Category: Sports

Ten Minerva Lions, two Carrollton Warriors and one Sandy Valley Cardinal are making the trip to Columbus for the Division II state track championships this Friday and Saturday at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium on the Campus of The Ohio State University. The athletes earned berths during regional competition May 25 and 27 at Muskingum College. The top four in each event qualified to the state meet.   The Lions qualified

A first inning home run was the only score Carrollton needed to claim a 6-0 win over Zanesville Maysville and the Division II East 2 Sectional baseball championship last week. The title is Carrollton’s first since 2007.The Warriors, the No. 3 seed, hosted the No. 20 seeded Panthers in the combined sectional/district bracket May 16 and wasted no time putting runs on the board.With one out in the bottom of

Carrollton seniors Elizabeth Funkhouser and Nathan Baker made history May 12 at the Eastern Buckeye Conference (EBC) championship meet at Salem.Funkhouser set a meet and school record in winning the 300M hurdles in 46.28. She shattered a 1984 record held by Kathy Frase. Baker, also a senior, set a meet and school record in the 200M, winning in 22.42. He bested Calob Dalton’s 2018 record of 22.65.The Carrollton 4×200 relay

Two area basketball players participated in the recent Ohio High School Coaches Association North-South All-Star Games.Maddie Powers, a senior at Malvern, represented the Hornets and Jaxon Rinkes a senior at Carrollton, represented the Warriors.Powers represented the North Team, scoring six points and collecting four rebounds. The North dropped an exciting game to the South by a score of 71-70. As part of the experience, Powers participated in a skills competition

Area softball results Conotton Valley won its third consecutive Ohio Valley Athletic Conference (OVAC) championship April 3.The Lady Rockets topped Frontier 10-0 in the championship game.Masy Baker allowed two hits over five innings of work to earn the victory. She struck out nine batters and walked one.The junior also launched one of two fourth inning home runs. The other came off the bat of sophomore Maddison Kelley as the winners

Twenty-one high school track teams braved cool and rainy conditions at the 8th annual Larry Cogan Invitational April 29 at Community Field in Carrollton.The event, named for longtime Carrollton track and field coach Larry Cogan, featured a field of 10 boys teams and 11 girls teams, including five area teams.Both Carrollton teams won championship titles. The boys team garnered 104 points to claim the title. Minerva placed fourth with 66,

Conotton Valley continued to dominate opponents on the softball field last week, including a 10-0 win over Malvern. The Lady Warriors of Carrollton picked up wins over Minerva and Sandy Valley as the teams reach the midway point of the season.Conotton Valley 10, Malvern 0A six run third inning propelled the host Rockets to a five-inning shutout win over Malvern in an Inter Valley Conference matchup April 18.The rally was

Carrollton, Malvern and Sandy Valley athletes participated in the Lidderdale Invitational track meet April 14 at Sandy Valley High School.The Carrollton girls team placed third in the field of nine teams with 66 points. Indian Valley earned the top slot with 126 points. Malvern was seventh with 41 and Sandy Valley ninth with 22.On the boys side, Sandy Valley captured third with 58 points, followed by Carrollton in fifth with

Carrollton athletes had a busy week on the softball field, playing four games in four days, winning three of those contests.The Conotton Valley Rockets suffered their first loss of the season but rebounded for a victory.Malvern came close to picking up a win over East Canton, but fell a run shy and dropped a conference game to Tuscarawas Central Catholic.Marlington 6, Carrollton 0The Lady Dukes completed the sweep of the

By Carol McIntireEditorCarrollton sports fans had their first opportunity to see the new high school boys volleyball team in action at home April 6.The Warriors hosted Louisville, taking the Leopards to four games before losing in the team’s closest game of the season.The Warriors got off to a slow start, losing the first set 25-11. Coach Sue Incerpi’s young squad put all the pieces of the game the team has

Conotton Valley picked up where they left off last season on the softball diamond – winning ball games.The Lady Rockets opened the season by winning a double header against Southern Local 17-0 and 13-1, topped East Canton 21-1 and shut out Buckeye Trail 10-0 and East Canton a second time 10-0 during the opening week of action.Southern LocalMasy Baker allowed two hits in four innings of work in the opening

A Carrollton wrestler notched a championship win at the 2023 annual Reno Worlds of Wrestling (WOW) tournament April 2 in Reno, NV.Junior Josh Carman won the 138-lb title with an 8-4 decision of three- time state champion Jacob Sieminski of Sweet Home Wrestling Club of Oregon. Sieminski won his most recent title at 132-lbs in Class 4A.The win gives Carman the title of All American Carman’s journey through the bracket

Longtime girls volleyball coach Sue Incerpi is leading the formation of a boys volleyball team at Carrollton High School.The board of education approved the establishment of a team last fall after the Ohio High School Athletic Association added boys volleyball and girls wresting as sanctioned sports.“I am super excited to have been given the opportunity to begin a boys volleyball program at CHS,” Incerpi said. “Volleyball has been such a

By Carol McIntireEditorMinerva senior Alaina Jackson capped off her high school wrestling career with a fourth state championship at the inaugural Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) girls wrestling state championship March 10-12 in the Jerome Schottenstein Center.Jackson won three Ohio High School Wresting Coaches Association (OHSWCA) championships and garnered her fourth (and first in OHSAA-sanctioned competition) in front of a packed house in Columbus Sunday night.OHSAA sanctioned the sport

By Carol McIntireEditorConotton Valley made school history last weekend when the boys bowling team made its first appearance at the Division II state tournament.The team made the most of the opportunity, qualifying for the championship round and placing third.In a field of seasoned teams, that included defending state runner-up Coldwater, the Rockets qualified fourth in the group of eight teams that advanced to the championship round. The Rockets turned in

By Carol McIntireEditorIn four short years, the Conotton Valley girls bowling program went from a new sport to a state champion.The Lady Rockets made school history March 3 when the team became the first team in any sport to win a state championship.“It hasn’t sunk in yet,” Coach Brian Baxter said just minutes after his team was presented the Division II state bowling championship trophy at Wayne Webb’s Columbus Bowl.

By Carol McIntireEditorWhat are the chances two teams from a small, rural county would sweep the top two spots in both divisions of the East District Division II district bowling tournament and qualify for the state tournament?Some might have said no way, but Carrollton and Conotton Valley coaches, players and fans thought the odds were pretty good when the teams competed Feb. 23 at Legacy Lanes in CoshoctonThey were spot

By Carol McIntireEditorCarrollton came roaring back from a 26-21 halftime deficit to win the Division II East District sectional title Saturday 56-40 over Claymont in front a packed house in the CHS gym.Fueled by a strong defensive effort in the third quarter which gave up only six points to the visiting Mustangs, the Warriors took the lead with 1:54 left in the third and steadily stretched the lead.“We thrive on

By Carol McIntire, Editor Carrollton and Conotton Valley bowling teams swept the state tournament slots at the East District district tournament Feb. 23 at Legacy Lanes in Coshocton. The Rockets won the boys and girls divisions while Carrollton placed second in both divisions in a field of six teams. The top two teams and two individuals not on a qualifying team advance to the state tournament March 3 and 4

By Carol McIntireEditorA 3-point shot off the hands of Hillari Baker midway through the fourth period lit a spark in the Carrollton Warriors that carried the team to the Division II East District 2 sectional championship.The No. 4 seeded Warriors hosted the No. 6 New Philadelphia Lady Quakers last Saturday in the hard-fought, physical contest which wasn’t controlled by either team until the final minutes of the game, won by

By Carol McIntireEditorAll four area bowling teams that competed in the Division II sectional bowling tournament Feb. 14 at St. Clair Lanes advanced to the district tournament.The teams, Conotton Valley, Minerva, Sandy Valley and Carrollton ,swept the top four of the six district berths. East Liverpool and Maysville claimed the final two slots in the field of 23 teams.Conotton Valley topped the tournament, defeating Minerva by 297 pins. The Lady

By Carol McIntireEditorThree Malvern wrestlers earned individual championships and the team placed fourth at the Inter-Valley Conference IVC) wrestling championships Feb. 16 at Claymont High School.Sophomore Tyson Clear (157 lbs.), senior Xavier Watson (175 lbs.) and junior Zach Babiczuk (215 lbs.) won championships for the Hornets.Indian Valley claimed the team title with 181 points, followed by Tusky Valley 147, Claymont 121.5, Malvern 112, Sandy Valley 86.5, Ridgewood 62, Newcomerstown 49,

By Carol McIntireEditorOxford dictionary defines rivalry as a competition for superiority in the same field.Whether it’s gutting it out on the football field, basketball court or wrestling mat, rivalries are what sports are built on. Winning against your rival and riding the high until the next season or losing to a rival and having that feeling fester and become the driving force to work harder for the next matchup are

By Carol McIntireEditorMalvern’s 72-47 win over East Canton Jan. 31 earned Coach Dennis Tucci’s team the Inter-Valley Conference North Division boys basketball title for the fourth consecutive year.It was the 17th win this season for the once-beaten young Hornet team, which improved to 11-0 in league play.If that statistic is not impressive enough, the Hornets have amassed a 45-2 record over those four years and won 32 straight IVC North

By Carol McIntireEditorFor the first time in over a decade, the Carrollton Warriors wear the Eastern Buckeye Conference (EBC) boys basketball crown.Coach Mike Aukerman’s squad clinched the title with a 57-35 win at Minerva Friday and share the title with Alliance, who slipped past Marlington 52-49 Friday. The Warriors are Aviators split the season series and end the season with one loss each.It was the 16th consecutive win for Carrollton,

By Carol McIntireEditorWhen the 3-point shot isn’t falling for your outside shooters and you’re riding a 13-game winning streak, what do you do?If you’re Carrollton Basketball Coach Mike Aukerman, you find the hot-handed man and feed him the ball. The Warriors found that success from their big man – 6 foot-4inch senior Cadyn Smith – who scored a career-high 20 points and led the hosts to 57-40 win over Salem

Carrollton and Alliance sit tied atop the Eastern Buckeye Conference standings after the Warriors knocked off the league leaders 65-60 in a thriller Jan. 19 in the Alliance gym.The Warriors fell to the Aviators 60-41 when the two teams met Dec. 9 in the CHS gym, which is Carrollton’s only league loss of the season. Coach Mike Aukerman’s team has two remaining conference games on the schedule: Salem this Friday

By Carol McIntireEditorCarrollton Coach Mike Aukerman’s boys basketball team won its ninth straight game in dominating fashion last week, downing rival Minerva 68-41 in the CHS gym.With the win, Carrollton improved to 11-2 and 4-1 in the Eastern Buckeye Conference (EBC).“We knew they had some close games recently and were capable of playing with anybody in spite of their inexperience,” Aukerman said following the win. “We knew we had the

By Carol McIntireEditorCarrollton wrestlers opened the Eastern Buckeye Conference (EBC)season with a win, claimed the team title at the Licking Valley Invitational and celebrated Josh Carman’s 100th career victory over the past week.The team also made history as the Carrollton girls wrestling team competed in its first dual meet since being organized in November 2022.Carman, a junior, set the tone for a 43-27 win over Marlington with a 57-second pin

The Conotton Valley girls bowling team knocked off the reigning state champions last week on the Rocket Center Lanes.  Coach Brian Baxter’s Lady Rockets defeated Triway by 33 pins, 2,515-2482 and spoiled the Titans’ undefeated season.  Conotton Valley held a 101-pin lead after the individual games, 1,794-1,693. Triway clawed its way back into the contest during the Baker competition with scores of 137, 244, 184 and 224 for a 789.

By Carol McIntireEditorOnce Carrollton girls basketball Coach Nik Schweikert’s team dissected the pressure defense the Meadowbrook Colts threw at them during a holiday matchup Dec. 28, they were nearly unstoppable on offense.The Warriors put up 71 points and held the visitors to under 50 points, one of Schweikert’s goals, to post a 71-47 non-conference victory.“We’ve scored an average of 70 points over the last four games,” the coach said following

Coach Wendy Russell’s Carrollton girls bowling team notched another tournament win Dec. 17 at the New Philadelphia Quaker Challenge.Carrollton had a pinfall of 2,743 in the individual three-game series and a score of 1,232 in six Baker games for a grand total of 2,975, good enough for first place.Zoey Elliott bested teammate Aubrey Taylor by one pin and posted scores of 178, 235 and 179 for a 592 series. Taylor

Lincoln Mallarnee hit a game-tying 3-pointer off a baseline out-of-bounds play with 20 seconds left in regulation to force overtime with the Salem Quakers last week.Carrollton took the lead in overtime on another Mallernee 3-pointer and the Warriors pulled away on four straight Jaxon Rinkes free throws for a 55-48 Eastern Buckeye Conference road win.Mallarnee, a junior, ended the game with 24 points. Eighteen of his points came from 3-point

Maddie Powers sank four shots from beyond the 3-point arc, added 12 of 13 free throw attempts for 32 points and led the Malvern Hornets to a 55-29 win over the Conotton Valley Rockets Dec. 14 in the new Rocket Center gym.With the win in the Inter Valley Conference North clash, Malvern improved to 5-2 overall and 4-1 in league play.The visitors led 14-8 after one quarter, 27-10 at halftime

The Carrollton Warriors kicked off the 2022-23 wrestling season by posting a 3-1 mark in the Lake Duals Dec. 3.The Warriors topped Lake 37-34, Massillon 47-27 and Riverside 64-15 and fell to Western Reserve Academy 64-15.Three wrestlers posted 4-0 records, including Landon Jenkins (106); who won three matches by forfeit and defeated Clemens of Lake 2-0; Kail Snair (113) who won three matches by forfeit and posted a pin over

By Carol McIntireEditorConotton Valley bowling teams christened the new Rocket Center Lanes with victories over the Lake Blue Streaks on the first day of December.Not only was the match the long-awaited official opening of the 10-lane bowling alley on the lower level of the Rocket Center, it held special meaning to the teams and coaches as well.The match, which came a year after it was originally scheduled, pitted Robyn King,

Carrollton bowling teams opened the season with impressive finishes at the SCHBX Early Bird Tournament Nov. 19 at Park Centre.Boys competitionThe Warriors won the boys division by defeating Glen Oak 3-2 in the best of five championship round. Coach Dave Davis’ team defeated North Canton Hoover 2-0 in the best of three series to open the competition and downed Lake 2-0 to advance to the championship round.Stats for two individual

Three Warriors scored in double digits as Carrollton opened the 2022-23 boys basketball season with a 54-28 win over Tuscarawas Central Catholic.Senior Jaxon Rinkes led the way with 14 points. The point guard scored 12 points from the field and added two foul shots. He also led the team in rebounds with eight. Senior Micah Barkan and junior Lincoln Mallarnee both chipped in 10 points. Mallarnee and teammate Cayden Rininger

Malvern basketball coach Denny Tucci was named the recipient of the 2023 Paul Walker Award.The Paul Walker Award is presented annually by the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association to an active coaching member of the association who has made significant contributions to high school basketball. The award is named in honor of the late Paul Walker, the longtime coach of Middletown High School. At the time of his retirement,

The men responsible for making sure coaches in the press box could communicate with coaches on the sideline at Carrollton football games have both retired.Tom Haun placed the headsets in the case for the final time after Carrollton’s playoff game against Steubenville Big Red Oct. 28. His partner, John Wenner, retired after the COVID season (2020).The Carrollton residents served as the caretakers of the headsets for over 30 years for

Carrollton junior and senior girls took to the football field last week with members of the high school football team as coaches for a fundraising event.The powderpuff teams, accompanied by male cheerleaders, who received a few tips from the high school cheerleading squad, raised $2,450 for the high school Caring Helping Sharing (CHS) Club. The money will be put to good use, according to CHS Club Advisor Belinda Mach.“The funds

By Carol McIntireEditorTwo Minerva runners earned All-Ohio status at the 94th annual Cross Country State Championships Nov. 5 at Fortress Obetz on the east side of Columbus.The Lions girls team followed up their Division II state championship in 2021 with a fourth place finish in the team standings. Coach Olivia Scott’s Lady Lions were the favorite to repeat as champions in the pre-regionals Coaches State Poll releases Oct. 27. The