FILE - Ohio State head coach Ryan Day and Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith (4) celebrate after defeating Notre Dame during the College Football Playoff national championship game Monday, Jan. 20, 2025, in Atlanta. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman, File)

Every year, new sports storylines pop up around the Mahoning Valley and in the state of Ohio and 2025 was no different.

Some teams made history and won championships, while some individuals put together monumental performances to help lift their teams and programs.

Here are the top-10 storylines from 2025:

1. Ohio State wins national championship

One of the biggest stories of the year nationally was the dominance the Ohio State football team had on its way to the College Football Playoff National Championship.

After suffering losses to Oregon and rival Michigan, the Buckeyes locked in when it mattered most.

They hosted their first home playoff game, beating Tennessee without a care. Then they made their way to the Rose Bowl, where they got payback against Oregon with another decisive victory. Afterward they traveled to Dallas for the Cotton Bowl for the CFP semifinals. They bested Texas with 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter, including the iconic Jack Sawyer strip sack and recovery for a touchdown.

The magical playoff run concluded with a 34-23 win over Notre Dame in the championship game.

It was Ohio State’s ninth national championship, and its second since during the CFP era. The Buckeyes won the first College Football Playoff in 2014, their previous title.

2. Brungard’s emergence and YSU football’s turnaround

In his first season as Youngstown State’s starting quarterback in 2024, Springfield product Beau Brungard had his share of growing pains. But under new offensive coordinator Mike Yurcich in 2025, Brungard emerged as one of the best, most electric players in the FCS.

His rise was one of the biggest reasons for the Penguins’ overall turnaround this past fall, as YSU finished 8-5 to bounce back from a 4-8 2024.

Brungard completed 68.7% of his passes for 3,230 yards, 26 touchdowns and three interceptions, while also rushing for 1,468 yards and 27 touchdowns.

He was among the best in the country in many statistical categories, and his list of accolades continues to grow. He was named Missouri Valley Football Conference Offensive Player of the Year, Walter Camp FCS Player of the Year and earned First-Team All-American honors from multiple publications. He’s also one of three finalists for this year’s Walter Payton Award, known as the Heisman Trophy of the FCS, which will be presented the night before the FCS national championship game on Sunday.

Despite rumored overtures from FBS programs, Brungard also announced his intention to return for his senior season next year.

3. Kennedy boys golf wins 3rd straight state title

The Warren JFK boys golf team entered the 2025 season with plenty of expectations coming off back-to-back Division III state championships.

The Eagles returned the core of their lineup for their senior campaigns, and their primary goal was to end their high school golf careers by making history with one last state title.

Led by seniors Henry Phillips, Andrew Lapolla, Andrew Fredenburg, Julian Bolino and Preston Geracitano, JFK began the season on a tear during the summer, winning tournament after tournament against some of the best teams in Ohio.

During the postseason, the Eagles experienced their lone hiccup, finishing as runner-up to Cardinal Mooney at the district tournament at Tannenhauf. But they bounced back the next week, completing a historic three-peat by winning the Division III state championship at NorthStar Golf Club.

It was the sixth state title in program history, as the Eagles shot a 42-over 618 during the two-day tournament, beating out runner-up Pettisville by 23 shots.

4. McDonald earns share of boys track crown

McDonald is well known as a contender in track, and the Blue Devils added another trophy to the case this summer.

The Blue Devils earned a share of the Division III boys track and field championship at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, tying Huron with 31 points.

McDonald had a solid performance in the Trumbull County Track and Field Championships at Lakeview High School. The county championship is an unofficial start to the track postseason, and the Blue Devils earned a tie for second with Warren G. Harding with 92 points, finishing behind Lakeview.

The Blue Devils got the postseason started with a win in the district meet at Springfield and added another team win in the regional at North Royalton.

Drew Zajack earned a gold medal to help McDonald reach the top. He won the discus with a 178-03.

Carson Klase earned second in the 1600-meter run with a time of 4:11.54. Klase was also a part of the runner-up 4×800 relay team, joining Joey Cappuzzello, Josh Krumpak and Eddie Baldwin in running an 8:01.38.

Cappuzzello was eighth in the 3200 with a 9:37.51.

It was McDonald’s third state championship on the boys’ side, with the two prior coming in 1999 and 2011.

5. YSU men’s basketball reaches 1st Horizon League title game

After former coach Jerrod Calhoun left for Utah State, Ethan Faulkner helped the Youngstown State men’s basketball program reach new heights during his first season in 2024-25.

For the third straight season, the Penguins reached the 20-win mark, a first in program history. Then after making it to the Horizon League tournament semifinal for the third time since joining the conference in 2001, YSU earned a spot in the final for the first time last season, falling just short of an NCAA tournament berth to Robert Morris.

The Penguins finished the season 21-13 overall and 13-7 in conference play.

After a host of both incoming and outgoing transfers, YSU revamped its roster for this season and currently sits 8-6 overall and 2-2 in conference play heading into the new year.

6. Ursuline cancels football season

While there was a lot of positive news to come out of the Mahoning Valley in 2025, there was one story that caught attention for the wrong reasons.

The Ursuline football program had to cancel its season a couple games into the year after hazing and sexual misconduct allegations were made against several players following a trip to various southern college football camps over the summer.

A case was filed in federal court against the school, members of Ursuline’s administration, head coach Dan Reardon, two assistant coaches on his staff and the Catholic Diocese of Youngstown.

Over the course of the fall, three more instances of alleged misconduct were made against the school, the diocese and members of the Ursuline administration regarding misconduct.

7. Blue Devils, Cardinals reach football state semis

Two local football programs reached the state semifinals for the first time in years.

The McDonald and Cardinal Mooney squads got back to making deep tournament runs after winning their regional crowns in Division VII and V, respectively.

McDonald celebrated its 100th season on the gridiron, and the players wanted to put their names in Blue Devils history.

The Blue Devils had two close games to end their regular season. They held off Springfield, 7-6, and rival Mineral Ridge, 20-14, to go undefeated and reach the playoffs for the 21st time in program history.

Under the new playoff 12-team format, the Blue Devils earned the top seed in their region and a first-round bye. They beat Warren JFK, Monroeville and Mogadore by a combined score of 110-47 to win their first regional championship since 1994.

They faced eventual state-runner Hillsdale in the state semifinal, where they fell 41-14.

Meanwhile, Cardinal Mooney started a new era with Frank Colaprete taking over as the head coach.

The former College of Wooster head coach returned to his old stomping grounds on Youngstown’s South Side, and he put together a good first impression.

After back-to-back losses to Division III foes Canfield and Steubenville, the Cardinals were 2-2. However, they won five straight games to finish the regular season with a 7-2 mark.

That was good enough to earn the top seed and an opening-round bye in the postseason.

After beating South Range 38-30 in Week 9, the Cardinals had a rematch with the Raiders in the regional quarterfinals. They emerged victorious with a 48-12 win at Stambaugh Stadium.

Then Mooney outscored Garrettsville Garfield and Girard 96-28 to win its first regional final since 2013.

Cardinal Mooney fell to state runner-up Wheelersburg 24-10 in the final four to end its season.

8. Boardman, Lakeview softball win regions

One team already had tournament success, while the other had a euphoric run through the playoffs.

The Boardman and Lakeview softball teams were the last ones standing from the area when the state softball tournament reached the semifinals in the spring.

Boardman had high hopes that it could make a run after earning a share of the All-American Conference title. The Spartans had a 6-2 record in the league, which featured state powerhouses Austintown Fitch and Canfield.

After snow and darkness forced their game to be postponed against Fitch in the top of the eighth inning, the Spartans dropped the game when it restarted two days later. But that stand against a state championship contender powered the Spartans to a win in the rematch later that day, and it jumpstarted a streak that saw them win 13 of their last 14 to close the regular season.

Boardman earned the second seed when the Division III playoffs began, and they rolled through Kent Roosevelt, Geneva and Howland in the district round. They outscored their opponents 28-6 and posted back-to-back shutouts in the district semifinal and championship.

The Spartans pitching continued to lock down opponents when they earned a 2-0 win over Tallmadge and a 3-1 victory against Louisville in the regional semifinal and final, respectively.

Their season concluded with a 3-1 loss to Holland Springfield, the state runner-up, in the state semifinal.

While the Spartans were taking their program to the next level, the girls from Lakeview were making history themselves.

An 11-game win streak midway through the season helped put the Bulldogs in the driver’s seat in the Northeast 8. They finished with an undefeated 12-0 mark in the league to capture the conference outright.

Then memories were made in Cortland.

After receiving a first-round bye, the fifth-seeded Bulldogs made quick work of their district opponents in the Division IV tournament. They knocked out Crestwood 11-1, and won the district championship with a 5-1 victory over Marlington.

Lakeview’s bats took care of business when the team reached the regional semifinals. The Bulldogs eliminated Elyria Catholic with a 9-2 victory to set up a meeting with Perry in the regional final.

In Dalton, the Bulldogs got a three-run home run from Mackenzie Stowe to power them to a 5-1 win over the Pirates and punch their ticket to the state semis.

Their run came to an end in the final four, as the Bulldogs fell 7-1 to state-runner up Hillsboro.

9. Guardians make improbable AL Central comeback

It looked as if all hope was lost for the Cleveland Guardians to make the MLB postseason when July 4 rolled around.

The Guardians were just under 16 games out of the American League Central standings, with the Detroit Tigers on top. However, the Guards didn’t say die.

They battled all the way back to clinch the division and punch their ticket to the postseason on Sept. 28. It was the largest divisional comeback since the 1914 “Miracle” Boston Braves.

Cleveland finished the regular season with an 88-75 record, and a 41-26 record in the second half of the season.

The historic run came to an end after the Guardians fell to 2-1 to the Tigers in their Wildcard series in Cleveland.

With the comeback, Cleveland clinched their 13th AL Central crown since the division formed in 1995. It was also their 15th postseason appearance during that span, and 18th in franchise history.

10. Niles girls soccer has stellar season

The Niles girls soccer team put together one of the best seasons in program history this fall.

The Red Dragons started the year 7-0 before a 1-1 draw against Girard. The blemish on their record didn’t stop the Dragons, as they finished the regular season undefeated at 15-0-1.

They earned the top seed in their region for the Division IV tournament, and continued to roll through the postseason.

Niles started the tournament with back-to-back shutouts against Akron Coventry and Ravenna Southeast. The Red Dragons got a test against Perry in the district championship, but they emerged victorious with a 2-1 result.

They added another win in the regional semifinals, besting Fairview easily 4-1. However, the dream season came to close when the Dragons fell 2-0 to Ottawa-Glandorf in the regional final.

Niles concluded the year with a 20-1-1 mark and a Northeast 8 title after going 11-0-1 in the league.

Star junior Madelyn Yost was also awarded with All-American honors after the conclusion of the season.