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COLUMN: Giving shoutouts to some area hoopers

What a week it was for local high school basketball teams. Several area squads, like the Marietta and Fort Frye boys and the Waterford and Shenandoah girls, kept their seasons alive with big district tournament wins, while other teams bowed out of postseason play. Win or lose, it was hard not to notice some of the individual efforts that really stood out. Here are some shoutouts from The Marietta Times to those players. Shoutout to Frontier junior Jacob Bowersock. —Bowersock had a career night in the Cougars’ tournament-opening win over Shadyside, scoring a career-high 32 ...

COLUMN: Don’t care about the Seahawks or Patriots? Let me help

I am not the best football prognosticator, as you’ve seen in these very pages. I’m not sure if I even had a prediction for what the Super Bowl LX matchup would be at the start of the season. If I did, though, I’m sure it wouldn’t have been the New England Patriots and Seattle Seahawks. So I’m not about to tell you who’s going to win when those two teams take the field Sunday night. But what I do know very well is what it feels like to not have a dog in this fight, a horse in this race, an Avenger in this Endgame. As a fan of the Washington – what’s their name right ...

Column: Jaguars have a Strange feeling heading into playoffs

Could a local kid make an impact in the NFL postseason this year? Stranger things have happened. At 1 p.m. Sunday in Jacksonville, Fla., Jaguars tight end and Parkersburg High graduate Brenton Strange will make his NFL playoff debut. The Jags last made the postseason in 2022, when Strange was a redshirt junior at Penn State. Jacksonville selected Strange in the second round of the NFL draft in 2023, and the former PHS star athlete has played a pivotal role in the changing of culture for the 2025 AFC South champions. Strange, in his third professional season, put up career-highs ...

The Way I See It: Half marathon is a team effort

If you are reading this at the start of your day, there is a strong likelihood you have already missed it. “It” is the News and Sentinel Half Marathon – and it got under way this morning at 8 a.m. Depending on what time you are reading this; hundreds of people are currently either running or walking with the hope of reaching the intersection of Sixth and Market streets in downtown Parkersburg — or — they have already had a really good workout. Regardless of what time you are reading it, I have likely gotten up earlier than you. The effort to change the streets of ...

Runners take your mark: Enjoy race day

In less than 24 hours you will be competing in either the News and Sentinel Half Marathon or Two-Mile Race. Wait, what? You haven’t signed up yet. Well, fortunately, there is still time to sign up and take part in the fun. Beginning at 2 p.m. you can sign up in person at the Parkersburg Municipal Building at 1 Government Square. If you are not that familiar with downtown Parkersburg, it is at the bottom of Market Street. At registration you will get your running number as well as a shirt. It’s also a great place to share race stories with everyone. Many people pick up ...

Runners take your mark: Stay comfy on race day

The News and Sentinel Half Marathon is a few days away, and it is a good time to get your race day outfit in order. It is very important that you choose comfort over fashion and in a lot of instances old over new. We will start at ground level and work our way up. Pay a lot of attention to your feet. They will take a pounding on Saturday, and you need to pay them a lot of attention the rest of the week. Look at your feet right now and see how the bottoms look. If they are dried and cracked, start moisturizing them today. You want them to look more like the palm of your hand ...