Fort Frye headed in right direction, state finals

March 9, 2020

PICKERINGTON — After the opening tip-off, Fort Frye sophomore Hannah Archer got the ball and both teams started towards the Portsmouth Notre Dame Titans basket. Everyone except Kiersten Kesselring. She went the other, right way. “We’re not used to winning tips,” smiled the 5-foot-9 senior center after unranked FFHS “upset” second-ranked Notre Dame, 49-31, in an OHSAA Division IV regional girls basketball final Saturday night at Pickerington North High. Even Archer hesitated and had a puzzled expression on her face when she saw that Kesselring was so wide open at the Fort ...

Fun-loving Sheba waits at Rainbow Bridge

February 29, 2020

Sheba was soft to the touch. With a distinguishing black left eye patch, she was beautiful, so very beautiful. She was small with short, little legs. A low-rider. I always enjoyed watching her run outside and her interaction with the cats, who were actually taller than her. She was very sociable, and allowed children — and anyone for that matter — to pet her. The cats and sister Chihuahua Shadow (Dow, as I called her) loved her. The younger ‘Dow, without the eye patch, and often “kissed” or licked Sheba in the eye area — and Sheba never protested. Sheba had a few ...

Warren girls having season to remember

February 15, 2020

VINCENT — Quietly the Warren girls basketball team wrapped up a spectacular regular season Monday evening with a 17-point victory over a 17-win team in the Unioto Shermans. The win was the 20th in a row for the Warriors and closed out their regular season with a phenomenal 21-1 ...

Pioneers earn a ‘must win’ vs. Baldwin Wallace

January 29, 2020

After taking it on the chin at Mount Union last Wednesday, Marietta College regrouped Saturday and rallied in the second half to defeat Baldwin Wallace, 85-76, at Ban Johnson Arena. It was a must-win for the NCAA Division III sixth-ranked Pioneers (15-2 overall, 9-1 Ohio Athletic Conference), who are scheduled to play at Otterbein University (6-11, 3-7) at 7 p.m. Wednesday. “We had to have it, because you can’t afford to drop two in a row,” said 13th-year MC men’s basketball coach Jon VanderWal. “Mount’s obviously really good and isn’t going to lose very many ...

Golden era of Pioneer basketball enters second decade

January 24, 2020

Snow blasted against the windshield as the wind roared across the desolate landscape on Interstate 75 in Northwest Ohio. No music or podcasts, only the sounds of the heater running and the windshield wipers swiping back and forth. We all find different ways to slow down and reflect on things. For me, many times it’s in a car, driving alone down a desolate highway late at night from a Marietta Pioneer basketball game. After a recent game, I spent much of the drive home rewinding back the past decade this program has been through. As a native of Southeast Ohio, I grew up on Pioneer ...

Marietta College men’s basketball all-decade team

December 21, 2019

With the 2010s winding down, I’ve seen people all over social media doing “all-decade” teams for various pro and college sports teams. Basically, the idea is to select the best player at each position from the past 10 years for a respective team and form the most optimal lineup. It’s actually pretty enjoyable to see how good (Ohio State football) or bad (Cleveland Browns) some of the lineups turn out. As we get closer to the end of 2019, I thought it would be fun to put together an all-decade team for the Marietta College men’s basketball squad. It’s been by far the most ...