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Will YSU make the playoffs?: An assesment of the Penguins’ resume

YOUNGSTOWN — Count Doug Phillips among those who believes Youngstown State has done enough to earn a playoff bid. “We’re playing in the toughest FCS in the country, and we won our last five out of six games,” YSU’s head coach said. “It doesn’t matter how you win — we found a way to win the last five out of six games. We have the best running back in the country and in FCS history.” But, he lamented, there were a couple games this season that could’ve given the Penguins much more breathing room going into today’s selection, which will air on ESPNU at 12:30 ...

Angler thankful for another year on the water

Hardly a day goes by without me noticing I truly am one lucky guy. Lucky in love. Lucky on the lake and in life. And certainly lucky to have survived a good number of years mostly intact (thanks to some very excellent medical care). So with Thanksgiving just four days away, I am dedicating this week’s column to express thanks for those people and experiences that have made 2022 a very good year. I truly am fortunate to have a passion for a pursuit that pays back huge dividends. Fishing has been my favorite pastime for more than 50 years—and it’s something that really does get ...

A look back to the sidelines: Q&A with former WGH coach Thom McDaniels

For nearly three decades, Thom McDaniels was widely regarded as one of Ohio’s elite high school football coaches. From 1982 to 1997 McDaniels guided the Canton McKinley High football program, where his teams compiled a 134-42 record. He led the Bulldogs to seven playoff appearances, ...

Innovations in angling allow for creativity

One reason I am passionate about fishing is the undeniable fact that it is truly a dynamic sport. Every day, every hour, delivers change for those who go to the water to fish. Even the individual preferences of our planet’s anglers are diverse and personal. Change is a given for those of us who fish. What’s good today may be tomorrow’s failed choice; and if today is a bad day, tomorrow likely will be better. The dynamic nature of fishing is the flywheel of creativity for the innovators in our sport. Since our earliest human experiences in catching fish, anglers have sought ...

Persistence necessary in slow start to season

Even the most experienced and insightful anglers sometimes struggle to trigger strikes from wily game fish. John Breedlove certainly qualifies as an expert angler. He has caught just about every kind of fish that swims Northeast Ohio waters and rarely goes home without limiting out. Breedlove, a Girard resident, is especially savvy in the ways of the steelhead trout that grow far out in Lake Erie and migrate to the river mouths every fall enroute to their winter homes in the tributaries’ pools. He makes two to four trips a week to troll the harbors and river mouths for steelies, ...

Anglers look to solve each day’s problem

When the high-fives are easy and the hoots and hollers are echoing off the water, the fishing is fun and the catching is even better. Anglers live for the days when good fortune smiles on their efforts. But it’s not always fun and games out on the water. Veteran anglers know the good times can be interrupted by long streaks of tough luck and frustration. That’s when good anglers rise to the occasion and find the way to catch a few to save the day. Fishing, in fact, is not so much about catching as it is about solving the day’s riddle. Where are the fish? What is their ...