A year to remember: 2022's Top 15 sports stories in Richland County that made biggest headlines

The calendar turns to 2023 and there is no stopping it.

All we can do is reflect. And, boy, was 2022 a great year to reflect on some amazing high school sports here in Richland County.

Let's take a trip down memory lane to check out the Top 15 Richland County sports stories that made the biggest headlines in 2022.

15. The ones we must remember

2022 was a tough year for those who made some of the biggest impacts in our community. The area lost four icons, among many others. Ashland University's national champion coach and U.S. Olympian Jud Logan passed away at the age of 62 of B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in early January, leaving behind a legacy that will forever be unmatched. The four-time Olympian was part of the AU Eagles track program for 28 years, including 17 as head coach. He led the Eagles men to three consecutive NCAA Division II national championships — 2019 indoors and outdoors, and 2021 indoors.

A month and a half later, the Ontario community lost an icon as football and basketball public address announcer Eric Grove passed away unexpectedly at the age of 44. A larger-than-life personality, Grover made every Ontario High School football and basketball game special. For his dedication to his school, the press box at Copeland Field at Niss Stadium was named in honor of Grove during Week 1 of the 2022 football season.

In late August 2013, Mansfield Senior graduate Antonio Sandefer was found dead at the age of 27 in a homicide-related death. Sanderfer was an All-Ohio defensive lineman for the Tygers in 2013. The 2022 Tygers dedicated the season to Sanderfer and ended up with a 10-3 record and a trip to the regional semifinals.

Then, just two days before Christmas, Shelby icon Chuck Ridenour passed away after a lengthy battle with several issues. Ridenour was a staple of the Shelby community as the Shelby Daily Globe Sports Editor and a member of the newspaper staff for more than 40 years. He was 61. Ridenour was a ray of light at every Shelby sporting event.

14. Lexington’s Scott Hamilton breaks all-time wins record

It is no secret just how tough it is to be the basketball coach at Lexington High School. But there is one man who stands tallest on the Mount Rushmore of the winningest coaches in boys basketball history. With a 60-28 Division II sectional championship win over Clear Fork, Scott Hamilton became the all-time winningest coach in Lexington boys basketball history with his 159th career win, topping John Barr’s 158 set from 1961-72. Hamilton did it in his 10th season at the helm.

13. Stover earns honor of being voted Buckeye Captain

It is one of the biggest honors in all of college football, and it belonged to Lexington grad Cade Stover. In 2022, Stover was voted as a captain for the Ohio State football team by his teammates. He was one of six players voted captain, joining receiver Kamryn Babb, quarterback CJ Stroud, linebacker Tommy Eichenberg, defensive end Tyger Friday and safety Kourt Williams. Stover helped the Buckeyes make the College Football Playoffs this season as a starting tight end.

12. Historic venues see final action

Two historic venues were put to rest in 2022. First, the Lexington High School gymnasium where the Minutemen boys basketball team won two state titles saw its final hoops action ever as Lexington built a new school over the summer complete with a state-of-the-art gymnasium. The final regular-season game was a loss to Ottawa-Glandorf, but that doesn’t even come close to erasing the history in the place. The final game ever was the 43rd News Journal All-Star Classic highlighted by an MVP performance from Maurice Ware that won’t soon be forgotten.

But that wasn’t the only historic venue seeing the end. Shelby’s WW Skiles Field held one final game at the legendary football stadium, and it too went out in style. With the score tied at 7, Shelby’s Casey Lantz booted a 21-yard field goal as time expired to send the Whippets home with a victory over Madison in the final game ever at Skiles. It was the perfect cap to a place that housed so many championship teams and such rich history as Shelby opened up the Whippet Athletic Complex on the school’s campus in Week 3.

11. Richland County sends three football teams to regional semifinals

Lucas, Mansfield Senior and Crestview all made deep football playoff runs in 2022, and some were more unlikely than others.

The Cubs went into the playoffs at 4-6 and had to go on the road for their first two playoff games, beating Toronto and previously unbeaten Lowellville before falling to Danville in an absolutely wild one at Clear Fork. The Colts ended the season 6-7 but played three postseason games and made the most of their magical run.

The Tygers won 10 games for just the fourth time in 22 years when they made a run to the Division III Region 10 semifinals. They started off the postseason with a 38-0 win over Ontario on coach Chioke Bradley’s birthday and a 16-0 win over Defiance, both at home, before falling 17-16 to Parma Holy Name at Brunswick.

But the best season in 2022 went to the Cougars, who completed the regular season 10-0 for the second consecutive year and currently own a 21-game regular-season winning streak. They, too, went to the Division VI Region 22 semifinals, falling to Columbia Station, to end the year 12-1.

It was a great year in Richland County football thanks to three lengthy playoff football runs that won’t soon be forgotten.

10. Four All-Ohioans emerge from state cross country meet

Headlined by Shelby’s Kayla Gonzales, Richland County saw four All-Ohioans make waves at the 2022 state cross country meet this year. Gonzales took fourth overall in the Division II race to find a spot on the podium while Lexington freshman Brailey Slone and senior teammate Kenley Miller both finished in the top 30 in Division II. On the boys side, Shelby’s Huck Finnegan finished 30th in what was the gutsiest performance of the day when he fell three times with 100 meters to go and crawled across the finish line to earn an All-Ohio spot.

9. Nike Football Camp brings star power to Mansfield

Over the summer of 2022, Arlin Field was the place to be for the Nike Skills Football Camp as hundreds of youth football players invaded the historic stadium to receive instruction from some of the state’s biggest stars. Ohio State’s Cade Stover was there, Ohio Dominican quarterback Cam Todd, Michigan State’s Angelo Grose and Kentucky’s Tyrell Ajian teamed up and former Arizona Cardinal Jake Soliday and former Philadelphia Eagle Hugh Douglas all made special appearances among many other college football players.

It was a successful event that brought out many members of the 2019 Mansfield Senior Division III state runner-up team as the camp could be an annual reunion for many years to come.

8. Clear Fork grad AJ Blubaugh gets drafted

AJ Blubaugh saw his baseball dreams come true. After spending the summer dominating the prestigious Cap Cod League, Blubaugh later saw his name on the ticker of the 2023 Major League Baseball Draft as seventh-round, 223rd pick by the Houston Astros. Blubaugh had a great college career at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, his only Division I college scholarship offer out of high school, and made the most of his opportunities to become a professional ball player. He is currently assigned to the Fayetteville Woodpeckers.

7. Richland County teams end droughts

2022 was the year to end championship droughts for Richland County teams. First, Ontario laid claim to their first ever Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference wrestling championship and their first wrestling league title in 11 years behind league individual champions Ethan Turnbaugh, Mason Turnbaugh, Jacob Ohl and Riley Kleshinski as the Warriors placed in 13 of 14 weight classes to make a run at the title.

Then, the Clear Fork girls basketball team followed that up with a storied tournament run and an overall historic season. They made their first district championship game appearance since the '80s and tied the program record for wins in a season with 21. It was a season that can only be topped by a district championship run.

In the spring, it was quite the time to end championship droughts on the softball diamond. Ontario won its first softball championship in 22 years when the Warriors picked up a win over Shelby in the final league game of the year to end the drought with not a single senior on the roster, making them the favorite to repeat in 2023.

Later in the spring, the Lexington softball team ended an 11-year drought by winning the Division II district championship in a 12-inning marathon thriller when Kaylie Eichorn stepped to the plate and delivered a walk-off sacrifice fly to beat Clear Fork 6-5. Lady Lex, the Richland County Softball Power Poll champ, went on to play in the regional championship game, losing 5-4 to Oak Harbor, but a new standard was set for the program that is sure to last for a long time.

And who could forget when Plymouth’s Caiden Allen became the highest state track placer for the Big Red in 13 years? Allen ran a blazing time of 11.06 in the 100 meters to place third overall and become the school's highest state placer since Jerrica Stephens was second in the shot put in 2009. He is the highest male placer for Plymouth in 30 years — since Todd Smart was runner-up in the 110-meter hurdles in 1992.

Fast forward to the fall. Now, normally, sectional championships aren’t included in the top moments of the year, but this year is different. Both Lexington and Lucas captured sectional volleyball crowns, giving Richland County its first sectional championships since 2018. Volleyball has been down in recent years, but with Lexington’s slew of young talent, it looks to be on the rise again.

Later in the fall, the Mansfield Christian boys soccer team got back to its championship-winning ways with its first district championship since 2017 with a win over Bluffton on Bluffton’s home pitch. It was the first district championship since the Flames made a run to the regional finals.

But nothing will top our final drought, especially with the way they won it. The Lexington girls soccer team won its first district championship in 12 years with the unlikeliest and most amazing runs to a title Richland County has ever seen. First, Lady Lex had to beat five-time defending district champion Madison, winning 3-2 on penalty kicks, after going through regulation and two extra times tied at one apiece in the sectional final. Then, they scored two goals in 10 minutes to beat Clear Fork 2-1 in the district semifinals before upsetting Ontario 2-1 in overtime in the title match to win their first district title in 12 years, capping off an amazing run.

6. The Year of Shelby Grover

2022 can be looked back at as the year of The Grover as Lucas’ Shelby Grover did what very few high school athletes ever could do, and that is earning All-Ohio honors in three different sports in the same athletic calendar year. Grover did that by earning All-Ohio honors in three events at the Division III state track meet. On day one, she took second in the long jump before following that up with a second- and a third-place finish in two hurdle events on day two. She had already earned All-Ohio honors in volleyball and basketball in 2021-22 and finished it off with honors in track.

She was the highlight of a busy state track meet for Richland County athletes. St. Peter's junior Peyton Bodner was eighth in the 400 meters in Division III, Mansfield Senior’s Maurice Ware was the Division I state runner-up in the high jump with Amil Upchurch taking seventh, and Madison’s Isaac Brooks was sixth in both the 100- and 300-meter hurdles.

5. Taylor Huff has jersey retired by Madison High School

There is no doubt about Madison grad Taylor Huff being the most decorated high school athlete to ever come out of Richland County. And Madison High School wanted to make sure that was cemented as it retired her No. 13 soccer jersey before a boys basketball game in January. She became just the third Madison athlete to ever have her jersey retired as the four-time All-American, and the all-time assists leader in Ohio high school soccer history deserved the honor. In May, Huff earned an invite to work out with the U.S. U-20 Women’s Youth National Team in Chula Vista, California. Most recently, Huff completed a transfer to Florida State for her junior year of college soccer and hopes to help the Seminoles reach a national championship for the second time in three years.

4. Shelby girls basketball’s magical season

Remember No. 7 and those droughts ending? Well, this one deserved its own spot on the Top 15 list. The Shelby girls basketball team had a season everyone will never forget in 2021-22. After watching Olivia Baker reach 1,000-career points, the Whippets went on to complete a 22-0 regular season for the first time in program history, winning the Division II AP poll state championship which spearheaded a historic tournament run that included a Division II district title, the first since 1999, with a win over Clear Fork. They went on to play for a regional title thanks to a 35-33 win over Copley in the semis before bowing out 42-31 to Bishop Hartley. Still, the Whippets finished the year 27-1.

In the end, the Whippets accomplished so much. It was just the third regional final appearance in program history, joining the 1983 state championship team and the 1992 state runner-up squad. It was the first time in 30 years the Whippets played for a regional championship. They won their fourth consecutive Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference championship, sending their three seniors — Olivia and Haylee Baker and Sophie Niese — out without the feeling of ever not winning a league championship and went 22-0 in the regular season, a first in program history, and won the Ohio High School Girls Basketball Associated Press poll championship in Division II. And they finished 27-1, the same record as the 1983 state championship team. What a year.

3. Ohl headlines successful wrestling season

Ontario sophomore Jacob Ohl was so close to winning a 106-pound Division II state championship before falling in the state title match as the top placer in all of Richland County during the 2022 season. Ohl was the highlight of a wrestling season that included the return of the JC Gorman, Madison’s Hunter Hutcheson taking fourth at 190 pounds in Division I, Mansfield Senior’s Mekhi Bradley taking seventh at 215 in Division I and Crestview’s Hayden Kuhn also taking fourth at 132 pounds in Division III. These grapplers proved the best is yet to come in Richland County wrestling as they all return in 2023 and it should be another banner year in the sport.

2. Madison’s Lyndsee Young wins girls wrestling state title

There are just two state wrestling champions in Madison history, and Lyndsee Young became on of them in 2022. Young won the 140-pound Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches Association girls wrestling state title, joining Nate Yetzer as the only state champions in school history. Young entered as the top seed in the 140-pound bracket and cruised with two pins to advance to the semifinals. She then pinned Alicia Coleman of Olentangy Orange in the semifinals in 3:08 to advance to the state title match, where she outlasted Warren’s Kylee Tait 7-4 to win the state title and improve to 22-1 against female competition. Young became the first female state qualifier in Madison history and is just the 29th state qualifier since 1980. She was just the 16th state qualifier.

1. Lexington swim relay team wins state title … again

For the second consecutive year, the Lexington 200 medley relay team winning a Division II state championship is the top moment of the year. In 2022, Lexington went back-to-back as the quartet of senior Lucas Starling (freestyle), Jacob Hathaway (backstroke), sophomore Ivan Prykhodko (breaststroke) and senior Tanner Holmes (butterfly) collaborated for a winning time of 1:34.99, just a shade off the school record of 1:34.66, set in last year’s finals. The three seniors were part of history when they won the first relay state title in Lexington swim history in 2021 and followed that up with a repeat title in 2022.

The relay title was the highlight of a busy state meet in which 15 swimmers represented Richland County in 11 events with medalist finishes. Ontario’s Brie Trumpower earned All-Ohio honors in four events and Mansfield Senior’s Will Payne became the first Tyger to medal at state in eight years.

But the state title, one of just two for Richland County during the 2021-22 athletic season, is easily the top moment.

jfurr@gannett.com

740-244-9934

Twitter: @JakeFurr11

This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: 2022's Top 15 sports stories in Richland County that made headlines