Hard to believe that high school fall sports start practice this week after what always seems like a short summer break (why do June and July pass by so much quicker than January and February?). The Ohio High School Athletic Association begins its 120th year of overseeing interscholastic athletics in the Buckeye State with 818 member high schools, along with 747 seventh and eighth-grade schools.
With 28 sanctioned sports (14 girls, 14 boys), there are approximately 400,000 student-athletes served by OHSAA, as well as approximately 70,000 coaches and 15,000 officials (and yes, there is a continuing need for officials in all sports. Contact the OHSAA for information on how you can get involved!).
Golf gets a head start as actual competition begins Monday, July 28th. All other sports begin practice Friday, August 1st, with the following first dates of competition:
Girls tennis (8-8); Girls volleyball (8-15); Soccer (8-15); Cross Country (8-18); and Football (the week of 8-18 with the first Friday games on 8-22).
It’s always an exciting time for players, coaches, and fans alike as the fall campaigns begin. Nothing like attending fall sports events after a summer off with the enthusiasm of the athletes and communities coming to the front. Friday night lights, weekend cross country meets, weekday games and matches combined with fall weather—what could be better!!
NFL training camps of all 32 teams began this past week with the hopes of players and fans as high as ever for playoff spots and a shot at Super Bowl LX February 8th in Santa Clara, California. Let’s take a quick look at the quarterback position (I know, I know there’s a lot more to a team, but face it, the QB is the main focus of discussion, not only in preseason but throughout the season) for the three “local” teams of interest.
The only drama around the Bengals camp involves veterans Jake Browning and Desmond Ridder with the great Joe Burrow once again calling signals. Browning, who has been Burrow’s backup for the past two years, including a seven-game stretch as a starter in 2023 when Burrow was out with a wrist injury, will attempt to hold off the challenge of newcomer Ridder for the second spot. Ridder, a University of Cincinnati product who led the Bearcats to the College Football Playoffs in the 2021 season, was a third-round pick of Atlanta in the ‘22 draft and started thirteen games before being traded to Arizona in 2024 and eventually being picked up by the Raiders late in the season.
Meanwhile, over in Indianapolis, the Colts are having a two-man battle between incumbent Anthony Richardson and former Giant Daniel Jones. Richardson is trying to live up to his first-round selection in the ‘23 draft, having fallen far short of Indy’s expectations in his first two years. Jones is trying to regain his reputation as a first-round pick in the ‘19 draft after six mostly average seasons in the Big Apple. A third QB could be a dark horse candidate in Riley Leonard, who led the Fighting Irish of Notre Dame to the championship game last year in their loss to THE. Here’s a trivia question—where did Richardson and Jones play their college ball?
Up by the lake, the Browns have a roomful of signal callers with veterans Joe Flacco and Kenny Pickett competing along with rookies Dillion Gabriel and the much-publicized Shedeur Sanders. Pickett seemed to have the inside track until suffering a slight hamstring pull, which will sideline him for a week or so. It will be interesting to see how things shake out not only in the QB room but also with the proposed new stadium out in the Cleveland suburbs!
Kathy and I just returned from a week at Lake Wawasee in northern Indiana, what’s become an annual getaway with family and friends. I continue to be mystified by my struggles to handle a pontoon boat when it comes to docking at piers. I’ve had a private pilots license since 1980 and could put a Cessna 172 SkyHawk down easily in rain and crosswinds (I hung up my wings in 2020) but when it comes to fine handling a 22’ pontoon—let’s put it this way, Kathy found the perfect napkins for my frustration with the saying “Sorry for what I said when I was docking the boat”!!
Finally, Richardson was a Florida Gator, starting only 13 games (how many of you remember a similar situation when the Bengals chose Akili Smith from Oregon in the first round of the ‘99 draft only to see him be a complete bust) in the ‘21 and ‘22 seasons, throwing for 24 TDs with 15 INTs. Jones was a three-year starter at Duke in the ‘16-‘18 campaigns throwing for 52 TDs with 29 INTs. The Colts, overall, have a pretty good team, so it will be interesting to see who wins the starting role and how long they will be able to keep it.
Have a great week, stay active and healthy!
