Ohio
Ohio boy honors Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau with heartfelt Halloween tribute
This Halloween, the family of Blake Mompher, an 11-year-old boy from Delaware, Ohio, found a special way to honor Johnny and Matthew Gaudreau, who were tragically killed by a suspected drunk driver in August. The hockey players were commemorated through a unique costume designed by Mompher’s family.
Mompher, who has spina bifida, incorporates his wheelchair into his annual costumes, with his family’s help. This year, the Blue Jackets fan wanted to dress up his wheelchair as a hockey penalty box featuring the Gaudreau brothers’ jersey numbers in a tribute to the siblings. Mompher especially admired Johnny Gaudreau, a star with the Columbus Blue Jackets.
“He would call him Johnny Hockey. He always liked watching him play, because it was so good,” Megan Mompher, Blake’s mom, said. She added the brothers’ death “was heartbreaking for all of us.”
“When I put the decal [with the Gaudreau brothers‘ numbers] on I started to get tears in my eyes,” Aric Mompher, Blake’s dad, said. “It wasn’t just a Halloween costume this year; it was more of a representation of family first, what Johnny and his brother stood for.”
After posting photos of the costume online, the Momphers were touched to hear from Johnny Gaudreau’s sister.
“Katie, Johnny’s sister, had reached out and said that she saw Blake’s costume and that she loved it,” Megan said.
Katie Gaudreau told CBS Philadelphia: “It was so special for them to do that.”
Little did the Momphers know there was an even deeper connection. The Gaudreau family is currently raising funds for an adaptive playground at Archbishop Damiano School in New Jersey, where both Johnny and Matthew’s other sister, Kristen, and mother, Jane, work.
“The Gaudreaus just had so many years of love and dedication to our program. I can’t stress that enough,” said Michele McCloskey, who works at the school. “[They’re] willing to do everything in their power right now to honor their boys’ legacy.”
The Momphers said they were touched that the Gaudreaus are helping build a playground that children like Blake can enjoy.
“That was a connection that we had no idea was there,” Megan Mompher said. “She said seeing Blake’s costume brought them validation that they were doing the right thing.”
On Wednesday night, Blake was all smiles as he dressed up as the penalty box and made his way into the Blue Jackets Arena.
When asked if he thought the game would be “one of the best days of his life,” Blake enthusiastically grinned.
“Yeah!” he said.
Ohio
Why Ohio State is built to ‘wake up and move on’ from a loss before the College Football Playoff
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Breathe in. Breathe out.
The dust has settled on Ohio State football’s last contest: a 13-10 loss to Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game. Nearly 10 days have passed since the offensive line struggled to hold up, since the offense struggled to convert in the red zone and since the Buckeyes failed to accomplish one of their three major goals.
As is often the case at OSU, a loss is accompanied by anger, questions, concerns and aches.
“Sick to my stomach that we lost,” quarterback Julian Sayin said last week.
Now, after a week centered around College Football Playoff bracket debates and Heisman Trophy celebrations, Ohio State is looking to move on from the defeat in Indianapolis.
It should have little issue doing so.
The Buckeyes were in a similar, albeit more emotional and pressure-packed, situation last year. They entered the CFP off a loss, falling in shocking fashion to rival Michigan.
The final score of that contest: 13-10.
Ohio State went through some rigorous soul-searching, with coach Ryan Day and players having an emotional team meeting in which many on the roster expressed their frustrations with how the regular season ended.
The loss to Indiana isn’t as complicated. It’s simply a loss. However, the Buckeyes have experience flushing defeats before a postseason run.
“You’ve got to wake up and move on,” Day said.
As was the case last season, losing doesn’t diminish something apparent: Ohio State is a good team loaded with talent on its roster.
The Buckeyes are still betting favorites to go back-to-back this season, and statistics show why. They lead the nation in scoring defense and total defense while ranking in the top 25 of both categories on offense.
Ohio State has a slow and methodical approach on offense, but Day has expressed belief in his team’s ability to step on the pedal when appropriate. With Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith at receiver and Sayin under center, that belief shouldn’t falter.
“There’s still a bunch of guys in this room that know we can play with anybody in the country and beat anybody in the country when we’re on our game,” Day said.
The most pressing question left for Ohio State to answer before the CFP relates to offensive coordinator Brian Hartline. The Buckeyes’ play-caller was hired ahead of the Big Ten title game as South Florida’s next head coach.
Hartline called plays against Indiana, according to Day, and the plan is for him to do the same in the CFP. If there are concerns about his ability to balance two jobs, Day has a solution: time
USF announced Hartline’s hiring three days before Ohio State took the field at Lucas Oil Stadium. While also balancing the opening of the early signing period, Day had little opportunity to sit back and determine what was best for his offense.
The Cotton Bowl won’t present those challenges. Two-seeded Ohio State returns to action on Dec. 31 where it’ll meet the winner of No. 7 Texas A&M and No. 10 Miami in Dallas.
By then, Day will have had time to take a breath, assess the situation and determine who will run his offense.
Snow hits downtown Columbus
Snow falls outside the Ohio Theatre as downtown Columbus turns into a winter wonderland.
Columbus City Schools is closing Monday, Dec. 15, after a weekend winter storm dumped more than 5.4 inches of snow on the region and cold temperatures descended.
Following the weekend snowfall, a cold weather advisory was issued for the area, to remain in affect across central Ohio through 11 a.m. Dec. 15.
It was 4 degrees at John Glenn Columbus International Airport at 8:30 a.m. Dec. 14, with a wind chill of 16 degrees below zero.
Late on Dec. 14, CCS posted it would close Dec. 15 “due to inclement weather.” See more school closings at NBC 4 or check back with the Dispatch throughout the morning.
This list will be updated as additional information becomes available. School districts are encouraged to send an email with any delays or closures to newsroom@dispatch.com.
Snow hits downtown Columbus
Snow falls outside the Ohio Theatre as downtown Columbus turns into a winter wonderland.
Now comes the cold.
After nearly 5½ inches of snow fell Dec. 13 in some parts of central Ohio, the National Weather Service says bitterly cold temperatures moving into the region will mean highs in just the single digits.
A cold weather advisory is in affect across central Ohio through 11 a.m. Dec. 15. It was 4 degrees at John Glenn Columbus International Airport at 8:30 a.m. Dec. 14, with a wind chill of 16 degrees below zero.
Temperatures to the west and south are even colder: 1 degree in Springfield, minus-1 in Dayton and minus-3 in Indianapolis. Those temperatures are not expected in the Columbus area, though. The forecast calls for slightly warmer temperatures by evening and highs in the low 20s Dec. 15.
The record cold expected for Dec. 14 — until now, the coldest high temperature in Columbus for this date was 16 degrees in 1917 — follows a day of record snow. The weather service recorded 5.4 inches of snowfall on Dec. 13 at John Glenn Columbus International Airport, topping the prior Dec. 13 record, which was 3.6 inches in 1945.
Level 2 snow emergencies, which means roads are hazardous and people should drive only if they think it’s necessary, remained in effect in Fairfield and Licking counties.
Level 1 snow emergencies are in effect in Delaware, Franklin, Madison, Union and Pickaway counties.
Bob Vitale can be reached at rvitale@dispatch.com.
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