WILLOW WOOD — OK, I’ll take the third, you take the fourth and we’ll all split up the first half. Abbey Isaacs had a big third quarter and Ava Layne got hot in the fourth quarter to back steady play in the first half as the Chesapeake Lady Panthers beat the Symmes Valley Lady Vikings 64-44 on Wednesday. Layne scored 8 points including a triple and Isaacs got 6 points as she went 4 of 4 at the foul line and the Lady Panthers led 14-6 in the first quarter. Isaacs had 9 points a

WILLOW WOOD — The Symmes Valley Vikings withstood a 3-point shooting barrage from South Gallia and got a big third quarter to score a 64-47 win against the rival Rebels in a key Southern Ohio Conference game on Tuesday night. After the game, Vikings coach Alvin Carpenter breathed a sigh of relief after getting a needed win after a string of losses to tough competition. "We needed that." "Really, we played hard the whole game, we hustled pretty good," said Carpenter. "The real

Photos courtesy of Kayla Niece. For more of Kayla's photos or purchase any, click on the link: Kaptured by Kay Photography

COAL GROVE — The defense was at work early, which stopped anything bad from happening late. Coal Grove’s defense was able to shut down the Symmes Valley Lady Vikings’ offense in the first half as the Lady Hornets went on to post a 49-36 win on Saturday. Coal Grove (7-1) built a 15-point halftime lead and played virtually even in the second half to get the win. “I felt we were able to contain their two scoring guards in the first half by holding them to one two-point field goa

2025 BATTLE OF THE 740 SCHEDULE  (all games at Shawnee State University) Saturday, Dec. 13  * 11 a.m. - Meigs Eastern vs. Symmes Valley * 12:30 p.m. - Piketon vs. Northwest  * 2 p.m. - Southern vs. Portsmouth  * 3:30 p.m. - Columbus Africentric vs. Huntington High (W. Va.)  * 5 p.m. - Fairfield vs. Valley * 6:30 p.m. - Harvest Prep vs. Chesapeake  * 8 p.m. - Chillicothe vs. Fairland  Sunday, Dec. 14 * 12 p.m. - Hillsboro vs. West  * 1:30 p.m. - Huntington vs. Rock Hill * 3 p.

COLUMBUS – The Division VI and VII football All-Ohio teams were announced Monday by the Ohio Prep Sports Media Association.   Information used for the All-Ohio teams comes from the regular-season accomplishments and does not include playoff games. The seven districts of the OPSMA determine the all-district teams and nominate their best for the All-Ohio teams.   On Tuesday, the Division IV and V All-Ohio teams will be announced, followed by the Division II and III teams on Wed

WILLOW WOOD — A strong second quarter from the Symmes Valley Vikings proved to be the spark needed to rout the Green Bobcats 72-50 on Friday night in a non-league game between Southern Ohio Conference teams. Vikings coach Alvin Carpenter felt great about the win afterwards, but felt the rust still hadn't worn off and saw room for improvement. "We're starting to play a little and get football out of our system. We're starting to play pretty decent, but we still got a long way

WILLOW WOOD — Ball pressure in the backcourt and a red hot start was all the Symmes Valley Vikings needed to rout the Clay Panthers 68-42 on Tuesday night in the season opener for the two Southern Ohio Conference teams. The Vikings were lead on the stat sheet by Key Roberts with a game-high 23 points and 7 rebounds. Both Bronx Carpenter and Mason Campbell finished with 14 points. Symmes Valley (1-0) was able to get a ton of pressure in the backcourt, resulting in 20 turnovers

Act now to take advantage of our Christmas Special! No coupon code needed! WHEELERSBURG — After shrugging off a slow start, Wheelersburg Lady Pirates used a barrage of 3-pointers and a deep bench to power their way past the Symmes Valley Lady Vikings 62-31 on Monday night in a non-league crossover game between Southern Ohio Conference teams. "I felt like we got caught watching too much," said Wheelersburg coach Dusty Spradlin. "I thought we were good in spurts. Second half, I

WILLOW WOOD — The trio went double. The Green Lady Bobcats’ trio of Abbie Knapp, Laney Strickland and Elizabeth McBee all scored in double figures in a 60-23 win over the Symmes Valley Lady Vikings on Monday. Knapp had a game-high 27 points with Strickland scoring 13 and McBee knocking down three 3-pointers as she scored 10 points. Brenna Tibbs had 10 points for the Lady Vikings. Knapp and Strickland combined for 12 points as the Lady Bobcats took a 15-2 first quarter lead. M

WILLOW WOOD — Free education, yes. Free pass to a starting position, no. Symmes Valley Lady Vikings’ power-hitting junior first baseman Marley Ferguson has a guarantee about payment on her college education, but she knows there is no guarantee she will be handed a starting position on the Valparaiso Beacons softball team after making a verbal commitment. “I’m just going to have to put a lot of work into my spot. Yes, they like me and want me to come there, but they also have

JEROMESVILLE — So, it’s going to be that kind of a night. The Symmes Valley Vikings took the opening kickoff and move to the Hillsdale 41 in 6 plays only to throw an incomplete pass on fourth down. On the Falcons’ first play, Owen Sloan broke free up the middle and ran 59 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead. And so it went for the Vikings who lost 48-7 to the top-seeded Falcons in the Region 27 Division 7 semifinals on Friday. “They’re a very good team top to bottom for sure

WILLOW WOOD — Softball is a game. But for Brenna Tibbs, it’s also going to be a job. The Symmes Valley Lady Vikings senior left-handed pitcher signed a letter-of-intent on Wednesday to play for the Ohio University Bobcats. “They just told me my only job is to pitch so, I’ll have to get that done,” said Tibbs with a laugh. “Some days you have an off day and they totally understand that, but that’s my one job and I’m expected to perform that way.” Tibbs described herself as a p

WILLOW WOOD — For coach Ben Ferguson and the Symmes Valley Vikings, they'll be sailing into uncharted waters. The Vikings will be playing the role of a heavy underdog on Friday night when they travel north to face the defending state-runner up Hillsdale Falcons in the Division 7 regional semifinals at Hillsdale Falcon Community Stadium. For the Falcons, they were a preseason favorite to return to the state championship with a possible rematch against Marion Local. But standin

WILLOW WOOD — Nothing seemed to slow down the Symmes Valley Vikings. Not even rain or a bye week. Coming off a first round bye, the Vikings put on another high-scoring showcase in their home finale by routing the Trimble Tomcats 41-12 on Friday night in the Ohio Division 7 regional quarterfinals at a rain-soaked Viking Stadium. Symmes Valley now moves onto the regional semifinals where they will head north to Jeromesville to face the No. 1 seed and defending state-runner up H

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OHSAA Football First Round Playoff Pairings Pairings shown with regional seed. All games on Friday, October 31, at 7 p.m., unless indicated otherwise.     Division I Region 1 No. 1 Lakewood St. Edward (8-2), first-round bye, hosts winner of No. 8 vs. No. 9 No. 2 Mentor (10-0), first-round bye, hosts winner of No. 7 vs. No. 10 No. 3 Canton McKinley (8-2), first-round bye, hosts winner of No. 6 vs. No. 11 No. 4 Toledo Whitmer (8-2), first-round bye, hosts winner of No. 5 vs. No

CROWN CITY — Layne Wright's 2-point conversion run capped off a last-minute drive for South Gallia, as the Symmes Valley Vikings fell to the Rebels 38-36 in the regular season finale on Friday night. Symmes Valley finishes the season 8-2 overall. South Gallia finishes with a record of 7-3. The win by the Rebels also created a 3-way tie for second place in the Southern Ohio Conference-1 standings between Symmes Valley, South Gallia and Notre Dame with identical records of 3-2.

WILLOW WOOD — Two high-powered offenses were on display on Friday night, as Symmes Valley and Notre Dame combined for 47 first downs and over 1,049 yards. But in the end, the Vikings came up with more plays on offense and made some key defensive stops to beat the Titans 63-47 in a Southern Ohio Conference game. But despite both teams piling up the numbers on nearly every play, Symmes Valley coach Ben Ferguson said afterwards he felt it was just a handful of plays that wound

WILLOW WOOD — After suffering their first loss of the season, Symmes Valley needed to regroup and get back on track. Well, the Vikings got back on track in a big way on Friday night by shutting out the East Tartans 47-0 in a Southern Ohio Conference game on Friday night. Quarterback Bronx Carpenter piled up 196 yards through the air in just one half of play. His top target Jackson Fields caught a game-high 6 balls for 94 yards, and hooked up with Carpenter for a 42-yard touch