Marysville High School senior football player Caleb Dilsaver begins his workout in the MHS weight room on Monday. It was the first day the weight room has been opened since school facilities were shut down by COVID-19 in March. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller) Athletics began initial steps toward returning to a phased-in status at Marysville High School on Monday. The weight room was open for student-athletes, while coaches in various sports began their first day of workouts this summer. The initial phase of the gradual return to activities amid COVID-19 began with limited numbers of athletes in any given…
Author: Tim Miller
Hank Luther is pictured competing during a 2019 Marysville Stingrays swimming meet. Practices for the 2020 season will begin on Tuesday at the Marysville Municipal Pool. (Journal-Tribune photo by Kevin Behrens) There is one local youth sports activity that COVID-19 wasn’t able to stop. The Marysville Stingrays swimming team has received the green light to conduct a 2020 season. Coach Kristin Williams announced early Friday afternoon the city of Marysville has given approval for the team to begin preseason practice. The first practice will be held on Tuesday, beginning at 9 a.m., at the Marysville Municipal Swimming Pool. There will…
Trevor Secord, executive director of the Union County YMCA, stands with his arms apart to show that workout equipment has been spaced six feet apart. The YMCA is planning to reopen at 6 a.m. Monday. (Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon) It has been a long two month-plus wait for those who depend on the Union County Family YMCA for their fitness and exercise needs. The COVID-19 pandemic, which has turned the entire globe topsy-turvy, shuttered fitness centers and gymnasiums throughout the state of Ohio in March. Governor Mike DeWine stated last week those types of facilities would be permitted to…
Youth golfers Berkley Behrens (top photo) and Lillian Peck compete during a 2019 Union County Junior Golf Academy-Tour round. The organization has canceled its 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic. (Journal-Tribune photos by Tim Miller) Union County Junior Golf Academy Tour (UCJGAT) co-director Eli Morris has done something he really didn’t want to do. He has canceled the organization’s 2020 season due to the coronavirus pandemic. The program would have started its 18th season in early June. The COVID-19 risks, however, were just too much to overcome in Morris’ mind. “Ken (co-director and Darby Creek pro Collett) and I…
Fairbanks’ Jayda Rausch fires the ball over the net during a 2019 volleyball game. Panther athletes are beginning a gradual return to conditioning sessions in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller) District will follow three phases of return to sports High school athletic directors throughout the state of Ohio have been hard at work to determine what the re-opening of sports will look like in the coming days and weeks. Governor Mike DeWine and the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) recently permitted limited sports conditioning sessions to begin on Tuesday of this week. Union…
Jonathan Alder head football coach Brett Glass glances at his play sheets during a 2019 game. High school coaches in Ohio are determining how to proceed with training sessions while in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller) Football is among the high school contact-related sports that are permitted to begin training sessions this week. Local gridiron programs were allowed into weight rooms, beginning on Tuesday, as long as coaches and administrators had figured out a way to social distance during the COVID-19 pandemic. Jonathan Alder football coach Brett Glass is happy teams can return to…
This is a photo from a Marysville Junior Baseball game. The coronavirus has forced the cancellation of the organization’s 2020 season. (Journal-Tribune file photo) The Marysville Junior Baseball-Softball Association has shut down its 2020 season. The decision to halt the campaign is due to the coronavirus pandemic. The season was scheduled to begin on May 2 with opening day festivities. COVID-19 forced MJBSA to originally postpone the start of the campaign to June until it was canceled. The Journal-Tribune has made repeated attempts over several days to confirm the rumors of the shutdown that were first reported a week ago.…
Fairbanks pitcher Weston Lorenz fires the ball toward the plate. Lorenz will continue his baseball career at Baldwin-Wallace. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller) Major League Baseball fans from the late 1980s into the 2000s remember what a menacing figure pitcher Randy Johnson presented to opposing batters. The 6-10 southpaw with the perpetual snarl was nicknamed the “Big Unit” for good reason. His stature, demeanor and 100-mph fastball made even the heartiest hitters quake with fear. Fairbanks High School senior Weston Lorenz doesn’t have a snarl. As a matter of fact, he’s a pretty good-natured fellow. His fastball doesn’t reach the…
Marysville High School running back Ryan Kern picks up yardage during a 2019 game. Prep football teams in Ohio may begin working out next week. (Journal-Tribune photo by Chad Williamson) The light at the end of the coronavirus tunnel became a bit brighter on Thursday for high school sports teams in Ohio. Governor Mike DeWine announced that all sports, both contact and non-contact, may begin workouts next Tuesday, May 26. It was previously announced that non-contact sports such as baseball, softball and track and field could begin practicing the day after Memorial Day. The governor’s earlier ruling excluded contact sports…
Patrons of the Union County Family YMCA are going to have to wait a little bit longer before they are permitted to use the facility that is located on Charles Lane. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine recently announced that fitness centers and gymnasiums would be permitted to reopen on Tuesday, May 26. The governor set guidelines for those re-openings due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Local YMCA executive director Trevor Secord announced Wednesday the facility will take a few more days to open its doors. “We will be reopening on Monday, June 1,” said Secord. “We could have been ready to reopen…
Fairbanks’ Riordin Stauffer (24) picks up yardage during the 2019 game against West Liberty-Salem. The Ohio High School Athletic Association will expand the state playoffs from eight teams in each region to 12, beginning with the 2021 season. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller) Additional high school football teams in Ohio will be eligible for post-season competition, beginning with the 2021 season. The Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) board of directors unanimously (9-0) voted on Wednesday to expand the state playoffs. The current structure sends the top eight teams in each region to the post-season. The playoff lineup will expand…
In the above photo, Jonathan Alder’s Daniel Heinig heaves the shot put during the 2019 Division II state track and field meet at The Ohio State University. In the bottom photo, Heinig scores a basket during the 2019-20 basketball campaign. A shoulder injury limited the senior’s hoop campaign, while the coronavirus wiped out his final JA track and field season. (Journal-Tribune photos by Tim Miller) Daniel Heinig’s senior sports seasons at Jonathan Alder High School didn’t go like he would have hoped. His final year of basketball was limited to just a handful of games due to a shoulder injury.…
Although Ohio Governor Mike DeWine recently announced that baseball and softball may resume activities on May 26, there is one area organization that has instead opted to shut down for the 2020 season. The Triad Junior Baseball-Softball Association (TJBSA)has canceled its summer campaign. According to an e-mail received by the Journal-Tribune from North Lewisburg mayor Cheryl Hollingsworth, organization officials stated they were planning to follow the governor’s coronavirus guidelines to begin the season. Those mandates included six-foot distancing for players, coaches and spectators, along with daily virus symptom assessments. Coaches were ordered to wear face coverings at all times and…
Jack Christian of Marysville slides into third base during a 2019 game. Non-contact high school sports in Ohio will be permitted to begin practice sessions next week. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller) There appears to be a bit of light at the end of the coronavirus tunnel as far as some school sports. At least that’s what Marysville High School varsity baseball coach Nick Blake feels. The Ohio High School Athletic Association will reportedly allow non-contact high school sports to begin practicing on Tuesday, May 26. That is the same day youth baseball and softball teams will be permitted to…
Former North Union wrestler Corbin Bunsold prepares to pin an opponent during a collegiate match. Bunsold was named Otterbein University’s top senior male athlete for the 2019-20 season. (File photo) Corbin Bunsold made a name for himself during his days as a wrestler at North Union High School. He continued that trend during his collegiate career at Otterbein University. Bunsold was recently named as a recipient of the Ohio Athletic Conference’s Clyde Lamb Award. The honor is presented annually to the top senior male and female athletes at the circuit’s 10 member institutions. The award is usually presented during the…