Breaking News

Local Sports Columns

Column: Browns seek more than a playoff victory

Browns fans vividly remember the last time Cleveland visited the Pittsburgh Steelers for a playoff game, at least the ones who are old enough. It was January of 2003, and the Browns were playing in their first postseason since returning to the NFL in 1999. The Kelly Holcomb-quarterbacked Browns gave the Steelers all they could handle, taking a 12-point lead with 10 minutes left in the fourth quarter. Steelers head coach Bill Cowher watched as quarterback Tommy Maddox rallied his team to a 36-33 victory, with running back Chris Fuamatu-Ma’afala rushing for the game-winning ...

There’s ‘no playbook’ for 2020

Andy Waddle’s been involved with football for a long time, but he’s never had to deal with anything like this. Nobody has. “It’s a strange time for sure,” said Waddle, entering his eighth season as the Marietta College head football coach. “Everything just continues to be unprecedented, no matter what you’re talking about. There’s no playbook for how to deal with what we’re going through right now. You have to be thoughtful and creative.” Last week, Marietta College’s conference, the Ohio Athletic Conference, shut down intercollegiate athletics through Jan. 1. ...

Former Catholic coach impacted countless youth

Prep coaches in the Mid-Ohio Valley aren’t leading their respective teams for the paycheck. Rather, they often coach for the love of the game, their players and the program. Nowhere was that more evident than with now ex-Parkersburg Catholic head boys basketball coach Rob Strcula. Aside from the rare occasion when he went home after an evening practice dog tired, fell asleep and didn’t return a phone call, whenever I needed something from coach Strcula he always was there to help. His impact on countless youth was large, not to mention how he was respected by his ...

Burrow shares similarities with another Ohio star

Everything Joe Burrow, a kid from Southeast Ohio, has been able to accomplish in the past year is nearly beyond belief. By now, most people around the Mid-Ohio Valley, and all over the country for that matter, are familiar with Burrow’s story. As a high school senior, he led the Athens Bulldogs football team to the state championship game while putting up unfathomable passing stats. Burrow became the first Southeast Ohio player ever to win the state’s “Mr. Football” award, and earned a spot on Urban Meyer’s Ohio State team. Burrow, though, never got a chance to be the ...

ALBRIGHT: Doddridge County’s Reese Burnside working through troubled times

What is a two-time Class A pole vault state champion and two-time All-American in the junior Olympics to do for practice in these troubled times? Of all the spring sports, Doddridge County’s Reese Burnside joins his track and field brethren in the high jump and long jump as those stuck ...

Transfer going to work out for Devin Hefner at Marietta College

Devin Hefner’s choice could have backfired on her. Brand new people to meet and brand new territory to tread at Marietta College posed quite the challenge. This transfer marked her decision to move to a new college, after all. Add in the facts MC women’s basketball head coach Kole ...