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8-man football a reality some must consider

Last week, Sebring announced its decision to pursue 8-man football for the foreseeable future as a way to keep the program alive. Sad? Sure. It’s sad to see a team “close up shop” on a sport. But truthfully, I prefer to think of this move as rebirth more than anything. The football team isn’t going anywhere. The schedule is going to look a little different and there’s going to be a few less players on the field at a time, but at its core, Sebring still has a football team. The marching band will still be there to play and the lights will still shine on Friday night. In ...

Pleasant weather provides grand finale to season

After a spell of autumn’s mid-season nasty weather, there is nothing like a few days of unseasonable weather to light the fuse on fishing’s fall fireworks. The forecast shows 70-degree weather, which means prime time action for just about all of the popular game and panfish in northeastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania. This weekend is shaping up as a great opportunity to hook up with walleyes, crappies, largemouth and smallmouth bass, and Lake Erie steelhead trout. Walleye are local anglers’ favorite species in the spring, but by the time we get to October many of us are ...

Sebring moving to 8-man football

When Sebring closes its season tonight with a road game at Springfield, it will also close the books – at least for the foreseeable future – on its participation in 11-man football. Last week, the Sebring Board of Education held a special meeting to discuss the Trojans’ football ...

October weather provides different opportunities

Few things rival a sunny October day when the breeze is southerly at just enough pace to ruffle the water and the bass are in the mood to play. Two recent fishing trips help make my point. Last Sunday and Tuesday dawned clear and crisp. Experience indicated there was no need to try to beat the sunrise over the boat ramp, so I agreed with fishing buddies Tyler Woak of Niles and Ted Suffolk of Canfield to meet mid-morning to give the sun time to warm the air and water. A couple of degrees can make a huge difference in cold-water fishing, especially in the spring and summer. When the ...

Living up to a legacy

Ambrose Hoso fully understands the expectations and the lofty goals which are thrust upon anyone who dons a Warren John F. Kennedy football jersey. At JFK, “Blue Pride” isn’t just a pep rally battlecry, it’s a way of life for the entire Kennedy community. “Playing for the K” ...

Cheating incident causes black eye for fishing, anglers

The ugly scene that played out recently at a walleye tournament on Lake Erie spotlighted the vulnerability of competitive fishing’s reputation in the mindset of many who know nothing about the sport. The YouTube video viewed by millions last week shows a tournament official slicing open the bellies of walleyes presented by two competitors to be weighed in the big-money competition. The knife revealed what the tournament director hoped he wouldn’t discover: heavy lead balls. A crowd of anglers and onlookers reacted strongly at the discovery. The two men who presented the fish are ...