While northeastern Ohio drivers were battling icy roads on Feb. 26 the Jackson sixth grade boy’s basketball team was traveling south to Columbus on a mission. Three days later they were back home in Stark County with a championship trophy after winning the Ohio Youth Basketball State Tournament with a perfect 6-0 record.

The Green bowlers competed at the state tournament in Chillicothe on March. 6. The boys bowling team and  girl's individual qualifier Marissa Summers were eliminated before the finals to close what was a great season.

Defending Division I district champion North Canton Hoover used two defensive stops by junior guard Nyles Evans and two key layups from Cory Veldhuizen to down Canton McKinley 54-48 in a Division I district semifinal at the Canton Civic Center Thursday night.

Slaying a dragon is no easy task, but the Green Bulldogs were up for it.

Keeping the East Orientals on the ropes all night, it looked like an upset was about to occur in the district semifinal at Copley High School. But a last second shot by East's Trevoris Bell that sat the on the rim before dropping in saved the No. 2 seed from an upset Wednesday night as East earned a 62-60 victory.

Heading into their Struthers Div. IV sectional championship game, the Lake Center Christian Tigers (12-10) knew that they were in for a steep challenge. Their opponent, Wellsville, had lost only twice all season and both losses were to McDonald, an undefeated team ranked second in the final Div. IV state poll. In the end, LCCS put up a valiant fight but came up short, 65-49.

A 63-24 loss to a talented Mogadore team with a wealth of postseason experience stung the Tigers (10-12), but a team that entered the season with a new coach and a relative lack of varsity experience still ended its year with much of which be proud. They faced a Mogadore squad that had outscored its first two opponents by a combined score of 190-20 and continued to battle for all 32 minutes.

As the game wore on, like Chavez in his 1990 title fight against Taylor, Jackson landed the more thudding blows before finally wearing down and stopping a battered but resilient Blue Streaks team to advance to Saturday night's Division I district title game with a 56-49 decision that will have made the 47-year-old Mexican boxing icon proud.

The Green girls varsity basketball team fell to the McKinley Bulldogs Tuesday night in the District Finals 82-53. Both teams came into the game with a 21-3 record and momentum after dominating wins in the district tournament.

Four University of Akron men's basketball players picked up All-Mid-American Conference honors on Wednesday in the league's final batch of postseason awards. Voting was conducted by the league's 12 head coaches.

Winning is nothing new to seventh-grader Landrie Grace. The heralded daughter of Tony and Lisa Grace has accomplished numerous feats from winning multiple golf tournaments, to free throw state competitions and nearly leading the Jackson Memorial Middle School seventh grade girls basketball team to an unblemished season and title before a heartbreaking 73-69 overtime loss to Glenwood Middle School inside the Pfeiffer Middle School gym in Perry Township.
 

The Polar Bears were on their way to making the dream a reality after finishing second in the final North Coast Hockey League standings with a record of 15-7. The top four teams in the NCHL joined eight other teams from around Ohio for the state tournament at Northland Ice Arena.

After Wednesday and Thursday night, either Jackson, Lake, Canton McKinley, or North Canton Hoover will obtain a chance to compete for the first district championship of the inaugural decade Saturday night at 7:30 p.m. at the Canton Memorial Civic Center.

Former Mount Union and current Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Pierre Garcon has been invited to the White House Wednesday at the request of US President Barack Obama.

A year ago the Lady Panthers walked off the court after a disappointing 57-32 loss to Smithville in the District championship hoping to get another shot at the Smithies.

Manchester got that wish last Saturday afternoon at the Wooster Triway Division III girls cage tournament, but it ended it in same result as Smithville dominated the Lady Panthers from start-to-finish, running away with a 65-36 victory and earning their second consecutive trip to the regionals.

Tickets for Wednesday night’s Lake vs. Jackson Boys District Semi-Final Basketball Game at the Canton Civic Center will be available at Lake High School during normal school hours on Tuesday and until  1 p.m. on Wednesday.  Tickets are $4 for students, $6 adults.  Tip-off for this game is 7:30 p.m. on Wednesday.

Tickets for next Wednesday’s district semi-final game between the Jackson Polar Bears and Lake Blue Streaks will go on sale on Monday, March 8, at 7 a.m. to season ticket holders and parents of players and cheerleaders at Jackson High School.  You may purchase the number of season tickets you hold plus an additional four.

Tony Whitmer's Green Lady Bulldogs are district champs after a 59-40 victory over Hudson at Ellet High School Saturday afternoon.

A large crowd packed themselves into Ellet's gymnasium to witness the Bulldogs win their 20th game in a row over a tough Hudson squad that got to the district championship with a win over Wadsworth earlier in the week.

Battling a familiar foe in the tournaments has its advantages.

Green won the rubber against Suburban League rival Barberton 72-52 for its first sectional title in six years. The two teams split the league game during the season, each winning on their home court. Green improves to 14-8, while the Magics bow out at 14-7.

Don Jones has earned the prestigious certification of League Cycling Instructor from the League of American Bicyclists, a 125-year-old national bicycling organization.

A collegiate athletic administrator/director of four decades, a three-time national champion, a two-time national champion, two Ohio State wrestling scholarships, a softball scholarship to Bowling Green and a basketball scholarship to Malone highlighted some of the accomplishments from Springfield’s 2010 athletic hall of fame class.