The meaning of ‘Lakeview football’ showed up Friday

October 16, 2017

POLAND — Where does this game rank in games you’ve seen? Lakeview football coach Tom Pavlansky asked the question before either reporter could utter a question. Lakeview rallied from 17 points down and upended previously undefeated Poland on Friday, 35-30. It ranked high on my list, probably one of the best. The 2006 Canfield Cardinals, down 28 points at one point, had a couple of onside kicks to rally but fell short of then state-ranked Pickerington Central by five points. That was my most memorable game, until Friday. Canfield is coached by Tom’s brother, Mike. Both teams ...

Olympian coming to area event

October 5, 2017

It took less than 2 minutes, but it gave Clayton Murphy a lifetime of memories. Murphy went to Rio de Janeiro as part of the U.S. Olympic contingent for the 2016 Summer Olympics. He ran the 800-meter run in 1:42.93 seconds and took home a bronze medal, becoming the first American in 24 years to medal in the half mile — one of the more grueling events in track and field. Johnny Gray finished third in 1992. More than a year removed from his medal-winning performance, Murphy will be at Saturday’s The Legends Cross Country Meet at the Trumbull County Fairgrounds. Murphy’s time ...

Coverage of protests takes away from games

September 27, 2017

If you’re one of the people sick of reading, watching or hearing about NFL protests, please raise your hand. No need to take a knee. We’ve seen enough of that lately. There’s a little contradiction in this column because it, too, relates to the peaceful-yet-incorrigible protests taking over the sports world lately. Yet, my stance is less about whether kneeling for the national anthem is right or wrong and more focused on how the gesture is being abused and losing its focus. The widespread displays by athletes reached an all-time high this past Sunday, when hundreds of NFL ...

Maplewood runners always in contention

September 25, 2017

Maplewood. It’s synonymous with all things cross country. It is the school’s football — the dominant sport. Entrenched in an area where football is hyped more times than not, the Rockets are one of a handful of schools in Trumbull County without a football team. The difference is those others are not Maplewood boys cross country. These Rockets have seven state championships dating back to 1972 when the living legend Ted Rupe helped bring home the school’s first state title. He then mentored a couple more Maplewood teams to state glory at Scioto Downs, the former site of the ...

Penguins continue recruiting in Ohio

September 21, 2017

YOUNGSTOWN — Click. Refresh. Click. Refresh. Repeat a couple of more times. Potential Youngstown State University men’s basketball recruits are out there. Searching under Youngstown State and going latest is the key. I read a little over a week ago a senior guard, who is around 6-feet tall, was visiting the YSU campus last weekend. Keep reading, searching. Found Darius Quisenberry and a few things said about the talented point guard from Huber Heights Wayne High School: Plays with as much energy and toughness as anyone in the country. Getting after it on D, challenging much ...

Legends, Legacy & other stuff

September 17, 2017

A little bit of this and a little bit of that as the Cleveland Indians begin another winning streak: If you haven’t made reservations for next week’s second annual NFL Legends Reunion and golf outing at Trumbull Country Club, contact Virginia Holmes of the Warren Gridiron Club, or Ray Yannucci. The event, a part of the Warren Homecoming, celebrates the number of professional football players from Warren City Schools and this year will feature the four coaches who won state titles with either Warren G. Harding or Western Reserve — Tom Batta, Joe Novak, Ed Glass and Phil ...