Ohio

Three central Ohio high school boys soccer teams to play for OHSAA state titles

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1 month ago

November 5, 2025

Three central Ohio high school boys soccer teams to play for OHSAA state titles

The Dublin Jerome, Watterson and Worthington Christian boys soccer teams will play for state championships, while St. Charles and Westerville Central saw their seasons end in one-goal semifinal losses. Here are recaps from all central Ohio games Nov. 5.

Dublin Jerome to play for first state title

The Celtics posted their fifth consecutive shutout and 13th for the season, defeating Cincinnati St. Xavier 5-0 in a Division I semifinal at Springfield.

After losing in its first three trips to the state semifinals, Jerome (14-3-5) will play for its first state championship at 7 p.m. Nov. 10 against Cleveland St. Ignatius at Historic Crew Stadium.

“This is our fourth state semi, and it’s pretty sweet to be able to make the final with this group,” Jerome coach Nate Maust said. “This is just a tough group. It’s been an up-and-down season. We’ve had some really good moments, and I think we’re just obviously coming together at the right time.”

St. Xavier (12-5-4) couldn’t get much going against a Jerome defense that has allowed only 12 goals this season.

“They have tough, big, strong defenders,” Bombers coach Brian Schaeper said. “They really trust those back defenders. There were opportunities to capitalize on it. We didn’t, but yeah, they’re good players.”

Patty Breedlove, Crew Maust, Brady Delmore and Josh Stibel scored for Jerome.

The game was a rematch of 2005 state semifinal, when the Bombers won in penalty kicks after a scoreless draw. Maust was Jerome’s coach, having served in the role since the school opened in 2004.

“These guys weren’t born yet in ’05,” Maust said. “So it’s pretty cool that they get a chance to be the first team in (Jerome) history, for boys, to make it to the state final.”

–James Weber, Cincinnati Enquirer

St. Ignatius edges St. Charles for second consecutive season

For the second consecutive season, St. Ignatius’ road to a state title could potentially go through St. Charles.

A year after losing to the Wildcats 1-0 in double overtime in the state final, St. Charles again lost to St. Ignatius by a 1-0 score, this time in a state semifinal at Bellville Clear Fork.

“This stings right now,” St. Charles coach Chris Vonau said. “Maybe we’ll feel better later. … Hats off to St. Ignatius. They’re a solid opponent every year and they always come prepared. We threw some things at them that they hadn’t seen. We frustrated them a little bit. Sometimes you get bounces and sometimes you don’t.”

The Wildcats (18-0-2) scored early in the second half as Domenic Ruggiero raced in against goalie Eli Wichlinski and beat the freshman to his right with 38:19 remaining.

St. Charles (12-6-3) pressured the St. Ignatius defense and junior goalie Johnny Mulloy numerous times in the second half.

Solid scoring chances for the Cardinals included Mason Taylor’s shot that sailed just over the top of the net, Ryan Sullivan’s corner kick that went through a crowd and wide of the net and Mickey Hulme’s shot that was tipped wide of the net, resulting in a corner kick.

“Every year, it’s different journey,” St. Ignatius coach Mike McLaughlin said. “Every year it’s full of games that you get stretched, and you see what you’re made of. It’s our games against St. Charles that are the games that are the hardest games we have every season. They were really good tonight, as we expected them to be.”

Last season, St. Ignatius won the state title on Bryce Ince-Loveless goal with 1 second remaining in the second overtime.

St. Charles senior defender Grant Brokaw said it provided motivation throughout this season.

“In the back of our minds at all times throughout this season it was every second counts after last year,” Brokaw said. “You always want to be a play ahead and always makes the extra effort when you can. It’s not the result we wanted, but we definitely left it out on the field.”

Wichlinski capped a strong first season with the Cardinals, finishing with five save.

“Eli is special, but so is everybody on the team,” Vonau said. “We played with a young group, and it didn’t show tonight. We were very mature, prepared, resilient, strong, battle-tested. They played well beyond their years.”

–Frank DiRenna

Davis goal sends Watterson to state final

Watterson junior Grayson Davis had missed two days of school with a cold. In a Division III state semifinal against Hamilton Badin at Wright State, he didn’t miss his moment, heading in a free kick from Sam Meacham with 10:39 left in overtime for a 1-0 win that sent the Eagles to their first state final since 2013.

“We’ve been working the whole season for this,” Davis said. “From the guys who didn’t play a second to the guys who played the whole time, it was such a team effort.”

Watterson was aggressive from the opening kick, using a methodical build-up to constantly threaten Badin’s back line and keeper Cole Parr, who had allowed just nine goals all season and made several crucial saves in regulation.

“(Parr) stood on his head. My hat goes off to him,” Watterson coach Aaron Linden said. “I thought it should have been two in regulation, at least, but he played really, really well.”

Badin had several chances, but the Rams’ offense was hurt by the absence of Joe Jung, who sat out after picking up a red card in the regional semifinal. Whenever the Rams did make it into the attacking third, they were turned back by Alex Das, Davis, Eli Pham and Connor Adkins-Davidson.

Meacham had two golden chances in the final 15 minutes of regulation but was turned back by Parr both times. When he got the instructions for the game-winning free kick, the third time was a charm for his right foot.

“(Meachem) puts in great balls and I usually go front post,” Davis said. “It’s easy for me to read because we’ve played together for so long.”

The Eagles will face Aurora at 7 p.m. Nov. 9 at Historic Crew Stadium.

–Brendan Connelly, Cincinnati Enquirer

Westerville Central’s unprecedented season ends with OT loss

As historic for both programs as a Division II state semifinal was at London, it was not a game for the statistically minded.

Neither Central nor Kings Mills Kings put a shot directly on net for the first 70:30, until Kings midfielder Sam Wik mustered a shot that was stopped by Warhawks goalie Bryan Ramirez.

A few free kicks were about the most action Ramirez got through the game’s first 109 minutes, and a leaping save to his left with a minute left in the second overtime looked like it might send the game to penalty kicks. But after Ramirez directed a shot wide off his outstretched left hand, Kings forward Kevin Cyrus headed in the winning goal off a corner at the 58.3-second mark to give the Knights a 1-0 victory.

“We settled in in the second half and played the way we practiced (and) are meant to play, moving the ball and getting guys forward,” Central coach Hunter Robertson said. “We just didn’t create enough chances. It just took too long for us to settle into the game. They played really well. Their style is aggressive and they play numbers forward.”

Central (14-5-3), which got three saves from Ramirez, was in its first state tournament.

Kings (15-2-4) will play Avon in the final at 1 p.m. Nov. 9 at Historic Crew Stadium. The Knights’ only previous trip to state, in 1995, ended in a semifinal loss.

“(Ramirez) made a heck of a save,” Cyrus said of the play that set up the corner. “I asked my other teammate, Royce Hawkins, to set a screen for me; that’s called ‘pickles’ (where) he sets a screen for me to get free and run to the near post,” Cyrus said. “Zach dropped it right to my head and I got it in the goal.”

Ramirez finished with three saves for Central, which upset defending state champion and OCC-Ohio rival New Albany 1-0 on Nov. 2 to win its first regional title.

“Our players are the ones that did this,” Robertson said. “I just tried to help them become the best versions of themselves.”

–Dave Purpura

Worthington Christian rolls into Division IV final

Max Glick, Colton Hoskinson and Nolan Schoonover scored in a 2:44 span of the first half, breaking open a Division IV state semifinal at Logan and sending Worthington Christian (18-3-2) past previously undefeated Wheelersburg (18-1-2) 3-0.

The Warriors outshot Wheelersburg 14-0 in the first half in reaching their third consecutive state final.

Worthington Christian will play Bay Village Bay in the final at 4 p.m. Nov. 9 at Historic Crew Stadium. The Warriors have been state runner-up each of the past two years, in Division IV last season and Division III in 2023, and are seeking their first championship since 2011.

–Dave Purpura

OHSAA boys soccer state semifinal scores

(All games Nov. 5)

Division I: Dublin Jerome 5, Cincinnati St. Xavier 0; Cleveland St. Ignatius 1, St. Charles 0

Division II: Kings Mills Kings 1, Westerville Central 0 (2OT); Avon 2, Brecksville-Broadview Heights 1 (OT)

Division III: Watterson 1, Hamilton Badin 0 (OT); Aurora 1, Cuyahoga Valley Christian Academy 0(OT)

Division IV: Worthington Christian 3, Wheelersburg 0; Bay Village Bay 2, Cincinnati Wyoming 1 (2OT)

Division V: Cincinnati Summit Country Day 2, Fairbanks 1 (OT); Ottawa Hills 1, Kidron Central Christian 0

OHSAA boys soccer state final schedule

(All games at Historic Crew Stadium)

Division I: Dublin Jerome vs. Cleveland St. Ignatius, 7 p.m. Nov. 10

Division II: Avon vs. Kings Mills Kings, 1 p.m. Nov. 9

Division III: Watterson vs. Aurora, 7 p.m. Nov. 9

Division IV: Worthington Christian vs. Bay Village Bay, 4 p.m. Nov. 9

Division V: Cincinnati Summit Country Day vs. Ottawa Hills, 4 p.m. Nov. 10

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No. 21 Ohio State women beat Norfolk State 79-45

Published

3 hours ago

December 19, 2025

Press Room

No. 21 Ohio State women beat Norfolk State 79-45

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Kylee Kitts scored 13 points, Jaloni Cambridge added 11 and No. 21 Ohio State rolled past Norfolk State 79-45 on Thursday night for its eighth straight win.

Dasha Biriuk added 10 points for Ohio State, which is 10-1 overall and 7-0 at home.

Kitts was 6 of 12 from the field, and grabbed 10 rebounds to go with two steals and two blocks. Cambridge was 4-of-8 shooting and had eight rebounds and two steals.

Cambridge scored seven points in the first quarter as the Buckeyes jumped out to a 20-10 lead and built a 43-21 halftime advantage. Kitts and Cambridge each scored nine first-half points.

Ohio State outrebounded Norfolk State 55-32 and scored 21 points off 17 turnovers.

Jasha Clinton scored 18 points to lead Norfolk State (5-9). Ciara Bailey had 10 points and 11 rebounds.

Up next

Norfolk State plays at Elon on Sunday.

Ohio State hosts Western Michigan on Mondahy.

___ Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP women’s college basketball: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-womens-college-basketball-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/womens-college-basketball

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Menards to pay 10 states, including Ohio, $4.25 million in rebate settlement

Published

15 hours ago

December 18, 2025

Press Room

Menards to pay 10 states, including Ohio, .25 million in rebate settlement

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — Ohio is part of a multistate lawsuit settlement against home improvement store Menards.

According to the state Attorney General’s Office, Ohio and nine other states reached the settlement with Menards, a Wisconsin-based home-improvement retail store, over allegations of deceptive rebate advertising.

The 10-state led investigation revealed that Menards would give shoppers the impression that they were getting an immediate discount while shopping through its advertising, when in fact, savings actually came in the form of a rebate or in-store credit.

The investigation raised concerns with Menards’ marketing strategy and sales practices, alleging the following of the company:

Advertised 11% off or 11% off everything that suggested an instant price cut, even though customers received only a rebate on future purchases.
Listed prices already at an 11% discount, reinforcing the idea that shoppers were getting an in-store discount.
Failed to clearly explain the important limits of the rebate program, burying key details in the fine print.
Tell customers that Rebates International was a separate company handling rebates, even though it is operated by Menards itself.

The settlement, announced Thursday, included an agreement by Menards that it would, in part, discontinue ads suggesting immediate discounts, clearly explaining the rules, limits, and conditions of its rebate program, and offer customers an easier path towards claiming rebates, both in person and online, among other changes.

In addition, Menards will pay participating states $4.25 million in fees, of which $365,173.05 will go toward the Ohio Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Enforcement Fund.

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Ohio State dominate latest power ranking as nine Buckeyes rank inside Top 50 players

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1 day ago

December 18, 2025

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Ohio State dominate latest power ranking as nine Buckeyes rank inside Top 50 players

The honors continue to roll in for this Ohio State Buckeyes football team.

From young players ready for another College Football Playoff run next season to players hungry for one more run starting December 31 before the NFL Draft, this Ohio State Buckeyes team is loaded with talent headed into their seventh playoffs appearance since the CFP era began in 2014.

Five defensive players and four offensive players headlined a class of extremely talented Buckeyes. Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza took the No. 1 spot to go along with his Heisman and Maxwell honors.

An offensive Ohio State Buckeye took the No. 2 spot right behind Mendoza.

Ohio State Buckeyes linebacker Arvell Reese (8) tackles Michigan Wolverines running back Bryson Kuzdzal (24) during the NCAA football game at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor, Mich. on Nov. 29, 2025. Ohio State won 27-9. | Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Wide receiver Jeremiah Smith takes the No. 2 spot

Jeremiah Smith was ranked behind Mendoza along with his gun-slinging sophomore quarterback. Julian Sayin was the second-highest ranked quarterback on the list at No. 5.

“Smith caught 80 balls for 1,086 yards and 11 touchdowns as a sophomore, but that doesn’t really tell the story…Smith commands double-teams constantly, draws the attention of everyone’s best corner, and has every defensive coordinator he faces scheming to slow him down. And none of it has mattered.”
ESPN’s David Hale

Smith is expected to have one more dominant season with the Buckeyes next season where fans hope to see him paired next to five-star recruit Chris Henry Jr. Senior wide receiver Carnell Tate has been an impressive receiving mate for Smith the past two seasons. Tate caught 48 passes, nine touchdowns, and had 838 yards. He ranked No. 26 in the rankings.

Offensive tackle Austin Siereveld ranked No. 44 as well.

The defense takes over

All five of Ohio State’s defensive players on the list ranked inside the top-22. Junior linebacker Sonny Styles sat at No. 21 to kick things off for the defense. The Buckeyes have had the best defense in college football for the entire season and these are the names that have made it happen. Projected first round NFL Draft Arvell Reese took the No. 16 spot.

“A new set of stars emerged to lead the nation’s No. 1 defense this fall, and Reese was undeniably front and center. He has thrived under new coordinator Matt Patricia, recording 6.5 sacks and 10 tackles for loss from the edge position and finished second on the squad with 62 total tackles…Reese was named Big Ten’s Linebacker of the Year and recorded a sack in six of Ohio State’s first eight games of the season.”
ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg
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Defensive linemen Kayden McDonald and Caden Curry ranked at No. 13 and No. 11 respectively. Safety Caleb Downs was the highest ranked defensive Buckeye at No. 7. Downs is a simply a lockdown player who can play corner or safety while still being able to tackle at a high level. If he chooses to declare for the NFL Draft after the season is over, he’ll be slated to go within the top 10 in most mock drafts.

Opposing quarterbacks only targeted downs 20 times for the entire season. Only nine passes were caught on his watch as the primary defender.

“The longest completion he gave up was 17 yards. A 14-yard completion in the second quarter of the Big Ten title game was the first one he’d given up in nearly two months. There is not a more lockdown corner in the country than Downs.”
ESPN’s David Hale

The Ohio State Buckeyes are waiting for the winner of the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes against the No. 7 Texas A&M Aggies in the first round of the College Football Playoffs this Saturday at 12:00pm Eastern on ABC/ESPN.

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