BAZETTA — The Mathews Mustangs softball program is familiar with deep playoff runs. “We’ve been in the district final six out of the last nine years, and we’ve gone to regionals six out of the last nine,” Mathews coach Jim Nicula said. But to get back to that familiar place, the ...

BAZETTA — The Bristol Panthers return to the Division IV Warren District final for the second year in a row after taking down Badger, 10-0, on Wednesday. “It took us a little bit to get going with the bats,” Panthers coach Alisha Kugler said. “Once we did, they were fired up. We made ...

NORTH JACKSON — “I just went up to bat thinking I didn’t want my senior season to be over, because these girls, they deserve it.” That’s how Sierra Schrader said she felt after ripping a walk-off line drive Wednesday to send McDonald to the Division IV Jackson-Milton District final, ...

BASEBALL Hubbard won an epic slugfest over Poland, 11-10, as the seventh-seeded Eagles upset the No. 2 Bulldogs in a Division II sectional bracket final. Hubbard (17-12) advanced to the district semifinal for the first time since 2010, with the Eagles playing Niles at 5 p.m. Monday at Cene ...

YOUNGSTOWN — Greg Morgione kept trading forehands with Jake McDivitt as about 25 of the 75 people lining the north end of Volney Rogers Courts migrated to watch two of the best singles players northeast Ohio has to offer. Morgione won his first set and desperately wanted the second. The ...

CORTLAND — Mike Johnson has some nervous habits that tend to surface during close games, but the Lakeview baseball coach prefers to keep them private — for reasons he chose not to disclose. Maybe there was a bat throw or some baseballs kicked during the Bulldogs’ early-season ...

The Warren G. Harding Raiders basketball program has a new, but familiar face guiding the program. Keelyn Franklin is that face. Franklin has worked in the school district since 2014 and has served as a freshman, junior varsity and assistant varsity coach at Warren G. Harding before being ...

LEAVITTSBURG — The Division III LaBrae District softball tournament features local schools as the top three seeds. The host Vikings, seeded second, faced off with No. 3 seed Newton Falls on Tuesday afternoon with a trip to the district title game on the line. LaBrae, the 2013 and 2014 ...

BASEBALL Nate Bencetic was 3-for-4 with three RBIs to lead Hubbard past Girard, 8-1, in a Division II sectional first-round game. Bencetic and Dylan Durkos each had two RBI singles to lead a four-run fifth inning. Today, Hubbard plays Poland in a sectional bracket final. Harrison Lay hit a ...

BOARDMAN — Armand Nannicola lofts the small yellow tennis ball in the air. The force of his racquet launches it to his opponent. It lands in the service square diagonal from him as the opposition tries to make a forehand return. The ball takes a quick kick and spins out of the player’s ...

Hubbard baseball coach John Schiraldi discovered the perfect way to describe Jamie Thomson’s career with the Eagles: “He hit the ground running.” And he hasn’t stopped. Thomson is a four-year starter in center field, and he has become a master of thievery during those four years. ...

With spring comes rain, and with rain comes high school spring sports postponements. The rain doesn’t stop for the OHSAA tournament as most of Monday’s baseball and softball tournament games were postponed due to poor field conditions. Bob Cene Park in Struthers, which plays host to ...

BOARDMAN — Ryan Trapp’s view was much different during previous seasons of tennis. The former Howland High School and Youngstown State University standout has been a go-to instructor for some of the area’s top high school players looking to improve their respective games. Trapp is a ...

BOARDMAN — Lakeview’s boys tennis team has been one of the better teams in the Mahoning Valley. First-year coach Ryan Trapp wanted these Bulldogs to know they have more talent, enough to beat teams which were thought to be out of their comfort zone. Lakeview entered the Ohio Tennis ...

BOARDMAN — Ursuline’s Greg Morgione kept trading forehands with John F. Kennedy’s Armand Nannicola, each one barely clearing the net, but struck with plenty of force. The two juniors were the top two seeded singles players at the boys tennis Division II Boardman Sectional. It was not ...

SOFTBALL Sophie Howell had 12 strikeouts and walked two as Champion beat visiting North Canton Hoover in a district tune-up for both teams, 2-1. Paige Ogden had five RBIs, while Julia Nutter added four as Ursuline beat Edgewood in six innings, 18-1. Madison Lester struck out 10 batters as ...

Dynesty Ervin felt the pain in her right leg again. She brushed it aside. It was there for about a week prior to her getting in the starting block. Ahead was 100 meters. The start’s gunshot (there are blanks inside) signified the start of the race. Leaning forward, it was the end for Ervin ...

NILES — On Friday, the LaBrae Vikings hosted the Rootstown Rovers at Eastwood Field and lost in a lopsided game by a final score of 11-2. “They (Rootstown) had a strong outing from their pitcher,” LaBrae coach Jim Bailey said. “We’ve run into a stretch where we get guys on base and ...

CORTLAND — Cait Kelm of Lakeview High School was stellar Thursday as she tossed a one-hit shutout to help guide her team to a 4-0 victory over West Geauga in a Division II Jefferson Sectional bracket final. “My curveball was spinning really good, and my changeup, that was really good ...

Alex Payiavlas took the stage in front of an audience at Warren G. Harding High School. He held his tenor saxophone in front and played a jazz solo. His other instrument of choice is a tennis racket, strung to his specifications, grip put on the handle for comfort on every swing. It’s ...