Penguin women belong on top

March 7, 2019

YOUNGSTOWN — It’s Wednesday morning and I’m driving down Schenley Road near Youngstown, heading to a Wednesday morning mass. It’s Ash Wednesday and I’m trying to think of what to give up for the 40-day Lenten season. Hamburger, hot dog and sub buns. That’s my plan. Hopefully it makes a difference. The cup of dark-roasted coffee I had from my single-serve coffee maker was strong as ever. I could even see some coffee grounds in the remnants of that surge of java now running through my body. It got me through the rest of the morning as I went to see my wife, Michele, ...

Different opponents, sites for YSU teams

March 6, 2019

Horizon League teams figured out a trip to the Beeghly Center meant nothing more than 40 minutes of pain and misery. The Youngstown State women’s basketball team hopes to inflict some more of what its done for the better part of the previous two months, going 9-0 against the rest of this 10-team grouping. If there were ever a team even with YSU the last couple of years it would be Milwaukee. The two teams have had six contests decided by four or fewer points. Then the third-seeded Penguins (21-8) dismantled sixth-seeded Milwaukee (15-14) on Feb. 17 by 20 points. It was the tail end ...

YSU needs to rekindle earlier mojo

March 5, 2019

Three consecutive losses. Wright State, Northern Kentucky and Cleveland State. Sound familiar? It should. The Youngstown State men’s basketball team was losers of three straight before heading to Oakland (Mich.) University for a Jan. 30 regular season game on the Rochester, Michigan campus. How did this team get from the doldrums of the Horizon League basement to being part of the top eight and qualifying for this year’s tournament? YSU (12-19) begins the Horizon League Tournament on Wednesday as a six seed at the third-seeded Golden Grizzlies (15-16), starting at 7 p.m., at ...

Wrestlers ready for district battles

February 28, 2019

One of the most unforgiving days of the season is nearly upon high school wrestlers. The goal of every wrestler who steps on the mat this weekend at their respective district tournament is to qualify for state, but only the top four in each 16-man weight class advance. It’s when the numbers dwindle to six that things get interesting. In the wrestling community, it’s known as the “go-to match,” and the battles are simply epic — and brutal. There are two wrestlers who compete for first, and that matchup is determined earlier in the semifinal round. The two losers in the ...

Can YSU sustain success?

February 21, 2019

YOUNGSTOWN — The crowd started to fill the Beeghly Center earlier than usual on Saturday afternoon. The Youngstown State University pep band was more than doubled in size with area high school band members a part of the merriment in the loudest area inside the nearly 50-year-old venue, the upper north side. YSU President Jim Tressel even waved his arms like a conductor during a timeout in front of the musical group, giving the nearly 5,000 in attendance something else to see. Check out my Twitter account @jvargoTrib to see it for yourself. Even area high school mascots from ...

Take notice of Niles boys hoops

February 18, 2019

THINGS never seem to come easy for Niles, regardless of the sport ... or politician, fiscal situation, levy, coach, etc. A city known for a blue-collar work ethic and football stardom back in the 1950s and ‘60s has endured some black eyes in recent years. Basketball certainly hasn’t been devoid of criticism. Just a few months ago, former Niles High School girls coach Mike Cappuzzello resigned abruptly after he claimed numerous parents were being overzealous and aggressive in their complaints about playing time for their daughters. He said one parent even chest bumped ...