when her opponent, Amanda Van Horn, retired early (3-0). At second singles, Madilynn Thompson defeated Mia Vermillion 6-4, 6-3 and Allie Spieles won at third singles, 6-0, 6-1 over Belle Werner. Van Wert’s first doubles team of Ella Kimmel and Bristol Wollet topped Diana Nease and Katelyn Lowe 6-1, 6-1, while the second doubles team of Annabelle Miller and Ixchell Castillo cruised to a 6-2, 6-2 win over Emily Grasely and Ella Bowman.
The Cougars will travel to Bluffton tonight.
Volleyball
Parkway 3 Crestview 1
CONVOY — Crestview gave No. 1 Parkway (Division VI) all it could handle in a marathon match, but the top-ranked Panthers came away with a 25-18, 26-28, 25-19, 34-32 win on Monday.
“It was loud, it was hot and both teams showcased some very big plays with long volleys,” Crestview head coach Tammy Gregory said. “It was everything a good volleyball match should be.”
Ayla Kreischer had 19 kills, 18 digs and was 20-of-20 serving with a pair of aces. Kaci Gregory finished with 16 kills and 24 digs and was 13-of-15 serving with an ace. Nora Perkins had 24 assists and Kenadie Schwartz finished with 24 assists, 13 kills and 11 digs. Kaylee Owens was 14-of-15 serving with an ace and had nine kills, and Delanie Balliet was 17-of-17 from the service line with an ace. Alecta Baxter had four stuff blocks.
Crestview (2-4) will open NWC play at Lincolnview tonight.
Spencerville 3 Van Wert 0
SPENCERVILLE — The Bearcats swept Van Wert 25-20, 26-24, 25-11 on Monday.
(more…)POSTED: 09/14/26 at 10:07 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
