NEW WASHINGTON — It was only fitting that Madison would get another shot at Tiffin Columbian in the Division III girls basketball district semifinals. It was a loss to the Tornadoes in late-December that turned the season around for the Rams. Madison made the most of its chance at redemption with a 48-29 win Tuesday […]
Doug rickert
Posted inSports
Back-to-Back: Ashland tops Madison, repeats as Ohio Cardinal Conference champ
MADISON TOWNSHIP — Ashland repeated as the Ohio Cardinal Conference’s outright champion, but the victory celebration was muted after Wednesday’s 55-39 win at Madison. Kennedy Lacey and her teammates have bigger goals in mind. A junior guard, Lacey scored 29 points as the Arrows clinched their second outright OCC title in as many years. “We’re […]
Posted inBaseball
Community support: North central Ohio rallies around Blubaugh as he makes big league debut
BELLVILLE — A.J. Blubaugh realized a dream Wednesday, but it wasn’t his alone. The newest edition to the Houston Astros’ pitching rotation brought the entire Clear Fork Valley along for the ride. The 24-year-old Blubaugh made his major league debut Wednesday afternoon when the Astros hosted the Detroit Tigers in the final game of a […]
Posted inFootball
Bleed Green: Madison tabs homegrown Johnson as new football coach
MADISON TOWNSHIP — A Madison football program in desperate need of stability hopes it has found its long-term solution. Rams’ product and longtime assistant Kobi Johnson was introduced as the new football coach Tuesday morning. Johnson replaces Brent Besancon, who left after two seasons to become the head coach at Orrville. Besancon’s brief tenure came […]
Posted inBoys Basketball
Shelby assistant Hipp to take over Madison boys basketball program
MADISON TOWNSHIP — Davey Hipp is ready for a new challenge and Madison’s new boys basketball coach can’t wait to get started. A 2017 Shelby graduate, Hipp was selected from a pool of eight applicants to succeed Chris Armstrong at Madison. He spent the past three seasons as an assistant at his alma mater, helping […]
Posted inSports
Madison Athletic Hall of Fame to welcome 7 new members
MADISON TOWNSHIP — The Madison Athletic Hall of Fame will open its doors to seven new members in August. The Class of 2024, the second class of honorees, includes Jocelyn Pelasky, Ray Peterson, Matt Godsil, Doug Rickert, Justin Larrick, Ray Ellison and Greg Bartram. The induction ceremony will take place Aug. 10 at the Mid-Ohio […]
Posted inSports
Scheduling biggest obstacle for new-look Ohio Cardinal Conference
MANSFIELD — For north central Ohio’s four biggest high schools, a new basketball landscape is taking shape with the addition of Dover to the Ohio Cardinal Conference. The biggest news emerging from the OCC’s recent expansion is the introduction of pod scheduling during the winter months. The goal, OCC commissioner Ron Dessecker said, is to […]
Posted inSports
Checking all the boxes: OCC members excited about addition of Dover
DOVER — Ron Dessecker was sad to see Mount Vernon go, but at least the longtime Ohio Cardinal Conference commissioner can visit his hometown again on a regular basis as part of his job. A Dover High School graduate, Dessecker brokered the deal that will bring the Tornadoes into the OCC for the 2025-26 school […]
Posted inEducation
Madison recognizes teachers for exceptional student growth
MADISON TOWNSHIP — Eleven teachers from Madison Local Schools were recognized for their students’ exceptional growth during Wednesday night’s school board meeting. The teachers were honored because there was significant evidence their students made more growth than expected during the 2022-2023 school year, based on data from Ohio’s end-of-the-year exams. “All of our teachers work very […]