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League play begins

With three weeks of games in the books, the high school football season kicks into a new gear tonight with the start of league play for a large majority of area schools. Highlighting the week four slate is the 78th meeting between Mineral Ridge (3-0) and McDonald (1-2). The Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Scarlet Tier foes first met in 1927 and played through 1941. The series resumed in 1961, and the two schools have since met on an annual basis. Tonight’s matchup marks the 62nd consecutive year for the rivalry, making this the longest continuous current series in Trumbull ...

The good and bad from YSU’s win over Duquesne

YOUNGSTOWN — Doug Phillips assessed things perfectly. YSU’s head coach noted following the Penguins’ 31-14 win over Duquesne that he liked the effort, but added, “We’re definitely not there yet.” Let’s start with the good. YSU’s run game remains potent, led by All-American tailback Jaleel McLaughlin. He averaged just over 10 yards per rush, amassing 203 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries. Behind him, Dra Rushton added 41 yards on six carries and provided a nice change of pace. That was especially true at the end of Saturday’s contest, as Phillips ...

Learning from mistakes key out on the waters

Fishing, as in life, is about minimizing mistakes. Whether errors in judgment or failures in execution, the goof-ups we experience can turn around and bite us out on the water. A miscue can result in a missed opportunity, a broken line, a lost fish or even an injury. So it is that we seek to minimize our mistakes. This is not to say we always succeed. As a matter of fact, I perhaps top the list of anglers who have managed to find just about every way possible to screw up. Fortunately, most of our mistakes can be categorized as relatively minor. Some, however, are the kind that ...

Football ‘golden ages’ unfolding across the Valley

Depending on the fanbase, area high school football enthusiasts will point to different bygone eras as “the golden age” of football in the Mahoning Valley. Niles fans are quick to mention the 1960s when the Red Dragons won a pair of state titles in the midst of a 48-game unbeaten streak. Warren backers are rightfully quick to point toward the 1970s, when the Harding-Reserve rivalry was at its peak, and when both schools took turns climbing to the peak of greatness. Youngstown Cardinal Mooney fans enjoy a plethora of history. The Don Bucci era spanned 34 years and included 306 ...

Dedication, hard work pays off

Seeing my dad umpire a baseball game is nothing new, but seeing him umpire a baseball game on ESPN in the northeast regional tournament, a step away from the Mecca of little league baseball, is something I’ll never forget. For years I’ve seen my dad, Larry Hawthorne, work hard for something he thought would never happen. Watching him go from umpiring games at my old little league field in Sharpsville, Pa. to ESPN proves that hard work pays off. It was early January when my dad got an email from a Little League Baseball email address. My parents had just moved to Warren to be ...

Preparation can lead to success on the waters

The lures we use to catch fish can tell us a lot about the mood of our quarry and the adjustments we might make to improve our fortunes. Two recent fishing trips underscore my point. One trip resulted in numerous missed opportunities. The other was a slugfest during which nearly every strike resulted in a boated bass. Careful inspection of the wear and tear on the soft-plastic, boot-tail swimbait bodies I used to add bulk, color and action to my bladed jig revealed the tendencies of the fish during both outings. During the first trip, the bass seemed to be sneaking up on the ...