Ohio

Mark Pope prepares for 'epic clash in Madison Square Garden' vs. Ohio State: “It's what you live for.”

Published

11 months ago

December 18, 2024

Mark Pope prepares for 'epic clash in Madison Square Garden' vs. Ohio State: “It's what you live for.”

Ohio State has had its ups and downs this season, opening the year at 7-4 with wins over No. 19 Texas and Rutgers with losses to No. 23 Texas A&M, Pitt, Maryland and No. 2 Auburn — that last one a 38-point beatdown in the Holiday Hoopsgiving event in Atlanta this past weekend.

The Buckeyes, led by first-year coach Jake Diebler, are grading out fine as the No. 32 team in the NET and the No. 36 team by KenPom — No. 33 in offense and No. 55 in defense — with terrific shooting numbers while dealing with some availability issues. In a high-profile event like the CBS Sports Classic in a higher-profile venue like Madison Square Garden, though, Mark Pope is expecting OSU’s best shot on Saturday.

“Terrific team, they shoot the ball at an unbelievable clip. I think as a team they’re shooting 41 percent from the 3-point line,” Pope said of the Buckeyes. “They play fast, they play hard, it’s a great coaching staff. They’re a formidable opponent. It’s a really, really good team.”

The highs have been high while the lows have been low, that 38-point loss to Auburn serving as the biggest and most demoralizing black eye. On one end, Ohio State has just one Quad 1 victory in the first game of the season against the Longhorns. Beyond that, though, the Buckeyes are 0-4 in Quad 1 matchups and 6-0 against Quad 3 and 4 teams — no Quad 2s. They’ve beaten up on the cupcakes without much to show for it against the real competition.

That’s where a Quad 1 against UK comes in, a chance for OSU to get back on track with a statement win in the national spotlight. CBS Sports Classic in New York City right before Christmas? That’s what it’s all about, right?

Pope certainly views it that way.

“They’ve had some great success and then a couple of games I think they’d like to take back — like all of us, right?” he said. “A really, really good challenge against a team that is going to continue to get better and better. It’s going to be an epic clash in Madison Square Garden for Christmas. I mean, it’s what you live for.”

Sophomore forward Devin Royal leads the Buckeyes with 15.6 points and 7.9 rebounds per contest, followed by junior guard Bruce Thornton with 14.8 points per game, freshman guard John Mobley Jr. with 12.1 points and senior guard Micah Parrish with 10.5 points to round out double-digit scorers.

Elsewhere, former Kentucky forward Aaron Bradshaw‘s status remains up in the air after returning to team activities on Dec. 9 with no games under his belt since Nov. 19. Fifth-year guard Meechie Johnson Jr., who is second on the team in minutes played at 28.8 per contest with 10 starts, is also taking a leave of absence from the team to “address some personal matters,” the school announced this week.

Don’t expect the Wildcats to have their guard down against the Buckeyes — even with Christmas just a couple of days away. Gotta earn an 11th win on the year before cruising into the holiday.

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Ohio

Western Michigan beats Ohio 17-13, take sole possession of 1st in Mid-American Conference

Published

8 hours ago

November 12, 2025

Press Room

Western Michigan beats Ohio 17-13, take sole possession of 1st in Mid-American Conference

KALAMAZOO, Mich. (AP) — Quarterback Broc Lowry and Jalen Buckley each ran for a touchdown on Tuesday night to help Western Michigan beat Ohio 17-13 and take sole possession of first place in the Mid-American Conference.

Western Michigan (6-4, 5-1) has a half-game lead over Miami (Ohio) and Buffalo in the conference standings, both of which have a half-game lead over Ohio (6-4, 4-2).

Tailique Williams caught a pass from Broc Lowry behind the line of scrimmage and broke numerous tackles before he was brought down for a 71-yard game and, on the next play, Jalen Buckley ran for a 3-yard TD that gave Western Michigan a 17-13 lead with 13:43 left in the game.

Chase Hallock picked off a pass and returned it 37 yards to set up a 46-yard field goal by Palmer Domschke that opened the scoring about five minutes into the first quarter and Lowry’s 1-yard TD run early in the third quarter gave the Broncos a 10-7 lead.

Parker Navarro ran for a 2-yard touchdown late in the first quarter and Sieh Bangura capped a 17-play, 83-yard drive that took more than 10 minutes off the clock with a 3-yard scoring run on the first play of the fourth quarter that made it 13-10 after David Dellenbach’s PAT attempt was no good.

The Broncos honored former Western Michigan and Dallas Cowboys defensive end Marshawn Kneeland, who died on Thursday. On the team’s Senior Night, players held a jersey with Kneeland’s No. 99 on it and wore helmet decals that read “MK 99.” His number was also painted on the football field.

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These central Ohio high school football players had best second-round OHSAA playoff games

Published

1 day ago

November 11, 2025

Press Room

These central Ohio high school football players had best second-round OHSAA playoff games

As the number of central Ohio high school football teams remaining in the playoffs dwindles each week, the definition of top performances expands.

Yardage, touchdowns, tackles and sacks take even more of a back seat to a simpler statistic – the final score.

Here is a look at which central Ohio players had the best games in the regional quarterfinal round of the playoffs.

This list was gathered from games covered by the USA Today Network and statistics submitted by area teams. Teams are encouraged to submit stats as soon as possible after games to sports@dispatch.com, dpurpura@dispatch.com and fdirenna@dispatch.com.

Blake Bogenrife, West Jefferson

Stats: The senior receiver caught three passes for 78 yards against No. 6 Toronto in Division VI, Region 23, none bigger than his 40-yard touchdown reception from Austin Buescher with 2:36 left as the third-seeded Roughriders (10-1) won 21-20. West Jefferson converted three third downs on the winning drive.

Next game: Nov. 14 vs. Beverly Fort Frye

Levi Davis, Olentangy Orange

Stats: The Pioneers’ senior quarterback helped break open a close Division I, Region 3 contest, scoring twice in the last 13 minutes and finishing with 342 all-purpose yards (255 rushing, 87 passing) as top-seeded Orange (11-0) went on to a 43-14 win over No. 8 Olentangy Berlin.

Next game: Nov. 14 vs. Olentangy Liberty

RJ Day, DeSales

Stats: The junior quarterback threw for a single-game program-record 482 yards and three touchdowns, including the winning score to Jordan Karhoff from 11 yards with 5 seconds left, to power the No. 2 seed Stallions (9-2) to a 33-29 win over No. 7 Ashland in Division II, Region 7.

Next game: Nov. 14 vs. Massillon Washington

Miles Marshall, Centerburg

Stats: The junior running back amassed 193 yards and all four touchdowns (17, 2, 38 and 4 yards) for the top-seeded Trojans on 26 carries in a 28-14 win over No. 8 West Lafayette Ridgewood in Region 23.

Next game: Nov. 14 vs. North Robinson Colonel Crawford

Edward Oakley, Upper Arlington

Stats: The junior kicker connected on field goals of 29 and 32 yards in the final minutes, the latter in the closing seconds, to turn a three-point deficit for the sixth-seeded Golden Bears (10-2) into a 30-27 win at No. 3 Pickerington North in Region 3. Oakley also kicked a 37-yard field goal in the second quarter.

Next game: Nov. 14 at Pickerington Central

Watch OHSAA football playoffs on NFHS Network

Ben Rucker, Olentangy Liberty

Stats: The junior defensive lineman returned a fumble 43 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter, highlighting a defensive effort that saw the fifth-seeded Patriots (8-4) hold No. 4 Olentangy (8-3) to just 22 yards rushing in a 17-0 win in Region 3.

Next game: Nov. 14 at Olentangy Orange

Eli Stumpf, Big Walnut

Stats: The junior quarterback ran for a 16-yard touchdown and passed for scores of 44 and 8 yards to Brody Hatfield in the first half of a Region 7 game against Walnut Ridge, leading the Golden Eagles (10-1) to a 43-0 win. Stumpf completed 10 of 15 passes for 141 yards.

Next game: Nov. 14 vs. Canal Winchester

Nick Vanhoose, North Union

Stats: The senior running back had 121 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries, scoring from 12 and 2 yards in the second quarter as the eighth-seeded Wildcats (8-4) blew out No. 1 Williamsburg 47-14 in Division V, Region 20. Griffin Osborne also ran for 106 yards and two touchdowns on six carries.

Next game: Nov. 14 at Carlisle

Cyren Wallace, Danville

Stats: The sophomore running back had eight carries for 118 yards and three touchdowns and returned a second-half interception for another score as the 11th-seeded Blue Devils (7-5) routed No. 3 Fisher Catholic 59-8 in Division VII, Region 27.

Next game: Nov. 14 at Waterford

High school sports reporter Dave Purpura can be reached at dpurpura@dispatch.com and at @dp_dispatch on X.

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Ohio

Veterans Day 2025 parades, events in Northeast Ohio

Published

3 days ago

November 9, 2025

Press Room

Veterans Day 2025 parades, events in Northeast Ohio

*Attached video: Local Vietnam War veteran receives special honor

CLEVELAND (WJW) – Veterans Day 2025 falls on Tuesday, Nov. 11, and is a day to honor and celebrate veterans and active military members nationwide.

Cities across Northeast Ohio are celebrating with parades, ceremonies and other events to honor our veterans. Fox 8 News has compiled a list of local events to attend:

Akron

Veterans are invited to Stan Hywet Hall & Gardens from 10 a.m. to dusk for a complimentary self-guided tour of the Manor House and gardens.

Brunswick

The Military Ministry at Saint Ambrose Parish will host a Military Family Mass in the Church at 5 pm on Sunday, Nov. 9, at Saint Ambrose Parish, followed by a reception in the parish’s Mother Teresa Room.
All current military members, veterans, and their families are invited to attend this special Mass and join the parish in honoring their service at the reception that follows.

Canton

The MAPS Air Museum’s 13 Annual Veterans Day Program will commemorate the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War from 4-10 p.m. with dinner provided at 5:30 p.m. Tickets are $25.

Chagrin Falls

The Chagrin Falls Veterans Day ceremony will be held on Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. at the Triangle or Chagrin Falls Fire Department, depending on the weather.

Cleveland

Air Force Gulf War Veteran Tim Hauser will be the grand marshal for the Cleveland Veterans Day Parade on Nov. 11 at 12:30 p.m.

The parade will start at Cleveland City Hall and will conclude at Skylight Park in Tower City, where the city will host its first-ever Veterans Day Celebration.

Green

The City of Green’s Veterans Day Ceremony will be held on Nov. 11 at 10:45 a.m. at the Veterans Memorial Park. The event honors local veterans and celebrates those in our community who have worn a U.S. military uniform.

Kent

The annual Veterans Day observance will pay tribute to those who have served in the U.S. armed forces. The event will take place at 11 a.m. on Monday, Nov. 10, at the Student Green on the Kent Campus, located in front of the Kent Student Center and Risman Plaza.

This year’s keynote speaker is Patricia “Trish” McDaniel, Ph.D., a 1983 Kent State alumna and senior executive research scientist of chemistry in the U.S.

Lakewood

The annual Veterans Day Ceremony will take place on Nov.11 at 11 a.m. at the Veterans Memorial in Lakewood Park.

Mansfield

The Veterans Day parade will be held on Nov. 11 in downtown Mansfield, beginning at 10:30 a.m. The parade will step off from the five-way light at Marion Avenue and Park Avenue West and make its way to Central Park, where a short ceremony will follow at the gazebo.

In case of bad weather, the parade and outdoor ceremony will be canceled and the program will move indoors to AMVETS Post 26 (1100 W. Fourth St.) at 11 a.m.

Mentor

A Veterans Day ceremony will be held at 11:11 a.m. on Nov. 11 at the Mentor Municipal Cemetery memorial promenade. This year’s keynote speaker is Brigadier General Peter Collins, USMC (Ret.).

North Canton

The City of North Canton 2025 Veterans Day Ceremony will be held on Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. at City Hall.

Oberlin

Oberlin City School District, in collaboration with The City of Oberlin and Oberlin College, will hold its annual Veterans Day Appreciation Ceremony starting at 5 p.m. on Nov. 11 in the Oberlin Elementary School gym. The event will feature Midview High School’s Air Force JROTC, the Oberlin High School Band, Firelands Honors Choir, keynote speakers and other special honors, as well as light refreshments.