Late TD gives Jackson football rivalry win vs. Hoover, rare league title

JACKSON TWP. — The wait felt like forever, especially considering none of the current players were born the last time the Jackson High School football team won an outright league championship. Rival North Canton Hoover tried to postpone it even longer Friday night. Carter Muhleman's scrambling third-down throw to Ben Blauner set up Chase Maurer's game-winning 45-yard touchdown run with 1:40 left as Jackson beat Hoover 14-7 at Fife Stadium on Oct. 23 . The win nets the Polar Bears the Battle for the Rail rivalry trophy and an outright Federal League championship, a first for Jackson since the 2001 season. The Polar Bears shared league titles in 2017 and 2024. Watch Ohio High School Football Live on NFHS Network all year "To be able to make history for Jackson feels unbelievable," the senior Muhleman said. "And why not make it interesting, huh?" That 2001 season featured current Jackson head coach Jay Rohr starring at running back and linebacker for the Polar Bears. His wife, Mandy, dug out his old letterman's jacket and wore it to the game Friday. She didn't tell her superstitious husband about it, not wanting to disrupt the mojo with a quarter century of waiting on

Prep roundup: Warriors upset Bulldogs

THE PLAINS, Ohio -- Liam Grosselin found the back of the net with just six seconds left in regulation as seventh-seeded Warren knocked off No. 2 Athens in Thursday's Division III Southeast District Quarterfinal boys soccer match at Joe Burrow Stadium. The match appeared to be headed to overtime, but...

Roane County Schools lead state in enrollment decline

ROANE COUNTY, W.Va. (WOWK) — Enrollment data reveals that West Virginia public schools lost 8,270 students in the 2026-2027 school year, which is a 3.5% decline from the 2025-2026 school year. The West Virginia Department of Education says that all 55 West Virginia counties saw a decline in enrollment. According to the data, Roane County […]

Area football teams gearing up for final week of regular season

CHILLICOTHE — We’ve reached the end of the regular-season road. A few area teams have the chance to win their respective league’s championship, multiple area programs are looking to strengthen their playoff positioning, and others are hoping to end a rather disappointing year on a high note. No matter the case, each of the area’s Week 10 matchups features one of the above. Here’s a brief preview of each. Jackson (6-3) at Chillicothe (8-1) The Cavaliers have already clinched a home playoff contest and a win should give them a first-round bye. Standing in the way of that goal are the always-formidable Jackson Ironmen. Jackson comes into the matchup riding high with three straight victories and will be looking to improve its own playoff odds. The Ironmen have beaten Chillicothe in five straight meetings and are 7-3 in the two’s last 10. But beating this year’s Cavaliers will be no easy task. The only blemish on Chillicothe’s record is a 28-14 loss to Miami Trace, a team that also beat Jackson. Otherwise, it’s been smooth sailing. Cartae Ligon is running like a man possessed and enters Week 10 with 2,186 all-purpose yards and 35 touchdowns. He’ll be highlighted on Jackson’s

Wood County Schools to open new Lincoln, Vienna elementary schools with new for 2027-28 year

PARKERSBURG, W.Va. (WTAP) - Wood County Schools will open two new elementary schools for the 2027-28 school year, a new Lincoln Elementary in North Parkersburg and a new Vienna Elementary. The new Lincoln Elementary will combine Criss and Emerson elementary schools. The new Vienna school will merge Vienna and Neale...

Paint Valley rallies past East, advances to DVII district quarterfinal

LUCASVILLE — The monkey has officially been chased from Paint Valley’s back. Heading into a Division VII first-round tournament matchup on Monday, Oct. 19, the Bearcats were still searching for their first victory of the season. When they boarded their bus home, they indeed had that win in their back pockets. After dropping the night’s first set, Paint Valley stormed back to win the next three to oust Sciotoville East by a 24-26, 28-26, 25-22, 25-18 final. “It’s pretty awesome,” Paint Valley coach Amber Boyer said. “There’s no better time to get this first win than in the tournament, so we can start making a run, hopefully. This younger group has a hunger and passion for the game, and it’s fun to start to see that rub off onto the older girls, too. I’m just proud of the girls. They finally put it together for three sets tonight and it’s really cool to see.” RELATED: Cinderella favorites, upset alerts, games to watch in OHSAA postseason In all four sets, Mayah Collier was a menace. Paint Valley’s junior middle hitter was a constant presence at the net and service line, giving the Tartans trouble throughout all four sets. “Mayah is the

Boys' High School Soccer: District III, East 1 Quarter Final - Zanesville vs Steubenville 10.20.26

Boys' High School Soccer: District III, East 1 Quarter Final - Zanesville vs Steubenville 10.20.26.

Parkersburg student crowned WVU Homecoming Royalty

MORGANTOWN - A Parkersburg High School graduate Saturday was one of two students crowned as 2026 Homecoming Royalty at West Virginia University. Lakyn Campbell of Parkersburg and Gabrielle Custer of Charleson were announced during halftime at the football game between WVU and the University of Cincinnati at Milan Puskar Stadium. WVU won a squeaker 45-42 with a field goal in the last moments of the game.

Lady Mustangs advance to district semifinals; sweep Belpre

DODSONVILLE — The Lynchburg-Clay Lady Mustangs are going to the Division VI SE District Semifinals, and they are doing so by winning in the quarterfinal round on Tuesday, at home, against the Belpre Lady Golden Eagles. The win at Lynchburg-Clay High School was their Lady Mustangs' 18th win of...

STEM Castle gives Chillicothe students new educational opportunities

CHILLICOTHE— From the mountains to under the sea and even up to space, teachers in the Chillicothe City School District can now take students almost anywhere without ever having to take a step outside, thanks to a new immersive igloo installed at the intermediate school. More from the Gazette: How well do you know Chillicothe City Schools? Take our quiz to see This unique learning device was recently brought to the school thanks to a donation from Marilyn Estep, who wanted to help support the district's STEM program. Interim Superintendent Kathy Payne said the school is grateful to Estep for her donation and the Chillicothe Educational Foundation for helping bring something like this to the area. There are fewer than 100 of these types of learning centers in the country, and only 2 others are located in Ohio. The learning center has been named "The Castle," which stands for Cavalier Advanced Simulation & Transformative Learning Environment. During the ribbon-cutting, many adults who visited the Castle were in awe of the technology. Lindsay Burns with the district says the students have reacted similarly. By allowing them to see the world in this unique way, students are getting exposed to new ideas

MVHC: Player of the Game – Week Nine

ZANESVILLE, OH – On a Friday night full of fun, excitement, and league title clinchers, week nine of the high school football season proved to be a back and forth, cannot miss week full of thrilling football. Only one “MVHC: Player of the Game” sufficed from week nine, and...

Campbell repeats, Kuklica takes girls crown, top Performers Oct. 12-17

McLUNEY — It was a two-man fight for supremacy at the Muskingum Valley League Cross Country meet on Oct. 17 at Crooksville High School. Meadowbrook's Vincent Campbell, a sophomore seeking a second title, and Sheridan's Hudson Wilson had established themselves as favorites based on past performance, a trend that continued with individual league titles on the line. It was Campbell who won this time, clocking a 16:27 to win the 68-runner boys division. His teammate, junior Luke Norman, was third at 17:36.8 as the Colts, who also had senior Grady Forbes (15th, 19:00) and senior Gavin Koscoe (19:24.4) in the top 20, were second with 61 points. Morgan was third with 63. Much like the boys race, the girls division was top heavy with three clear favorites in John Glenn senior Ashlynn Kuklica, Tri-Valley senior Erin Hogue and Sheridan senior Sheriden Glanemann. Kuklica's penchant for rising in big meets continued in Perry County, running a 19:28.0 to win by 20 seconds among 64 runners. Her teammate, sophomore Addy Kent, was ninth (21:53.7). Other notables included Meadowbrook seniors Raegan Daugherty (8th, 21:52.2) and Aubri Norman (15th, 23:41.5), River View junior Emma Cochran (13th, 22:56.1), Philo's Tiffany Bertke (14th, 23:21.2), Sheridan junior

School raised alarms about Etna kids living in 'appalling' conditions

A third headline-grabbing case involving allegations of child abuse and neglect in Ohio is again shining a light on the state's child protective system and how potential concerns are reported to authorities. In 2025, child protection agencies investigated nearly 78,000 abuse and neglect reports and had 14,261 children in custody, according to the Public Children Services Association of Ohio. Of those reports screened-in, nearly a third involved physical abuse and a quarter involved neglect. Experts say more children entering care in recent years have increasingly complex and severe needs. On top of that, each year across Ohio, nearly one in four child protective services employees leaves the job − largely due to burnout. This year alone, three cases involving children living in unsafe housing conditions have made headlines and caught the attention of state and local officials. Nine children found in Etna mobile home The latest case came to light Oct. 13, when Licking County Sheriff's Office deputies arrested two parents after nine children were found in "appalling and unsafe" living conditions in an Etna Township mobile home. Jonathan Parr, 37, and Jacquelyn Coleman, 32, face child endangerment charges after Licking County sheriff's detectives searched their mobile home in the

Chlapatys pledge $55 million to Marietta College

MARIETTA -- Joe and Linda Chlapaty have committed $55 million to Marietta College to renovate first-year student residence halls and build a new health sciences facility, President Kathleen Poorman Dougherty announced Friday during her State of the College address. The announcement at Fenton Court in the Dyson Baudo Recreation Center...

Symmes Valley vs. Portsmouth Notre Dame

Zanesville falls at Watkins; Philo, West hold serve, Week 9 roundup

This story will updated as new information becomes available. PATASKALA — Visiting Zanesville tied the game at 14 in the second quarter but never got the lead in a 38-27 loss to host Watkins Memorial in a Licking County League-Buckeye Division game on Oct. 16. Graham Smith rushed for 158 yards on 22 attempts and scored five touchdowns, and his third score late in the second quarter gave Watkins the lead for good at 21-14. Cole Back added 94 yards on 12 carries and intercepted a pass for the Warriors (5-4), who remained in contention for a Division II, Region 7 playoff spot. Kason Hazlett was 15-of-34 passing for 185 yards with three touchdowns and an interception for balanced Zanesville (5-4), which also ran 32 times for 174 yards. Connor Johnson caught 7 passes for 108 yards with a touchdown and Titan Grandstaff had a pair of touchdowns among his four catches. Carter Hennessey ran 10 times for 98 yards and Hazlett added 58 on 11 tries; R.J. Gladden had 11 tackles and Taevyn Butcher a sack for the Zanesville defense. The Blue Devils sat at 13th in Division III, Region 11, according to joeeitel.com, with a Week 10 affair

High school band parade draws large crowd at Fairfield County Fair

LANCASTER − One of the larger events at the Fairfield County Fair each year is the high school band parade in front of the bandstand. This year was no exception, as the marching bands from Liberty Union, Fairfield Union, Fisher Catholic, Fairfield Christian Academy, Berne Union, Bloom-Carroll, Millersport, Amanda-Clearcreek and Lancaster high schools performed in front of a standing-room crowd on Oct. 15. The weather for the show was different than it has been most of the week, in that it was cool and overcast compared the hot and sunny weather on previous fair days. The fair continues through Oct. 17. Visit www.fairfieldcountyfair.org for more information and the full events schedule. jbarron@gannett.com 740-681-4340 Twitter/X: @jeffrey_ba7142 This article originally appeared on Lancaster Eagle-Gazette: High school band parade draws large crowd at Fairfield County Fair

Second Attempt at Chillicothe City Schools Levy Outlined to City Council

Chillicothe — Council saw a presentation to explain the second attempt at a levy this year to support Chillicothe City Schools. School Treasurer Nick Rose narrated a slide show on the 0.75% earned income tax in council chambers on October 12th, 2026. Hear him for about six minutes in...

Tigers rout Big Blacks for 1st win of season

MARIETTA -- When the losses start piling up and the win column remains blank, the outside noise can start to get really loud. With a 41-14 victory over Point Pleasant Friday at Don Drumm Stadium, the Marietta Tigers silenced that noise. "For us, it was like, 'finally,' right?" said MHS...

Cinderella favorites, upset alerts, games to watch in OHSAA postseason

CHILLICOTHE — Tournament seeds have been revealed, brackets have been released and the best part of the season, in my opinion, is upon us. A loss means the end of the road while a win means moving on. Every play in every game matters. Here’s a brief preview of what to look for during the most exciting part of the season. RELATED: Adena's Kortney Sowers collects her 1,000th career assist First-round games to watch DIVISION III VOLLEYBALL: No. 5 Unioto (16-5) at No. 4 Chillicothe (15-6): This matchup speaks for itself. Way back on Aug. 29, the Cavaliers handed the Shermans a five-set loss — and they weren’t even completely healthy at the time. Since, both teams have won at least a share of their league titles while figuring out what works best. When they meet on Oct. 20, each of their seasons will be on the line. It’s bound to be a thriller. DIVISION V VOLLEYBALL: No. 13 Piketon (8-13) at No. 4 Adena (11-10): Before the Redstreaks beat Adena in four sets on Oct. 13, this matchup may not have been on this list. But Piketon has rattled off three straight victories and has shown the ability to