With high school basketball season having ended Saturday, Huntington High is doing anything but easing into baseball season.
The Highlanders are host to a multi-team, various location event Thursday through Saturday, featuring several games at Marshall Universityòòò½ÊÓƵ™s Jack Cook Field.
Varsity games Thursday at Marshall have Spring Valley against Bridgeport at 10 a.m., followed at 1 p.m. by Oak Hill (West Virginia) against Wheeling Park. At 4 p.m., Brooke plays Point Pleasant before Cabell Midland takes on Morgantown at 7 p.m. Also, part of the showcase is John Marshall at St. Albans at 6 p.m.
Friday at Marshall pits Point Pleasant and Princeton at 10 a.m., St. Albans taking on Morgantown at 1 p.m., Huntington High versus John Marshall at 4 p.m., and Spring Valley playing Wheeling Park at 7 p.m. Bridgeport plays at Cabell Midland at 4:30 p.m. At 5 p.m., Tolsia takes on Brooke at 5 p.m. at Huntington High.
Saturday at Marshall, Brooke plays Princeton at 10 a.m., followed by St. Albans and Bridgeport at 1 p.m. At 4 p.m., Cabell Midland plays John Marshall, followed by Huntington High versus Oak Hill at 7 p.m. At 10 a.m., Morgantown visits Spring Valley. At noon, Wheeling Park plays at Huntington High.
Several junior varsity contests also are set for fields at Huntington High, Cabell Midland and Spring Valley.
COACH SPEAK: South Webster and former Chesapeake boys basketball coach Norm Persin received the John Wooden Legacy Award Saturday at the state tournament in Dayton, Ohio.
The Ohio High School Basketball Coaches òòò½ÊÓƵsociation Hall of Honor inducted Ironton radio voice Jason Philyaw Saturday.
Former Boyd County boys basketball coach Jeep Clark died Wednesday. He was 93. Cabell Midland volleyball coach Shannon Gerencir is the new head coach at West Virginia State University. Ironton boys basketball coach Chris Barnes resigned.
AMAZING STATS OF THE WEEK: Fairland girls basketballòòò½ÊÓƵ™s Ava Layne ranked fifth in Ohio this season in 2-point percentage at .637. Layneòòò½ÊÓƵ™s teammate Bailey Russell ranked 20th in 3-point percentage at .380. South Point boys basketballòòò½ÊÓƵ™s Brayden Hanshaw finished 15th in Ohio in 3-point field goal percentage at .47541.
Winfieldòòò½ÊÓƵ™s Madeline Carroll pitched a perfect game in a 4-0 win over Spring Valley. Boyd County softballòòò½ÊÓƵ™s Elyn Simpkins drove in seven runs in a 24-14 victory over East Carter. Brynlee Walker lived up to her name, walking four times.
SMART KIDS: Fairlandòòò½ÊÓƵ™s Kamryn Barnitz and Irontonòòò½ÊÓƵ™s Braden Schreck were named academic All-Ohio in basketball.
Fairland basketball star Brody Buchanan won the C.D. Hawhee Scholarship and Schreck the Walter Harrop Scholarship. Both are statewide awards from the Ohio coaches association. Hawhee won 477 games at Waverly High School. Harrop won 596 games at Shawnee High School.
Recruiting roundup
SIGNINGS: Spring Valley baseballòòò½ÊÓƵ™s Garrett Wagoner (West Virginia State). Fairland footballòòò½ÊÓƵ™s Quentin Cremeans (Pikeville). Rock Hill golfòòò½ÊÓƵ™s Isabelle Melvin and Portsmouth Notre Dame volleyballòòò½ÊÓƵ™s Bree Hicks (Shawnee State).
COMMITMENTS: Lawrence County girls basketballòòò½ÊÓƵ™s Sophie Adkins (Pikeville). River Valley footballòòò½ÊÓƵ™s Brendan Clagg (Wilmington). James Monroe volleyballòòò½ÊÓƵ™s Ava Pitzer (Charleston Southern).
OFFERS: Cabell Midland footballòòò½ÊÓƵ™s Caleb Parlier (Dartmouth) and Ben Guilliams (Navy). George Washington basketballòòò½ÊÓƵ™s Noah Lewis (Fairmont State).
VISITS: Parlier, Huntington High footballòòò½ÊÓƵ™s Mason Ramsey and Ironton footballòòò½ÊÓƵ™s Zayne Williams (Ohio).
BACF GAME: The Battle Against Cystic Fibrosis 22nd Annual Ohio vs. West Virginia Basketball Classic is scheduled for Friday at Parkersburg South High School.
The girls game is at 5:30 p.m., followed by the boys.
Coaches for the girls are Jon Buchanan of Fairland and Pat Jones of Nitro. Boys coaches are Blane Maddox of Warren and Dave Marshall of Bridgeport.
NOTES, QUOTES, ANECDOTES: Coal Grove won the Ohio Division V powerlifting state championship and Fairland the Division IV title. Nitroòòò½ÊÓƵ™s boys basketball team made its first state championship game appearance in program history, losing to Bridgeport 62-40.
Garfield Heightsòòò½ÊÓƵ™ Marcus Johnson, who signed with Ohio State, was named Mr. Basketball in Ohio. His dad, Sonny Johnson, won the award in 1998 before playing at Ohio University. Wheeling Centralòòò½ÊÓƵ™s Eli Sancomb was tabbed West Virginia Gatorade player of the year.
Former Rock Hill track standout Jaina Bailey of Shawnee State is the River States Conference field athlete of the week after breaking the program record with a 143-foot, 1-inch hammer throw. Former Chesapeake basketball standout Dannie Maynard of Kentucky Christian University has entered the transfer portal, as has ex-Ripley basketball player Sophi Nichols of West Liberty University.
Former Cabell Midland pitcher Madison Jeffrey made his Major League spring training debut Sunday for the Chicago White Sox against the Arizona Diamondbacks in Glendale, Arizona. Former Spring Valley softball star Jenna Christopher of Shawnee State was named the RSC player of the week.
In 1992, Buffalo-Wayneòòò½ÊÓƵ™s Paul Robertson made the all-state tournament team. Saturday, his son Clay from Spring Valley also made it.
