This photo shows an empty parking lot at the Union County Family YMCA earlier this spring. The facility will reopen later this month under guidelines to combat the coronavirus. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller) Gymnasiums and other fitness centers throughout Ohio could begin reopening later this month. All such facilities shuttered doors two months ago as the state was hit with the coronavirus pandemic. Governor Mike DeWine announced Thursday afternoon that gyms and fitness centers may begin to reopen on Tuesday, May 26. “We are excited to hear from the governor’s office that our fitness activities and facilities may reopen…
Author: Tim Miller
This is a photo taken from a 2019 game in the Marysville Junior Baseball-Softball Association. The 2020 season will begin on Saturday, May 30 and extend through the middle of August. (Journal-Tribune file photo) The season has been delayed for a while, but some youth sports will soon return. Ohio Governor Mike DeWine announced Thursday that non-contact sports such as baseball and softball may resume toward the end of the month. Sports were shut down a couple of months ago due to the coronavirus pandemic. The Marysville Junior Baseball-Softball Association (MJBSA) has announced it plans to begin the 2020 season…
Marysville High School junior Nick McIntosh (21) controls the ball during a 2019 soccer game. The Monarchs will have a new head coach for the 2020 season. (Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon) — Marysville High School athletic director Joey Day has nothing but praise for Terry Smith, the outgoing Monarch boys soccer coach. “Terry did a great job for us,” said Day. “He is well-respected within the soccer world and we appreciate what he brought to the program.” Smith had to step down from the position due to work schedule conflicts within the realm of the coronavirus pandemic. He is…
Marysville High School boys soccer coach Terry Smith talks to his team after a 2019 tournament game. Smith has stepped down from the position after seven seasons at the Monarch helm. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller) — The coronavirus pandemic has not only thrown high school sports for a setback during the spring, it’s also caused a coaching change at Marysville High School. MHS boys varsity soccer boss Terry Smith has stepped down after seven seasons on the job. “The pandemic has changed my flexibility to be a full-time coach,” Smith wrote in an email to the Journal-Tribune this morning.…
Jonathan Alder’s Marlee Jacobs delivers a pitch during a 2019 Division II tournament game. Jacobs was part of a Lady Pioneer squad that captured a state championship a year ago. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller) — The 2019 softball season saw Jonathan Alder’s Marlee Jacobs accomplish a feat not too many freshmen are able to do. Entering the pitching circle as a first-year high school player, she helped lead her team to a state championship. Jacobs handled the bulk of the pitching chores last year when the Lady Pioneers posted a 30-1 record and captured the Division II state title.…
Marysville High School distance runner Tristan Karnes, center, competes during a 2019 race. Karnes is one of many MHS seniors who were not able to perform during a home meet their last two years of high school. (Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon) — As everyone knows, high school spring sports athletes in Ohio have been cheated out of their season due to COVID-19. It’s especially tough for seniors, who have missed out on their final opportunity to represent their schools in various athletic endeavors. The Marysville High School track and field senior class has reason to feel an extra sense…
Whether it was in the pitching circle or at the plate, Izzy Shroyer made an impact the past three seasons on the Marysville High School softball diamond. Shroyer will continue her softball and academic careers at the United States Coast Guard Academy. (Journal-Tribune photos by Tim Miller) — Marysville High School senior Izzy Shroyer knew she wanted to include softball and some type of military service in her future. The Lady Monarch pitcher-outfielder looked into several schools, including nearby Capital University for its ROTC program, the United States Military Academy at West Point, the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, the Merchant Marine…
The Marysville High School girls basketball program could have a new head coach later this month. The Journal-Tribune learned Thursday afternoon that Klarke Ransome will be recommended to the district’s board of education to take over the position. MHS athletic director Joey Day informed the Journal-Tribune that Ransome’s recommendation should go before the board of education during its regular May meeting. Ransome, who has served as Marysville’s boys junior varsity basketball coach, was one of several candidates who applied for the position that was vacated by Brooke Young’s resignation after the 2019-20 campaign. The Lady Monarch program has had three…
Marysville High School senior quarterback Nate Morey looks for a receiver downfield during a 2019 game. Morey will continue his gridiron career at Heidelberg University. (Journal-Tribune by Chad Williamson) — It’s difficult for a senior to step in and start at an important position for the first time in his or her athletic career. Marysville High School’s Nate Morey, however, was able to do just that for the Monarch football squad last fall. “Nate had to work hard throughout the program over the years,” said MHS head coach Brent Johnson. “He worked to earn the starting quarterback spot and that…
Once 5 p.m. rolls around in the spring, I’m usually hearing the words “Batter Up” or “Runners stand in your lanes.” Right now, however, it’s “One-Adam 12, One-Adam 12, a 211 in progress… One-Adam 12 handle code three.” Instead of covering a high school sports event, I’m watching reruns of my favorite TV police show from long ago. When you’ve been in the newspaper business for 40-plus years like I have, you may have a tendency to get a bit complacent and think you’ve seen it all. Along with all my sports assignments, I’ve covered fatal fires and automobile crashes,…
Members of the 2019 Jonathan Alder softball team celebrate their Division II state championship. The Lady Pioneers won’t have an opportunity to defend their title this year as sports have been shut down due to COVID-19. (Journal-Tribune photo by Sam Dillon) “We’re just living in this ‘sci-fi’ movie like everyone else.” That’s how Jonathan Alder High School head softball coach Dave McGrew is describing the “Twilight Zone” type of existence his team and everyone else across the globe has experienced with the months-old coronavirus pandemic. Like others, McGrew wants to make sure people stay safe and healthy. But man, oh…
Marysville High School head baseball coach Nick Blake (left) talks to Gabe Schaeffer (3) during a 2019 game. Blake feels the 2020 Monarchs would have been very successful this spring had the coronavirus not halted the season. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller) High school coaches always look forward to a new season. It’s a time for growth and to see if and how much your team has improved from the previous campaign. Marysville High School head baseball coach Nick Blake was very optimistic for the start of a new season. The shame of it is the Monarchs were stopped in…
Scenes like this from 2019, when Fairbanks baseball coach Josh Rine congratulates Mason Cushman on a home run, have been non-existent this spring due to the coronavirus. Athletic directors have no sports to direct at this time. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller) Have you ever wondered what an athletic director does when there are no athletics to direct? According to Fairbanks High School AD Larry Morris, there’s still plenty of work on the table. There are no actual sports contests for Morris to oversee, as athletics have been shut down this spring due to the coronavirus. MORRIS He is still,…
Marysville High School freshman Brynn Hothem practices prior to the 2019 state cross-country meet. The state meet will switch locations beginning next fall. (Journal-Tribune photo by Tim Miller) There will be a new venue late next fall when the top high school cross-country runners from around Ohio will gather to compete for state honors. The Ohio High School Athletic Association announced this week the state championships will move to Fortress Obetz. A five-year deal between the OHSAA and the facility was announced. The state meet had been held at National Trail Raceway from 2011-2019. “We knew the change was coming,”…
Chase Kilgore’s senior year at Marysville High School has been nothing like he imagined, thanks to a stadium construction project and the coronavirus pandemic. Above, Kilgore reacts after a big play against Westland, the Monarchs second truly home game of season, on Oct. 11. Above, Kilgore breaks free for a gain against Delaware in what was to have been a home game for Marysville but was played at Hilliard Bradley on Sept. 6. Below, Kilgore tags out a DeSales baserunner during a home baseball game in 2019. (Journal-Tribune photos by Tim Miller and Chad Williamson) A two-sport Marysville athlete saw…