Credit: Marcus Hartman
Credit: Marcus Hartman
1: Ohio State wins ninth national championship (Jan. 20)
By Marcus Hartman: Ohio State football finished the job for the first time in 10 years
After repeated frustrations — teams that got close but couldn’t quite get over the hump — the 2024 Buckeyes beat all comers in the newly expanded College Football Playoff and can call themselves national champions forever.
“God made it hard for a reason,” said Ohio State head coach Ryan Day after a 34-23 triumph over Notre Dame at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta. “You just never know what’s in your path along the way, but this game can give you the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. It can take you to your knees some days as a player and as a coach. I’ve been there before.”
Credit: David Jablonski
Credit: David Jablonski
2: Reds return to playoffs (Sept. 28)
By Hal McCoy: Never has a baseball team celebrated after a loss the way the Cincinnati Reds celebrated Sunday afternoon.
They lost, but they won.
They lost their last regular season game, 4-2, to the Milwaukee Brewers, but the Miami Marlins shut out the New York Mets, 4-0.
And that plopped the Reds into the postseason, into the playoffs as the No. 3 wild card in the National League.
Credit: Nick Graham
Credit: Nick Graham
3: Jamier Brown forces OHSAA’s hand (Nov. 25)
By Steven Wright: Name, Image and Likeness has arrived for Ohio high school athletes.
Ohio High School Athletic Association member schools officially approved NIL language proposed by the organization. The schools voted 447 in favor to 121 against during the Nov. 17-21 voting period. 247 schools abstained.
The OHSAA said in a statement it believes that the adoption of this new bylaw will help ensure a stable and secure framework for NIL and Personal Branding Rights at the high school level in Ohio moving forward.
Ohio becomes the 45th state to allow NIL.
The OHSAA has stated plans previously called for the referendum to be voted on during its May 2026 voting period. Forcing the issue now is a lawsuit filed Oct. 15 against the OHSAA by the family of Jamier Brown, a junior who plays football at Wayne High School and reportedly missed out on deals, such as trading card licensing, ranging into six-figures because of Ohio’s current NIL rules.
Credit: David Jablonski
Credit: David Jablonski
4: Nick Mangold dies at 41 (Oct. 25)
By Mandy Gambrell: Nick Mangold, a 2002 Alter High School graduate who played for the Ohio State Buckeyes and spent 11 seasons in the NFL as a center with the New York Jets, has died.
Mangold, 41, had kidney disease. The Jets said he died Saturday night.
“Nick was more than a legendary center,” said Jets Chairman Woody Johnson in a press release. “He was the heartbeat of our offensive line for a decade and a beloved teammate whose leadership and toughness defined an era of Jets football. Off the field, Nick’s wit, warmth, and unwavering loyalty made him a cherished member of our extended Jets family.”
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
5: Burrow injury derails Bengals (Sept. 14)
By Laurel Pfahler: Joe Burrow left the Cincinnati Bengals’ locker room on crutches and wearing a walking boot, but coach Zac Taylor did not have an update immediately after the game on the severity of Burrow’s left-foot toe injury.
Backup quarterback Jake Browning has much to improve upon from his first significant action since 2023, if he is needed to start next week at Minnesota, but he did enough to play the role of a hero Sunday, leading the Bengals to a 31-27 win over Jacksonville in the home opener.
Despite throwing three interceptions after entering midway through the second quarter, Browning bounced back to guide the Bengals down the field 92 yards on the final drive for the game-winning touchdown, which he punched in from the 1-yard line on a leap into the end zone with 18 seconds left.
Credit: Journal News
6: Kyle Schwarber enjoys career year
The Middletown High School graduate set career highs in home runs (56) and RBIs (132) in his 11th season in the big leagues. After the season, Schwarber signed a five-year contract extension worth $150 million with the Philadelphia Phillies.
Credit: David Jablonski
7: Jim Paxson returns to Dayton (Oct. 10)
By David Jablonski: One of the greatest Dayton Flyers men’s basketball players, Jim Paxson, will return to the program as senior advisor for basketball operations, UD announced Friday.
“I’m honored and excited to once again be a part of UD basketball,” Paxson said in a press release. “College basketball is in the midst of uncertain and challenging times, and I’ve been impressed by the professionalism and focus within the program. My intention is to help accelerate the program’s journey to where it is headed.
8: Dayton Dragons win 15 games in a row (Sept. 4)
By Jeff Gilbert: The Dayton Dragons continue to play baseball in ways they rarely did for the first 109 games of 2025. What they’ve done in what is now a 15-game winning streak makes the past two-and-a-half weeks almost feel like a different season.
On Wednesday night, 24 hours after setting the franchise record with 14 straight wins, the Dragons ignored the kind of bad baseball that has led to five losing streaks of six or more games.
This team, wearing the same uniforms with the same players, doesn’t care about the past anymore. They just keep playing, and good things are happening over and over again.
The Dragons committed three early-inning errors to create a 3-0 deficit and later cost them a 4-3 lead. It felt like a loss would finally happen on a night when they allowed three unearned runs.
However, this new version of the Dragons didn’t feel that way. They kept scoring, Peyton Stovall kept driving in runs and they ran away to an 11-6 victory over the Lansing Lugnuts.
9: Wright State baseball upsets Vanderbilt (June 1)
By Doug Harris: Wright State let Vanderbilt off the hook in their first meeting Friday.
Getting another shot at a monumental upset, the Raiders made sure it didn’t happen twice.
They rode a masterful start from Griffen Paige and survived a late uprising by Vandy for a 5-4 victory, bouncing the No. 1 overall seed — and the top-rated team in the college baseball RPI — out of the tourney Sunday.
10: Miami opens season with 13 straight victories
By Chris Vogt: Miami didn’t need a reminder that the grind of Mid-American Conference play doesn’t pause for anyone.
The RedHawks got it anyway.
Hours after junior point guard Evan Ipsaro tore his ACL Saturday at Ball State, Miami turned Millett Hall into a reset button Monday afternoon by rolling past Milligan 135-81 behind 32 assists, 20 made 3-pointers and a bench that poured in 74 points.
Ipsaro, who was averaging 13.9 points while running Miami’s offense with pace and efficiency and keeping turnovers in check, is the type of steadying presence teams don’t replace with a single substitution.
RedHawks coach Travis Steele said the reality hit quickly — and lingered — even after the win in Muncie.
“You hate seeing a young man, especially of his character, go through an injury,” Steele said. “He gives his heart and soul. He’s the best teammate. He’s an extremely hard worker. It’s a gut punch. Didn’t feel like we won at Ball State, I’ll be honest. It was kind of a somber feeling in the locker room afterwards.”
Miami (13-0, 1-0 MAC) responded Monday the way Steele challenged his RedHawks to respond. They leaned into its identity, sharing the ball and asking “different guys” to elevate rather than anointing a lone replacement.
Honorable mention
• GWOC trio taken in 2025 WNBA Draft (April 14)
By Marcus Hartman: Three players from Greater Western Ohio Conference schools were taken in the 2025 WNBA Draft.
Maddy Westbeld of Fairmont was the first to hear her name when the Chicago Sky picked her with the 16th overall pick (fourth in the second round) of the 2025 WNBA Draft on Monday night.
Four spots after Maddy Westbeld was picked, the Indiana Fever drafted South Carolina guard Bree Hall — a Wayne High School grad — with the No. 8 pick in the second round (20th overall).
Rounding out the trio, the Seattle Storm picked Springboro grad Jordan Hobbs with the No. 9 pick in the third round (34th overall).
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