Rock Hill Redmen senior standout running back Brady Murrell signed a letter-of-intent to play for the Bluffton University Beavers. Attending the signing ceremony were: seated left to right, father Bobby Murrell, Brady, mother Amy Murrell, and sister Brooklynn Murrell; standing left to right, grandfather Bill Henderson and brother Blake Murrell. (Photo submitted) PEDRO — “If your heart is in your dream No request is too extreme When you wish upon a star As dreamers do” The wor

SOUTH POINT — They all ran track for the South Point Pointers. And as it turns out, they’re still running track. In fact, two former standouts will be running in national championship tournaments this weekend. The group includes Joey Bloebaum of Marshall University, Derrick Taylor of the University of Tennessee, Kamren Wilkerson of Madonna University, Emma Layne of Marshall University, Carter Smith of Ashland University, and both Davin Heckard and Desean Garred at Shawnee Sta

CHESAPEAKE — Laila Wentz doesn’t see herself as a trailblazer, but she did help to clear the path. One of the first to participate in the newly sanctioned Ohio High School Athletic Association sport of girls’ wrestling, the Chesapeake Lady Panthers’ senior has beaten down a path to the college level. Wentz signed a letter-of-intent to wrestle with Wheeling University. She said her decision wasn’t about being the trend-setter but rather maintaining what has already been establ

Russell Red Devils’ senior wide receivers Cayden and Jayden Pennington signed a letter-of-intent with the Union Commonwealth University Bulldogs. Attending the signing ceremony were, from left to right, Kiersten Clark, Paul Patterson, Kathy Patterson, Amanda Clark and father Zack Clark. (Photo submitted) Just when it appeared Russell Red Devils’ twin brothers were headed in opposite directions for the first time in their lives, an offer came that they couldn’t refuse. Wide re

Former Ironton High School and West Virginia linebacker Reid Carrico makes a tackle during a game against Colorado during the 2025 season. (Photo by Brian Mayhew) Reid Carrico got two for the price of one. He not only gets a chance to play in the NFL but for the team of his choice. The former Ironton Fighting Tigers’ All-Ohio linebacker who played at Ohio State and then West Virginia, has gotten a chance to remain close to home as he has accepted an invite on Saturday to atte

Ironton Lady Fighting Tigers’ senior bowler Sarah Murdock signed a letter-of-intent with the Shawnee State University Bears. Attending the signing ceremony were, from left to right, mother Robin, Sarah, and father Shawn. (Photo submitted) Sarah Murdock went from looking for something to do in the winter months to looking for somewhere to bowl at the college level. The Ironton Lady Fighting Tigers senior bowler has experienced a whirlwind path in bowling from never participati

AID — Summer is the time for vacations, relaxing, having fun and just enjoying the warm, sunny weather. But for Tanner Corn, it was a time to make a career decision. This past summer proved to be a time of a major decision that will impact his life in the future as the Symmes Valley Vikings’ senior baseball standout decided to sign a letter-of-intent with the Capital University Comets. “During the summer I was talking to Shawnee and then they just stopped talking and I kind o

WHEELERSBURG — Ryan Meeker might not be someone to issue a double dare challenge. The Wheelersburg Pirates’ senior football standout signed a letter-of-intent to play for the Kentucky Wildcats and he made it clear he has something to prove. “Being able to play for something greater than myself, especially with a school like Kentucky, is really special to me,” said Meeker. “I want to prove to my family and friends and the community of Wheelersburg and show it’s possible to com

WHEELERSBURG — There are plenty of high school seniors who go away from home for their college education. Wheelersburg Pirates’ senior soccer standout Evan Mitchell is taking his travel plans to the extreme. Mitchell is bypassing American colleges and has signed to play for the Via FC in Spain. “Since I was a little kid I always had a dream of playing overseas at the highest level. I had some collegiate opportunities, but I got this opportunity after I played in a big academy

Wheelersburg standout golfer, Asher Conley, signed his official letter-of-intent to further his golf career with the University of Rio Grande. (Photo submitted) WHEELERSBURG — Asher Conley went from drive blocking to driving the fairway. The Wheelersburg Pirates’ senior made a late switch from playing football to swinging a golf club and the change earned him a scholarship to play for the University of Rio Grande RedStorm. Conley always played football and felt that’s what he

South Point Pointer senior soccer standout signed a letter-of-intent to further his playing career with the Kentucky Christian University Knights. Attending the signing ceremony are: left to right, father Shane Collingsworth, Tyler, brother Cruz and mother Tracy Kelley. (Photo by Reece Booth). SOUTH POINT — Tyler Collingsworth looked in all different directions, both near and far. But sitting there waiting was the place he was supposed to be. The South Point Pointers senior s

POMEROY — When Carson Davis was a freshman, he sat down and had a father-son talk with his dad, Ryan Davis. The younger Davis had made a decision about what he wanted to do with his future and he knew the best person to help him was his head basketball coach. And in this case, his head coach was his father. Davis’s father Ryan Davis is the Meigs head coach. Ryan Davis played at Kentucky Christian University where he helped the team win the National Christian College Athletic

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Getting shut out of the E-Zone ended up putting Cosmo Reynolds in the money zone. Unable to secure a spot in the standing student section, Reynolds went to another area where he was randomly selected to shoot the halfcourt shot at a Kentucky Wildcats’ game. The shot is sponsored by the Central Bank of Kentucky and any successful contestant wins $10,000. Reynolds is a freshman at Kentucky and is the son of Molly and Jason Reynolds, and he is also the grandson

WHEELERSBURG — For Cooper Heimbach, he’ll be going away as far away to college as about as far as one of his kicks. The Wheelersburg Pirates senior All-Ohio placekicker and punter realized his dream of kicking for Marshall after signing a letter-of-intent with the Thundering Herd. “To have such an amazing culture and historic program just 45 minutes down the road is amazing,” said Heimbach. “All the early mornings and late nights that’s led up to this and all the hard work is

COAL GROVE — There’s an old saying that good things come in small packages. In the case of Kaden Murphy, that package isn’t really that small and great things have been coming from it. The Coal Grove Hornets record-setting All-Ohio running back has done big things and plans to do even more after signing a letter-of-intent on Monday with the NCAA Division 2 West Virginia State Yellow Jackets. One factor that has always plagued Murphy is the size stigma. Murphy is just 5-foot-9

WHEELERSBURG — Talking with Cashton Adkins you almost get the idea that one of his idols is Buzz Lightyear. The Wheelersburg Pirates outstanding senior discus thrower signed a national letter of intent with the Marshall Thundering Herd on Monday, but you could almost hear Buzz Lightyear in the interview. It was Buzz Lightyear who famously said, “To Infinity and beyond.” In his own way, Adkins was saying, “To Marshall and beyond.” Signing with Marshall was a difficult decision

PROCTORVILLE — When it comes to being a good basketball coach or being a fortune teller, Jon Buchanan is much better at one than the other. Fortunately for the Fairland Lady Dragons, Buchanan is better at being a coach. When Buchanan, 47, started his coaching career 17 years ago with the Lady Dragons, the team began the season 0-8. That eighth loss came at Green and on the ride home the bus had to stop and wait on a train at a crossing to reach the highway. “When I first got

The coaches called. The visits were made. The offers were on the table. But when Ironton senior wrestler Nate Sloan looked at all the offers, only one program had something the others couldn’t offer. His brother. With his brother Ben already a member of the University of Rio Grande wrestling team, Nate accepted the RedStorm offer. Sloan admitted that his decision was affected by his brother. “I’d really be lying if I said I didn’t. I really wanted to wrestle with him again. I

Wheelersburg Pirates soccer standout Nick Sylvia signed a national letter-of-intent on Dec. 15 to play for the Messiah Falcons. Attending the signing ceremony were: seated left to right, brother Nathan, father Adam, Nick and mother Molly. They say behind every great man is a great woman. In the case of the Wheelersburg Pirates' outstanding senior soccer player Nick Sylvia, behind him was his brother Nathan. Practicing with his brother and watching him achieve success was part

WHEELERSBURG — Batman, Superman, Spiderman, even the Green Hornet can understand the life of Landon McGraw. Landon “Music Man” McGraw is a 6-foot-2, 200-pound wide receiver for the Wheelersburg Pirates’ football team and a forward on the basketball team. But while he’s a student by day and a ballplayer at night, he has his own secret identity, only his secret life is about to be unveiled. McGraw was chosen to be a contestant on the reality television show American Idol and it