HC cheerleaders state grand champs again!

BY SHARON DALTON News-Herald Sports Writer

SPRINGFIELD—

The Harrison Central Cheerleaders have done it again! In a sport where less than five minutes determines your entire contest, after weeks or even months of preparation, the ladies at Harrison Central have what it takes.

Led by seniors Julena Kovacek, Haley Dunlap, Gracie Rogers, Emma Tuttle, Kadence Vich, and Kirsten Hercules and coached by Sunnie Rubble, Bailie Ray, and Karli Ray, the nontumble squad captured their second consecutive state title at the OHSCCA Best in the State Competition held at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio, on January 22. Two teams competed in this event. Non-tumble and traditional. The traditional team placed third.

"It is really exciting. This team was so special because a lot of the girls were on both teams. So they had to compete twice," said Coach Rubble. "Top three was our goal. It was one of the hardest divisions we have been in. We (the traditional team) met our goal of placing in the top three," continued Coach Rubble.

The next chapter for the girls includes competing for the OVAC championship at WesBanco Arena on Saturday, February 4.

"We are getting ready for OVACs on Saturday. We added a bit more skill and cleaned some things up from last weekend," says Coach Rubble.

Buckeye 8 champions! Harrison tops unbeaten Ferry

BY D.J.WATSON

Harrison News-Herald Sports Writer

BELLAIRE—What a week for Head Coach Aaron Foldi and his Harrison Central Huskies. Last Saturday, the Huskies rolled into the league championship event at Bellaire High School and knocked off the previously unbeaten and stateranked Martins Ferry Purple Riders with an 88-79 victory. In doing so, the Huskies clinched the school’s second-ever Buckeye 8 league championship, the first since 2007 in boys’ hoops.

“We talked a lot the week leading up to the Buckeye 8 Championship. For each game we prepare for, we have keys to what we have to do to win. Our keys going into that game were to pack in our zone, have active hands, sprint back in transition, have urgency, and control the ball handler,” remarked Foldi.

The Huskies cashed in on all of the keys. At one point, Foldi’s boys surged out to a 19-point lead over Ohio’s 6th-ranked team in Div. III. An impressive scoring run for the Huskies (107) to close out the first half spilled into the third quarter. Two Hayden Cassidy free-throws right before intermission gave Harrison their biggest lead of the day to that point at 39-32. The sevenpoint halftime lead would grow exponentially in the third, as the Huskies ripped off a 16-4 scoring run to open the second half. With the advantage bottoming out at 55-36, it appeared the matchup was on course for an unprecedented blowout.

However, a Derek Edwards-led team in Martins Ferry came to play the entire game, not just three quarters. The Purple Riders (15-1) would cut the Huskies’ lead to eight, but it was too little, very much too late. The eight-point difference came with only ten seconds left in the game. While many will focus on Cassidy’s 30 points, along with Mykel Quito’s 28 (13 of which

This year, my new thing is a grow light system. I have decided that I am going to start growing microgreens and varieties of lettuce along with kale and collards. This will feed us as well as our chickens. I just purchased the setup and will hopefully start the process soon. In the next month or so, I will start my peppers and tomatoes, and other seeds. I will move them to my greenhouse at a later date, most likely in April. I will be selling the extras of my vegetable seedlings and herbs this spring, and possibly even potted flowers. Time is always a huge factor in what I can get accomplished during this season.

It’s always very busy trying to get seeds started and root vegetables planted. My root vegetables (potatoes, onions, carrots, parsnips, and turnips) will be planted at the end of March through mid-April. This always depends on the weather and if the ground is workable. In the past, I have planted potatoes at the end of March, but that isn’t always the case. I feel like it’s a hurry-upand-wait process. Most gardening is like that. I’m in a hurry, but I always have to wait on Mother Nature to cooperate.