The OHSAA state track meet is taking place today and Saturday in Columbus, and many local athletes are looking to take home titles.
At the same time, the softball state championships are being played in Akron as baseball teams across Ohio battle for the right to make that trip next week.
Here’s the latest:
Columbus is the place to be this weekend for fans of high school track
Credit: Marcus Hartman
Credit: Marcus Hartman
After being held at Welcome Stadium last season, the the 117th boys and 50th girls Ohio High School Athletic Association Track and Field State Tournaments begin Friday morning at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium at Ohio State, and that means many athletes from across the Miami Valley will be vying for championships.
The meet begins at 9:30 Friday morning with Division III long-distance relays and Division II field events. It continues into the evening with Division I events set to begin at 4:45 p.m. and running until 7:25.
Division II and III return to action at 9:30 Saturday morning with Division I field events following at noon.
Wayne and Butler have hopes of winning a team title in Division I while Brookville’s Coy Hyre hopes to replicate a dominating performance from last spring, and a pair of teams from the Midwest Athletic Conference look to contend for team titles in Division III.
Regional proves Wright State can contend with top programs
The Raiders didn’t reach their goal of winning a regional for the first time in 11 tries, but they ended a 10-game NCAA losing streak and went 2-2 in a regional for the third time.
That included a stunning 5-4 win over host Vanderbilt on Sunday following a 4-3 loss to the Commodores in which the Raiders blew a 3-0 lead.
“Baseball is a unique game. If you get a pitcher that’s on, they can shut down any lineup,” coach Alex Sogard said after perhaps the biggest win in program history. “They’re obviously a very talented lineup. Our pitching coach (Travis Ferrick) did a really good job calling pitches. But really, the guys have to execute. And I thought Griff did an outstanding job. The ninth wasn’t clean, but we found a way to get it done.”
Toppin first former Flyer to appear in NBA Finals game in 48 years
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Five years after the pandemic derailed his dreams of pursuing a national championship with the Dayton Flyers, Obi Toppin is playing in the NBA Finals with the Indiana Pacers.
Toppin is the first former Flyer to appear in an NBA Finals game in 48 years as the last two Flyers on the roster of a team in the finals did not see action.
In 1977, Johnny Davis, Dayton’s 18th all-time leading scorer, averaged 10.5 points in the NBA Finals for the Portland Trail Blazers as a rookie. Portland beat the Philadelphia 76ers in six games.
Davis started all six games and scored 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting in the clinching victory.
Another member of Dayton’s most famous team has passed away
Ned Sharpenter helped the Flyers get to the NCAA Tournament final in 1967, matched up with UCLA great Lew Alcindor and “accidentally got into Sports Illustrated.”
“The magazine did a big write up on Lew Alcindor and the whole centerfold was a picture taken by a camera through the backboard from behind,” Ned’s son, Nick, recalled. “In it, Alcindor is absolutely slamming it over my dad who didn’t have any chance at all. It was actually a pretty neat shot.”
Upon learning about his death, Tom Archdeacon recounts his days at Dayton and the life he lived afterward.
Dayton Dragons unveil new $6M ballpark ‘Diamond Club’ addition
Celebrating their 25th season downtown, the Dayton Dragons announced plans Tuesday to open a $6 million addition to Day Air Credit Union Ballpark, with a new year-round club and events space atop the park’s new batting tunnel.
Slated for an early autumn opening, the Dragons Diamond Club Events Center will offer 5,000 square feet accommodating up to 175 seated guests, with 110 outdoor seats on a level above the park’s new batting tunnel.
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