D.L.B

  Name: Brandon Fort School: Canal Winchester Position: Running Back Coach College: University of Akron What do you feel your biggest accomplishment was as the head coach at Centennial? I feel the biggest accomplishment we made as staff was getting players to play at the next level and doing our first ever college showcase and changing the narrative at the time about the program to where we started to garner some respect and teams actually had to watch film on us. How hard is it going from a head coach to an assistant coach? Going from a head coach to an assistant coach is a humbling experience because you're so used to making the calls that now you have to humble yourself and support the vision and the mission of another coach, but after I took some time to myself to mentally prepare myself, I saw it as an opportunity to get better and also to learn from a veteran coach who has done it at a very high level for a long time, and the coolest part is that Coach Page is a great teacher...

  Name: Ollie Hightower School/town: Whetstone High School/Columbus, Ohio Positions: Head Varsity Football Coach/Instructional (SLC) Aide for students with multiple disabilities  College: Ohio State and DeVry University Please post something from last season that sticks out to you. It can be from a game, practice, or something funny on the bus ride to or from the game. Any moment that sticks out to you.  One big moment for me that sticks out was getting the chance to coach in my hometown of Youngstown, Ohio, to open the season. I was honored to be able to return the trip from the previous year. I was able to return to my roots of where I fell in love with the game of football. Would you let the readers know about your coaching career? From your first job to your current job? 2010–2016 - Assistant Baseball Coach - North Columbus Sports, Inc. (t-ball up to Pony Boys) 2013–2014 - Head Juniors Soccer Coach - Thompson Rec 2017–2020 - Head Pony Boys Baseball Coach - North Colum...

  Name: Gavin Garza School/town: Fairview/Sherwood, OH Positions played: RB/WR/LB/FS Class2027 Height and Weight: 5'10", 185 lbs Jersey Number: 23 Awards won or earned: All-District RB/LB 2X All-Conference LB All-Conference RB All-Conference FS HUDL LINK: https://www.hudl.com/v/2TFV0a Other sports played: Baseball Please post something from last season that sticks out to you. It can be from a game, practice, or something funny on the bus ride to or from the game. Any moment that sticks out to you. Beating our rival Tinora twice. Once in regular season and again in the playoffs!! What is the biggest reward for being a multisport student athlete? The friends made and the people around the team. Fairview has a great community, so everyone is super close. It’s awesome. What is the toughest part of being a multi-student athlete? The hardest part is balancing training and schoolwork; you have to learn to sacrifice hanging out with friends sometimes and keep focused. What has been th...

  Name: Yaden Bailey School/town: Rock Hill High School, Ironton, Ohio Positions played: RB, MLB Class 2027 Height and Weight 6’0, 225 Jersey Number: 44 Awards won or earned: All-conference first team, all-district first team, all-state honors HUDL LINK: http://www.hudl.com/v/2TEQm8 Other sports played: basketball, baseball Please post something from last season that sticks out to you. It can be from a game, practice, or something funny on the bus ride to or from the game. Any moment that sticks out to you. One of my favorite moments from last season when we beat Fairland for the first time since 2016 What makes you a good teammate? What makes me a good teammate is I make sure everyone does everything to make us come together to get on track. What are you going to miss the most from your teammates who graduate this year? I’m going to miss their passion they had about changing this program to a winning program; they wanted to win. What are your goals for the season? My goals for thi...

  Name: Mykiece Richardson School/town: Licking Heights Positions played: WR, OLB Class of 2027 Height and Weight—5'10", 180 Jersey Number: 4 What was the toughest part of the 2025 season? Not playing football at all with my teammates What was the best part of the 2025 season? Getting back in condition and building my relationship with the new coach The Hornets had a rough 2025 season. What will the 2026 team have to do differently to ensure a winning season? We have got to come in every day with our heads down and come ready to learn. The 2027 season is your final high school season. Will you do anything differently as far as preparing for the season? The whole team has changed, starting with offseason lifts at 5:45 AM and workouts Monday-Thursday. What makes you a good teammate? I am good at uplifting my guys when they are down or unsure of their capabilities. When things are not going well at practice, who is the first player to get loud and get the team refocused? Honestly...

  Name: Momojoe Keita School/town: Licking Heights High School, Columbus, Ohio Positions played: DL/OL Class: 2027 Height and Weight: 6'0", 230 lb Jersey Number: 66 Awards won or earned: None yet. Other sports played: Wrestling Please post something from last season that sticks out to you. It can be from a game, practice, or something funny on the bus ride to or from the game. Any moment that sticks out to you. When we were in practice my freshman year and I got past a varsity senior when coaches put me on the D line, I got to the QB on the first rep because I was smaller and bigger than he thought I was going to let up. With a new coach, has this brought new excitement to you? Yes, it’s given us something to look forward to in terms of having a better season, and so far he hasn’t let up; he’s an amazing coach, and he brings everything a coach should have: attitude, grit, and passion. What makes you a good teammate? I’ll never lie to one of my brothers, and I’ll be straight up...

  Name: Tyquan Crawford School/town: Licking Heights in Pataskala, Ohio Positions played: WR/DB/KR Class: 2029 Height and Weight: 5'11", 160 Jersey Number: 21 (last year's number was 4 this year) Awards won or earned: Varsity letter HUDL LINK: http://www.hudl.com/v/2TtQ1A Other sports played: basketball, track, and 7v7 Please post something from last season that sticks out to you. It can be from a game, practice, or something funny on the bus ride to or from the game. Any moment that sticks out to you. What are your goals for the season? My goals this season are to have a winning record, break a school record, and get offers. As a younger player, which upperclassman will you go to if you need help with anything football-related? I would go to Jayden Shackelford. What are you doing during the off-season to help improve your game? I’m going to 5:45 am lifts Monday through Thursday and training with a weightlifting coach after school Monday through Friday. What are you lookin...

  I made the short drive to Madison Christian High School in Groveport to watch the Eagles battle the Millersport Lakers in tournament play. The winner of this one would be facing the number one seeded Newark Catholic on Friday. The Lakers would total just two hits in this one while scoring five runs, with four of them coming in their first at-bat. The Eagles would total eleven hits and nine runs. The Lakers killed themselves with four errors compared to just one for the Eagles. Senior Chloe Rice went the distance for the Eagles. She gave up just two hits and struck out fourteen while walking nine. She also hit three batters and gave up five earned runs. For the Lakers, senior Kendyl Bonkowski also went the distance. She gave up four bases on balls and struck out fourteen. She gave up zero earned runs. Eliana Riley led the Eagels offense with three hits and 2 RBIs. Lily Scholz had three hits and scored two runs. Lexi Groom had two hits and drove in two. Lexi Wray had two hits and 1...