Here’s a look at the stories that helped make Cassano one of the best in Ohio.
Competitive balance: Badin baseball questions fairness of move to D-I
Feb. 2, 2018
First place, investigative/enterprise
Badin, Division III in 2015 and D-II the last two years, has been bumped up to D-I in the new world of competitive balance within the Ohio High School Athletic Association.
“A lot of people said this would never happen … don’t understand how this could happen … but here it is,” Badin coach Brion Treadway said. “We’re embracing the opportunity. Crying about it’s not going to get anywhere, so we’re going to get better and do everything we can to prepare our guys to take on this challenge.”
Madison's Noah Lehman: A football, a bow and a quest for championships
Nov. 7, 2018
Tie-First place, features
It’s especially important to Lehman because he didn’t play last season, a move that he called “arguably one of the worst decisions that I’ve ever made.”
His full-time extracurricular focus was bows and arrows, and it’s not just a hobby. It could turn out to be a lifelong career.
Lehman is pretty good with a bow in his hands. Good enough that he’s actually a three-time International Bowhunting Organization world champion in archery, a sport he picked up about four years ago.
A lifelong battle: Fenwick's Swisher using soccer in her fight with cystic fibrosis
Oct. 9, 2018
Tie-First place, features
Audrey Swisher has been dealing with cystic fibrosis since birth. She’s an 18-year-old senior at Fenwick High School and has an uncertain future. But she’s pressing on because, well, why would she do anything else?
“I manage,” Swisher said. “We’re hoping one day it will be a curable thing. It’s not yet, but maybe one day.”
Braves savor Hoosier Gym experience … and get a win
Jan. 27, 2018
First place, game story
Talawanda High School’s boys basketball team won’t forget its trip to the iconic hoop venue known as the Hoosier Gym on Saturday afternoon.
“Just walking in and actually being able to see the gym for the first time … everybody’s taking pictures … it’s pretty cool to be a part of something like that,” Talawanda senior guard Evan James said. “To be able to play in a historic landmark like this, it’s just a fun game to play in. That was our main goal coming in here, just have fun and play hard.”
Bacon, Purcell principals explain their reasons for applying to MVC
March 30, 2018
Second place, investigative/enterprise
It’s business as usual for the Roger Bacon and Purcell Marian prep athletic teams, at least for the time being.
The Greater Cincinnati League (which eventually became the Greater Catholic League) has been their home since Oct. 6, 1931, and they’ve been part of the GCL Coed Division since it came to life in 2013-14.But Bacon and Purcell are also in a holding pattern. They’ve both applied for membership in the Miami Valley Conference, and there’s no timetable for them to get an answer.
Madison chooses to forgo legal action after regional football defeat
Nov. 20, 2018
Tie, Second place, news
The issue in question involved a man on the Madison sideline — Derrick Mosley II — who had a Wheelersburg team-staff sideline pass with his name on it. Madison officials suspected he was relaying Mohawk information to the Wheelersburg coaches.
Tuttle-Huff was on the sideline and said she heard Mosley say, “Two man wide,” into a microphone as Madison broke its huddle for a play in the final seconds of the 24-16 defeat. She said she wasn’t the only person who heard those words.
“It’s interesting because I can’t tell you if the boys had even moved to ‘two man wide’ at that point,” Tuttle-Huff said.
The simplicity of a question: How Tom Bolden ended up at Lakota West
Dec. 15, 2018
Third place, investigative/enterprise
“I said Tommy Bolden,” Kaufman recalled, “and he just started laughing. He said, ‘He ain’t coming here.’ And I said, ‘How do we know unless we ask?’ He said, ‘All right, call him up.’ ”
That’s how quickly and simply a whirlwind can begin.
To lead and serve: Talawanda's Brown has a passion for hoops, ministry
Feb. 15, 2018
Third place, feature
Brown is a senior at Talawanda High School — a young senior who won’t turn 18 until June — and in the final stages of a prep career that will go down as one of the best in school history.
The leading scorer in the Southwest Ohio Conference will try to extend her career a bit longer. And when the season is over, she’ll start looking ahead to … well, who knows?
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