Only time will tell about the results of this week’s NFL draft as to which picks reached their expected potential, which failed miserably, and which faded away into the backwaters of history. At first glance, the Browns had a second consecutive promising haul of future pros as they not only filled immediate needs but also acquired additional selections through trades. The Bengals, on the other hand, were the Bengals, although obtaining All-Pro Dexter Lawrence to bolster the defensive line in exchange for the 10th overall pick in the draft, hopefully will prove to be a wise move.`
And how about all of those Buckeyes selected in the first three rounds, including four of the first eleven. THE has become the standard-bearer for big-time college football excellence—just more pressure on Coach Ryan Day and staff to continue vying for national titles and placate the rabid alumni and fan base!
Continuing with the football theme (hey, it’s only three months until NFL camps open and four months until the start of the high school season!), the Ohio High School Athletic Association just released the divisional breakdowns for prep teams a few days ago. This fall, 708 squads will take to the gridiron, split into seven divisions, with all state title games to be held once again in Canton. The 72 largest schools, enrollment-wise, will constitute D-I, with the remaining schools divided equally in descending order of male enrollment in grades 9-11 as of the fall of 2025. Each of the remaining six divisions will have 106-108 teams eligible for playoff participation.
Locally, there will be a few changes in classification as both Northmont and Troy drop down to D-II after being in D-I last year. Others in D-II include Miami Valley League members Fairborn, Xenia, Stebbins, Piqua, Sidney, and Butler. The remaining MVL members, Greenville, West Carrollton, and Tippecanoe, are all D-III, with the Green Wave being the seventh-smallest school with only 275 male students.
Eaton resides in D-IV, while Arcanum, Brookville, and Preble Shawnee are in D-V, along with Coldwater, which moves up from D-VI. Versailles with 149 students is the largest D-VI school in the state and is joined by National Trail, Tri-Village, Covington, and Dixie with last fall’s D-VII champion St. Henry, conquerors of Marion Local thus ending the Flyers 76-game winning streak, also part of the group after moving up a class.
The small schools of D-VII include powerful Marion Local, Ansonia, Bradford, Fort Recovery, Minster, Mississinawa Valley, Tri-County North, and Twin Valley South.
Switching to basketball, Greenville will be introducing a new head boys coach in Tom Gibson, who moves over from the head job at Fairlawn. In taking the helm of the Green Wave, he’ll attempt to reverse a nine-year decline in fortunes that has seen the Wave compile a 23-183 record. Here’s hoping players, parents, fans, and administration all unite behind Coach Gibson and get things turned around!!
It’s almost hard to believe the numbers, but over 4,900 male college basketball players, including 2,600 from D-I, have entered the “transfer portal” this spring. As I’ve stated before, NIL money has a lot to do with the situation, as does the matter of playing time. Until something is done in the future, this mass exodus every year will be the norm, rendering “amateur student-athlete” a meaningless phrase at the upper levels of collegiate play.
Think about this—THE had three former Ohio Mr. Basketballs on this year’s roster. All three have transferred with Gabe Cupp (‘22) going to the University of Illinois-Chicago, Devin Royal (‘23) heading to Villanova, and Colin White (‘24) taking his talents to Akron.
Speaking of Akron, how did the school’s sports teams acquire the nickname Zips? It comes from Zippers, rubber overshoes made by BF Goodrich, which were popular in the 1920s and 1930s!
Two other Ohio college nicknames and three out-of-state schools’ monikers:
Ohio State Buckeyes—according to my brother and OSU alum Kirk, the name came from the appearance of a male deer’s (a buck) eyes, not the tree!
Youngstown State Penguins—an opposing basketball coach, upon seeing Youngstown loosening up before a game in an unheated locker room with no warm-up uniforms, thought their arm movements looked like those of a penguin, and the name stuck!
The University of California-Irvine Anteaters—based on a vote of the student body to recognize the anteater character in the comic strip B.C.
Delaware Fightin’ Blue Hens—a Delaware regiment in the Revolutionary War brought game chickens with them for entertainment, the fowl famous for their courage and blue-tinted feathers. Also the state bird of Delaware!
And finally, the Oklahoma Sooners—named for settlers who illegally entered the Oklahoma Territory early or “sooner” than the official start time to stake a claim to ground on April 22nd of 1889.
The most common nickname of colleges and universities at all levels? Eagles representing 117 schools, followed by different forms of Hawks with 107. And you thought you’d never learn anything from this column!! Have a great week!
