That huge sigh of relief spreading throughout Buckeye Nation was a result of THE finally taking down the Wolverines for the first time since 2019 (remember there was no game in the Covid year of 2020). In advancing to next week’s Big Ten Championship game in Indianapolis against the second-ranked Hoosiers of Indiana the Bucks extended their winning streak to 16 games and secured their number one standing in both the college football playoffs rankings and the national polls.
THE weathered an early storm (in more ways than one!) as Michigan jumped out to a quick 6-0 lead before Julian Sayin and a strong running attack, not to mention a great receiving corps and the nation’s best defense, took control of the contest and quieted a rowdy crowd of well over 107,000. Ryan Day and staff will definitely sleep better tonight than they have over the past year!!
Indiana has had a tremendous revival of their football fortunes but I just don’t see the Crimson and Cream having the tradition, talent, and gravitas to beat THE—in a not particularly scientific prediction, call it 34-17 for the Scarlet and Gray.
Only one of the three area high school football teams moved on to the state championship level this coming weekend in Canton. St. Henry’s Redskins made a 13-10 halftime lead stand up in defeating Columbus Grove in D-VII semifinal play and advance to tangle with 13-1 Jeromesville Hillsdale Saturday at 10:30. The 13-1 Redskins will be playing in their first finals game since winning a title in 2006, the sixth in school history. Hillsdale returns for a second straight season after being runner-up last year. Tickets for this game as well as all others can only be obtained online at the OHSAA website, with adult ducats going for $16 and students $10.
Meanwhile, the other MAC representative, the Coldwater Cavaliers, let an 18-6 second-half lead slip from their grasp, falling to Hopewell-Loudon 20-18 in a D-VI semifinal. The Cavs finished 10-5 while the 13-1 Chieftains take on perennial power Kirtland (14-0) Saturday at 3:00.
Also, the undefeated Red Devils of Tipp City fell to mighty Columbus Bishop Watterson 43-9 as the Eagles soared to their 29th straight victory. Tipp suffered having two punts blocked and returned for touchdowns that broke open the contest. In finishing 13-1, the Devils made the Miami Valley League proud as they made their second D-III semifinal appearance in the last four years. Watterson will square off Friday at 3:00 for a third consecutive year with Toledo Central Catholic in the title game, Catholic winning in 2023 and the Eagles out to defend last year’s championship.
How great was it to see Joe Burrow back in action? After shaking off nine weeks’ worth of rust recovering from a turf toe injury in the first half of the Ravens game Thanksgiving night, Burrow showed the form that’s made him one of the premier signal callers in the NFL. And the Bengals defense (yes defense!) actually looked like they knew what they were doing in shutting down Lamar Jackson and crew in forcing five turnovers. Dare we hope for a Christmas miracle in the mediocre AFC North??
As we enter the Christmas season, you can expect to see the usual television specials, including the traditional “Charlie Brown Christmas”. First shown sixty years ago on December 9th, 1965, it has become a viewer favorite and an important part of many families’ holiday activities. Here’s something you might not know—a popular item in early ‘60s decor was the aluminum Xmas tree, with over 150,000 being sold in various colors and sizes in 1964. That first televised Charlie Brown special in ‘65 has been credited with putting an end to the fake metal trees, showing them in a negative light (who can ever forget Charlie Brown’s bedraggled tree!), leading to their total demise by 1969. Did you ever have a shiny one in your house?
While watching my grandson Bennett’s seventh-grade basketball game over in Granville last week, one of his Licking Heights opponents put the ball in the wrong basket (hey, these are 12- and 13-year-olds playing their first games in front of a fairly large crowd!). Here’s a question for you basketball fans—two points were awarded to Granville but how were the points recorded in the official scorebook? Answer to follow after you take a minute to think about it!
Three brothers were cleaning out their recently deceased mother’s San Francisco house when they came across a box of old comic books, including the first copy of the Superman series, dated 1939, in excellent condition, one of fewer than 500 known issues. Any idea what the edition brought at a recent auction? How about a cool $9.12 Million!! And my mother pitched all of my old comic books and baseball cards—how about yours??
In the case of Team A scoring a field goal for Team B, the points are credited in the scorebook to Team B’s closest player to the basket. Since my grandson was under the basket he got the two points giving him 11 as the Blue Aces won 45-37 and advanced to 2-0!!
Boys high school basketball got underway this weekend as area teams tipped off the season. I had the chance to interview both Greenville head coaches (see them here on MyCountyLInk), new coach Shane Hillard of the Lady Wave and fourth-year coach Matt Hamilton of the Green Wave. The girls are 0-2 after first losing to Eaton and then dropping a heartbreaker in three overtimes to Sidney. The boys, with senior Lukas Thorp and junior Gage Denham returning after a year’s absence to join last year’s returning lettermen, opened against an Arcanum Trojan team coming off a big win over Bethel on Friday night. The Wave held a 34-33 advantage at the halftime break before the Trojans went on a 19-5 run in the third quarter to effectively put the game away in advancing to 2-0.
Enjoy the snow, blow, and cold the next week or so! Stay healthy and active!!
