VW independent staff/submitted information
Main Street Van Wert and Van Wert basketball are teaming up to hold the the second annual Main Street Madness 3-on-3 Basketball Tournament, on Saturday, August 1, at the east side Goedde Building on S. Jefferson St.
Open to boys and girls entering first through eighth grades, the tournament promises a fun-filled day of basketball, competition, and community spirit.
Tournament highlights include:
- Divisions for first-eighth grade boys and girls
- A maximum of 10 teams per division
- Two play-in games to determine tournament seeding
- Single-elimination tournament
- Games played with a 20-minute running clock or first team to 15 points
- Every registered participant receives a free tournament T-shirt
Participants are encouraged to check in 30 minutes before their scheduled game time. Tournament game times will be announced closer to the event.
“This tournament continues to grow each year and provides a great opportunity for young athletes to compete while bringing families downtown to enjoy everything Van Wert has to offer,” said Mitch Price, Executive Director of Main Street Van Wert. “We’re excited to once again partner with Van Wert Basketball to make this a memorable event.”
The cost is $80 per team. Registration is available online by scanning the QR code on the event flyer. Payment can be made by check or through Venmo @MainStreet1.
For additional information, contact Main Street Van Wert at 419.238.6911.
Editor’s note: The Friday Flashback has returned for the summer season and will continue until the start of the 2026 fall sports season. This week’s Friday Flashback takes us back to late January of 2012, when Van Wert traveled to Celina for a WBL boys basketball tilt. The game turned out to be a nailbiter. Below is the story as it appeared on the VW independent Sports page.
DAVE MOSIER/independent sports
CELINA – The Van Wert Cougar boys’ basketball team has struggle many times in the Celina High School gymnasium and Friday was no exception, as the Cougars were lucky to escape with a 63-61 Western Buckeye League victory over the Bulldogs on their home turf.
Van Wert led 15-13 at the end of the first period and was up by three points, 32-29, at the half. The Cougars had stretched their lead to seven, 52-45, by the end of the third quarter and were up by 12 points early in the fourth stanza when Celina switched to full-court pressure and the Cougars lost their composure — and their free-throwing shooting touch — but held onto the lead for the win.
It was the second game in a row where Van Wert’s free throw shooting was subpar. The first game was a 61-40 loss to Kalida on Tuesday when the Cougars went an incredible 0-for-8 at the line, including an 0-for-3 performance by Jacob Myers, a 90-percent free-throw shooter.
Myers was 7 of 9 from the line Friday, but Joey Hurless, also an excellent free-throw shooter, made only 2 of 8 free throw attempts, with most of those misses coming in the crucial fourth quarter. On the other hand, the two baskets he did make at the charity stripe were the difference in the game, coming as they did with less than a half-minute remaining.
Another indication that the Cougars had trouble with Celina’s defensive pressure was the 21 turnovers they made in the game, compared to 12 for the Bulldogs.
Myers had a season-best 32 points for Van Wert, while Reggie Smith added 10 points for the Cougars. Scott Moeder was unstoppable inside for Celina, scoring 25 points to lead the Bulldogs, while Matt Buschor scored 13 points and Braden Billger added 11 points for Celina.
Van Wert was 21 of 41 from two-point range (52.1 percent) and made 3 of 8 three-point attempts (37.5 percent). The Cougars hit 12 of their 23 free-throw attempts (52.2 percent). Celina made 25 of 42 two-point attempts (59.5 percent) and was 3 of 11 from three-point range (27.3 percent). Thankfully for Van Wert, the Bulldogs had a bad night at the free-throw line, hitting only 4 of 17 attempts at the line (23.5 percent).
(more…)POSTED: 07/03/26 at 12:01 am. FILED UNDER: Sports
Submitted information
KENTON — More than 500 swimmers and their families will descend on Kenton on Friday and Saturday, July 10-11, for the 44th Western Ohio Aquatics League (WOAL) Championship. The WOAL meet is for swimmers aged 5-18 who are members of a league team.
The Kenton Municipal Swimming Pool is the host site for the 2026 Swim Champs and will host teams from Ada, Bluffton, Findlay, Kenton, Shawnee Country Club, Wapakoneta, Westside and Van Wert. The eight teams will compete for the 2026 league title.
Events will begin at 9 a.m. Friday, July 10, and will conclude around 2 p.m. Day two of championships will start at 9 a.m. Saturday, July 11, and will conclude around 3 p.m. The league champs will be crowned at the end of day two.
“The WOAL Swim Championships are a celebration of our communities,”
said Jason Howe, Kenton area swim team WOAL pool representative and head official. “They teach young swimmers the value of sportsmanship, friendly competition, and having fun while striving to do their best. Just as importantly, they give older swimmers the opportunity to mentor younger swimmers, creating a positive environment where everyone can learn, grow, and enjoy the sport of swimming,”
Each year, the championships rotate between the Bluffton, Kenton, and Wapakoneta pools.
On Saturday, one female and one male WOAL 2026 high school graduating swimmer will be awarded the Beverly R. Little Memorial Scholarship in recognition of their participation in the WOAL Swim League. The Lima Mayor’s trophy will also be awarded by Kenton Mayor Lynn Webb to recognize outstanding individual(s) service to the WOAL.
Local companies and individual sponsors for the WOAL include; Diamond M Veterinary Clinic, Graphic Packaging, HeartLight Pharmacy Services, Hixon Zuercher Capital Management, JTB Tech, LLC, JS PRO Display, Kenton Fire Department, Orthopedic Institute of Ohio, Precision Aerial Solutions, LLC, Quest Federal Credit Union, Rogers Insurance, Rudolph Foods, Scooters Coffee, SHC Entertainment & Technology, T&D Interiors, Inc., The Velvet Monkey Retreat, and the YMCA of Van Wert.
Heat Winner Sponsors include Wilson’s, Ohio Northern University, and SHC Entertainment & Technology.
Admission is free and open to the public. Food and beverage purchases will be available throughout the event at the pool concession stand and visiting food trucks.
POSTED: 07/01/26 at 8:19 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
Recent Lincolnview High School graduates Chayse Overholt (10) and Holden Price (2) were selected to play in the All-Ohio Series at V.A. Memorial Stadium in Chillicothe on Wednesday. The two represented Division 6. Photo submitted
POSTED: 07/01/26 at 8:18 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports
Van Wert, Crestview and Lincolnview will remain in their respective divisions in girls and boys basketball during the 2026-2027 school year. The OHSAA released statewide divisional assignments on Tuesday and while it’s status quo for the three local schools, there are some other changes around the region.
The Cougars and Lady Cougars will again compete in Division IV this winter, while Crestview and Lincolnview are again in Division VI in boys and girls basketball.
Wayne Trace is moving from Division VI to Division VII and accoring to figures provided by the OHSAA, the Raiders will be the largest Division VII boys team in the state in terms of enrollment.
This year’s division assignments for teams in the Green Meadows Conference, Midwest Athletic Conference, Northwest Athletic Conference, Putnam County League and Western Buckeye League are shown below. Any and all changes are also noted.
Boys basketball
GMC
- Division VI – Fairview
- Division VI – Hicksville
- Division VI – Paulding (Division V in 2025-2026)
- Division VI – Tinora
- Division VII – Antwerp
- Division VII – Ayersville (Division VI in 2025-2026)
- Division VII – Edgerton
- Division VII – Wayne Trace (Division VI in 2025-2026)
MAC
- Division V – Coldwater
- Division V – Versailles
- Division VI – Parkway
- Division VI – St. Henry
- Division VII – Delphos St. John’s
- Division VII – Fort Recovery (Division VI 2025-2026)
- Division VII – Marion Local (Division VI 2025-2026)
- Division VII – Minster
POSTED: 06/30/26 at 8:36 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
SCOTT TRUXELL/independent sports
Some things may never change but others will when the 2026 high school football season kicks off in August. If you take out the COVID-19 season, Van Wert and Bryan have opened the regular season against each other seemingly forever and they’ll do so again this year. Crestview and Parkway met in the season opener for over 20 years (minus 2020), but they won’t square off at all this season.
Van Wert Cougars
The Cougars will continue their longstanding opening game rivalry against the Bryan Golden Bears August 21 at Eggerss Stadium. Except for the COVID-19 season of 2020, the two teams have opened the season against each other for a number of years. In fact, it’s thought to be one of Ohio’s longest season opening rivalries.
By the way – during the shortened COVID-19 regular season, the two teams were expected to meet once their respective playoff runs were complete. In 2020, the OHSAA allowed teams to schedule regular season games after a playoff loss. Just one thing – the Cougars kept winning in the postseason and went on to win the Division IV state championship.
If you’re keeping track, Van Wert has won eight straight games against the Golden Bears. Bryan’s last victory in the series came in 2016.
Van Wert’s WBL opener will be at home against Elida on August 28, giving the Cougars two straight home games to begin the season. Other regular season home games this year will be against Defiance on September 18, vs. St. Marys Memorial on October 2, and vs. Shawnee on October 16. A special dedication ceremony for the massive Eggerss Stadium renovation project is scheduled prior to the September 18 game vs. Defiance.
Crestview Knights
Crestview’s non-conference schedule is getting a two-thirds makeover.
Last season, the Knights opened the season against Parkway and powerhouse Marion Local. In 2024, the first two games were against Parkway and McComb. This year, Crestview will host a former NWC foe Paulding in the August 21 season opener. The northern Panthers are replacing Parkway, a team that the Knights faced in the season opener since 2003, except for the 2020 COVID-19 season. The Knights then will hit the road against a different, but still consistently strong team from the MAC – Minster. The third and final non-conference matchup will be a familiar one – the Wayne Trace Raiders. In addition to home games against Paulding and Wayne Trace, the Knights will also host Allen East, Bluffton and Columbus Grove.
(more…)POSTED: 06/28/26 at 8:56 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
Editor’s note: The Friday Flashback has returned for the summer season and will continue until the start of the 2026 fall sports season. This week’s Friday Flashback takes us back to October of 2011, when Van Wert hosted Bath in a Week No. 6 homecoming game. Below is the story as it appeared on the VW independent Sports page.
DAVE MOSIER/independent sports
The Van Wert Cougars looked like they would take a 13-6 lead into the halftime locker room during Friday night’s Homecoming football game against the Bath Wildcats. Unfortunately, the ‘Cats scored again with 24 seconds left on the clock and the touchdown seemed to take the wind out of Van Wert’s sails as Bath went on to score two more touchdowns en route to a 27-13 Western Buckeye League victory over the Cougars.
The key to the game was the inability of the Van Wert defense to stop the dive play, which the Wildcats used successfully to pick up first downs throughout the game.
Bath scored first when Cam Jenkins found Eric Heffner on what was a 61-yard scoring strike with 5:40 remaining in the first quarter. The kick was blocked, though, and the Wildcats led 6-0.
Van Wert scored twice in the second quarter, the first on a 4-yard run by quarterback Colin Smith at the 3:51 mark, and again two minutes later when Smith found Terrance Branson for a 62-yard touchdown pass at the 1:44 mark.
Gavin Gardner kicked one of the two extra points and the Cougars led 13-7, with halftime coming up.
But the Wildcats weren’t done yet. After they penetrated to the Van Wert 20-yard line, Jenkins then found Heffner and connected for a 20-yard touchdown with 24 seconds left on the clock. Hunter Weis kicked the PAT and the score was tied at 13-all at halftime.
Unfortunately, that would be all the scoring for the Cougars, although Bath added two more touchdowns, both in the third quarter and both on runs by Nate Stonehill. Stonehill ran the first score in from the 1-yard line and the second from the Van Wert 5 (that one with just five seconds left in the third quarter).
Although both teams tried to get some offense going in the final period, no one could put the ball into the end zone and the game went to the Wildcats, 27-13.
Bath generated 392 yards of offense, with 207 of those on the ground and 185 through the air. The Cougars were held to 245 yards of total offense, 137 of those through the air and the remaining 108 on the ground.
(more…)POSTED: 06/26/26 at 12:01 am. FILED UNDER: Sports
The first ever Lincoln Highway Classic went down the wire at Smiley Park on Wednesday night. The Klosterman Pizza All-Stars led 6-1 after four innings, then held on for a 6-5 win. The Lee Kinstle All-Stars scored three runs in the sixth, one more in the seventh and had more runners on base but couldn’t capitalize. Bob Barnes/Van Wert independent
POSTED: 06/24/26 at 10:58 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
Submitted information
COLUMBUS — The Ohio High School Athletic Association has elevated girls flag football to a fully recognized sport for the 2026-27 school year, following a unanimous vote of the OHSAA Board of Directors at its June meeting.
Girls flag football becomes the OHSAA’s 29th recognized sport, including 15 sports for girls and 14 for boys. There are now 23 high school state associations in the United States that sanction girls flag football and a total of 40 states that offer girls high school football programs. Flag football will be included as a new sport in the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles.
“The OHSAA is so proud to welcome girls flag football to our family,” said Doug Ute, OHSAA Executive Director. “Flag football has grown so rapidly and will continue to do so. The Browns, Bengals and NFL put in so much work to promote the game and bring us to this moment to welcome girls flag football to the OHSAA.”
This past spring, there were 162 high school girls flag football teams in Ohio. In May, the OHSAA partnered with the Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals and the Pro Football Hall of Fame to conduct a high school state tournament event, which was won by Macedonia Nordonia.
“The Bengals are proud to support girls flag football and celebrate this historic milestone, which will help pave the way for the sport’s continued growth and success,” said Bengals Vice President Elizabeth Blackburn. “Full sanctioning is a testament to the dedication of many advocates who helped make it possible, including the Ohio High School Athletic Association, athletic directors, players, coaches and referees. The rapid expansion of flag football across Ohio reflects the passion, talent and commitment young women have for the game. We are excited to see the opportunities this creates for future generations of athletes.”
The OHSAA has been meeting with Ohio flag football leaders for several years. The growth of girls flag football began in 2021 with the creation of the first Girls High School Flag Football division in Northeast Ohio. Three years ago, there were 20 schools in Ohio that had a team. Girls Flag Football is included in the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association.
“The recognition of girls flag football as an official varsity sport in Ohio is a tremendous milestone for student-athletes across the state,” said Cleveland Browns Managing and Principal Partners Dee and Jimmy Haslam. “At the Cleveland Browns, we believe in creating more opportunities for young athletes to learn, compete and grow through the game of football and this decision marks just the beginning of that journey for many young women across Ohio. We’re proud to support the continued growth of girls flag football and look forward to seeing the positive impact this will have on schools, communities and the next generation of players.”
Dates for the 2027 season and tournament will be determined in the near future. The Bengals and Browns will continue to be heavily involved with girls flag football in Ohio.
POSTED: 06/24/26 at 12:54 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
The Lincolnview varsity baseball team recently held its end of the season awards ceremony. Special awards went to (left to right): Holden Price, Most Valuable Player; Chayse Overholt, Most Valuable Pitcher; Jackson Ingledue, Most Improved, and Case Young, Lancer Award. The Lincolnview baseball proram wrapped up its 11th annual baseball camp, which had 87 campers from K-8. Members from the high school team and staff helped instruct the two-day camp with featured pitching, outfield, infield, hitting drills and age-appropriate games. Photos submitted
POSTED: 06/23/26 at 6:27 pm. FILED UNDER: Sports
