BEAVER TOWNSHIP — With 16,900 sportscasts (and counting) to his credit, 21 WFMJ Sports Director Dana Balash is the longest tenured sports anchor in the history of the Youngstown market.

In a business where news and sports reporters, anchors and weather gurus come and go, oftentimes using their employer as a career steppingstone, Balash remains a throwback to the days when broadcasters remained the cornerstone of their station, often decades at a time.

Ranked second in the state to Dom Tiberi of 10 WBNS-TV in Columbus in terms of longevity, Balash has overseen his station’s popular ‘Friday Night Football Report,’ now in its 32nd year with close to 7,500 games covered.

He said change is inevitable, but notes current scholastic, collegiate and professional landscapes are simply a shell of what they used to look like when he first started in the business.

“I never thought that I would see the day when high school athletes would be compensated for their name, image and likeness,” he told the Curbstone Coaches during Monday’s meeting at Avion Banquet Center. “Although I am against it, the OHSAA released the final tabulation on Monday with principals passing the NIL initiative, 447 for with 121 against while 247 abstained.”

Hired by WFMJ Broadcasting, Inc. in 1985, Balash will celebrate his 42nd anniversary with the company in March, having worked on both the radio – he was a part of their WFMJ, 1390-AM team – and television side of the business.

He has anchored sports since the summer of 1992, became sports director in 2001 and said some of the best scholastic sports teams can be found in the Mahoning Valley.

Three of 22 area play-off teams advanced to the regional finals, and after last weekend, just Cardinal Mooney and McDonald remain as they prepare for Week 14 with a state championship game bid on the line.

“It really has been another banner year for high school football in the Valley,” Balash said. “It is pretty awesome to see Cardinal Mooney go from 3-8 in 2024 to a spot in the state semifinals. Head coach Frank Colaprete and his staff have done a tremendous job. Also, McDonald is celebrating its 100th year of football with a spot in the semifinals also awaiting the winner of their game. Both teams have a legitimate chance of moving on to the finals.

“There is no question that Girard quarterback A.J. Pearson will be a ‘Mr. Football’ candidate in the state over the next couple of years, as he has accounted for almost 60 touchdowns this year as a sophomore. It has been 15 years since an area player has won the award, that coming in 2010 when Ursuline’s Akise Teague, the Fighting Irish all-around running back-defensive back-kick returner earned the top honor.

“Our area is known for its scholastic sports with softball dominating recently at the state level. In 2024, we had two teams, Boardman and Lakeview, advance to the final four, while in 2023, there were three teams with Austintown Fitch winning the state championship. In boys golf, Warren JFK has won three consecutive state crowns.”

YSU’s football and men’s and women’s basketball teams have made noise on the FCS and Division I levels, respectively.

“Youngstown State has also had a great turnaround,” Balash said. “The Penguins never seem to make it easy, and if they can put together a full 60 minutes, they can be an extremely dangerous team in the playoffs. The biggest reason YSU football has earned a playoff bid and is now preparing to host Yale on Saturday afternoon is that no one left the program via the transfer portal after last season,” Balash said. “Coach [Doug] Phillips has developed a culture where players want to play for him, and for that very reason, they opt to stay put.

“Beau Brungard has developed into one of the top players in the country at the FCS level, and should be in contention for the Walter Payton Award, which is presented at season’s end to the division’s top ‘Offensive Player of Year.’ I think it will be a challenge to try to keep some players after this season, simply because bigger programs will look at their success and try to lure them away through an NIL deal.

“YSU’s men’s basketball team is primed to make a run at the program’s first-ever NCAA tournament appearance, but they obviously need to stay healthy. Head coach Ethan Faulkner has built a team that could be better than his first team a year ago, which advanced to the Horizon League’s tournament title tilt for the first time, only to fall short of the NCAA tournament.

“The Horizon League will be another challenge, but perhaps this is the year the Penguins crash the party. The women’s team should battle for a championship, too. Coach Melissa Jackson has brought in some quality transfers that will make them better, but the key for both teams is getting off to good starts and building confidence entering conference play.”

The group will not meet next Monday due to Thanksgiving, reconvening on Dec. 8 with Andy Hake, head football coach of the Mineral Ridge Rams, serving as guest speaker.