Thursday, August 19th, 2021
School board hires back wresting coach
By Leslie Gartrell
ROCKFORD - Parkway Local Schools board of education members, after exiting an hour-long executive session on Wednesday, hired a varsity wrestling coach but took no action related to ongoing teacher negotiations.
The closed door session was held during a special school board meeting. It was called to discuss personnel and ongoing teacher contract negotiations. [More]
Obituaries on August 19th, 2021
Judith Christine 'Chris' Roebuck Lumbard, 72, formerly of Canton, NY, died Frid [More]
Jonny Van Sidenbender, 86, of Rockford passed away on August 16, 2021 at Vancrest Nursing Home in St. Mary's. [More]
John F. (Jack) Nangle, 82 of Springfield passed away August 17,2021, at his res [More]
Tong Se Ly, known by everyone as "Lee", age 70 of Celina, passed away on Saturd [More]
James William Storer, age 74 of St. Marys, Ohio passed away on Tuesday, Aug. 17, 2021 at Grande Lake Healthcare in St. Marys. [More]
Local pictures on August 19th, 2021
Subscriber stories on August 19th, 2021
Only 31% of county is fully vaccinated
CELINA - Mercer County health officials on Wednesday reported 56 new cases of COVID-19 and four new hospitalizations involving unvaccinated people since their last report on Aug. 10.
Gunslingers, cowpokes in shoot-'em-up theater
CELINA - A small crowd shrieked as gunshots rang out through the Mercer County Fairgrounds on Wednesday evening. The sound of a Colt 45 pistol and the boom of a 12-gauge, double-barrel shotgun could be heard as a group of nearby kids let out screams.
NEW BREMEN - Cafeteria officials anticipate food shortages and an uptick in product prices this school year, superintendent Jason Schrader told board members on Wednesday night.
Crews will be applying herbicide to suppress weeds and other undesirable vegetation along all county roads in Mercer County and on township roads in Butler, Center and Jefferson townships between Sept. 3 and Oct. 15, according to a news release from the Mercer County Engineer's Office.
Riley Road between State Route 197 and Howick Road will be closed for approximately two weeks starting Aug. 23 for road grade improvements, depending
St. Henry barely beats out Celina
Compiled by Gary R. Rasberry
Celina and St. Henry got together Wednesday afternoon for a girls golf matchup on the front nine of the Mercer County Elks, where the Redskins hung on to edge the Bulldogs 211-213.
State to go to 16-team regional playoff bracket this season
Normally, every two years, the Ohio High School Athletic Association checks the enrollment count of all the schools with high school football teams in Ohio. The results change the division some football teams will compete in for the next two seasons.
  After the 2020 high school regular season was reduced six games due to the pandemic, the 2021 season resumes this weekend with a full slate of games schedule.
CELINA - The 2020 football season was unique for Celina. The Bulldogs went 3-3 in the regular season, lost a heartbreaking home playoff game to Dayton Carroll, then tried to close the season with a win, but went 0-3 after the postseason.
COLDWATER - No surprise, Coldwater is loaded for bear for the 2021 season.
The defending Division VI state champions have seven offensive and four defensive starters back from a 12-0 campaign and has 85 players on the roster.
FORT RECOVERY -In 2020, Fort Recovery's senior class accounted for over 2,600 yards, 84% of the Indians' total.
That leaves a lot of openings in 2021.
MARIA STEIN - Veteran Marion Local coach Tim Goodwin will have a solid corps of returning veterans coming back in 2021.
But there will be a few position changes.
MINSTER - Last season, the Minster Wildcats football team endured the Covid-stricken campaign of 2020 with a regular season record of 4-5, while fini
NEW BREMEN - "Defending state champions" has to sound pretty good to New Bremen football coach Chris Schmidt, but with 17 seniors lost to graduation he knows there's work to be done.
ROCKFORD - After going winless in the regular season of the shortened 2020 campaign, Parkway pulled out a win in its first tournament game since 1999 - before getting bounced by Frankfort Arena.
ST. HENRY - While much of the Midwest Athletic Conference brings along new starters, St. Henry may have a head start.
The Redskins return starters at 18 spots, 12 seniors and six juniors, from a team that went 5-3 in the shortened 2020 season before losing in the second round of the playoffs.
ST. MARYS - With 12 total returning starters on both sides of the football, first-year head coach Bo Frye will take over the reins from his father Do
CELINA - Experience abounds for the Celina volleyball team as the Bulldogs look to build upon a 13-8 season and finishing second in the Western Buckeye League.
COLDWATER - The 2020 volleyball season was a tough one for Coldwater.
The Cavaliers were 8-9 and 1-5 in the MAC as three league matches were cancelled due to COVID-19 issues.
FORT RECOVERY - After a generational season in 2020, the Fort Recovery volleyball team is gearing up for another run.
The Indians went 21-4, 8-1 i
MARIA STEIN - After reaching the district volleyball final and winning 21 matches last season, including a 6-3 Midwest Athletic Conference mark, Marion Local will look to maintain the momentum for another season.
MINSTER - Cami Garman embarks on her 12th season as coach of the Minster volleyball program hoping to continue the success they enjoyed in 2020 when the Wildcats finished the campaign 16-8 overall and 3-6 in the Midwest Athletic Conference.
NEW BREMEN - With some fresh faces expected in the lineup, New Bremen will be looking to build on its recent Ohio Division IV volleyball dominance this fall.
ROCKFORD - After going 1-7 in the Midwest Athletic Conference in 2020, the Parkway volleyball team has reason for optimism this year.
The Panthers
ST. HENRY - The St. Henry volleyball team returns seven starters, including five seniors, but already has a large hole in the lineup.
Junior Mia N
ST. MARYS - Caley Yoder begins her second year as the St. Marys varsity volleyball coach with a young, but experienced squad.
The Roughriders have just one senior on the roster, but six returning letter-winners, all of whom are underclassmen.
SCORING
Player  TD  C  XP  FG  TP
Zack McKibben, CW  10  0  0  0  60
Carson Bey, V  9  0  0  0  54
Derek Jutte, FR  8  1  0  0  50
Aiden Hinkle, SM  8  0  0  0  48
Owen