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'She definitely would have wanted me to play': Bradley kicker excels on day of mom's death

'She definitely would have wanted me to play': Bradley kicker excels on day of mom's death

Jake Walter sat alone beside the kicking net in the north end zone at Jaguar Stadium, taking in a day he never could have imagined.

Walter kicked a pair of field goals in Hilliard Bradley's 19-14 win Aug. 26 over Hilliard Darby. That alone would have made it an unforgettable day in the life of a high school junior, but this day would remain with him forever for a vastly different reason.

Shortly after n
ThisWeek •

Olentangy Berlin Roundup: Ordeal gives Mike Weaver new perspective

Mike Weaver was driving to a coaches meeting on a cold, rainy November evening, then everything went black.

The Olentangy Berlin High School baseball coach was knocked out by a deer that was propelled through his windshield by a car headed in the opposite direction. There was no warning, and he still has no memory of it.

Weaver survived without physical scar, but he suffered traumatic brain injury (TBI), which sapped his energy and some of his memory. The experience of Nov. 18 also changed his
ThisWeek •

Westerville North Roundup: Warrior spirit helps Mobley battle back

Erica Mobley had experienced cramping in her abdomen before, but not like this.

The Westerville North High School senior endured a few days of pain earlier this year, but then wasn't able to stand up straight. After a trip to the hospital, Mobley found out surgery was necessary because her abdomen was full of an infection.

Post-surgery, she would need a cane to walk. Running with the girls track and field and cross country programs -- one of her passions -- didn't seem possible.

It all came a
ThisWeek •

Football: Lachey making name for himself

Football: Lachey making name for himself

The day his father first dropped him off at kindergarten perfectly sums up James Lachey.

Jim Lachey said his eldest son, now a senior on the Grandview Heights High School football team, walked away from the car but turned to his father and smiled before reaching the school door.

"(James) looked back at me and said, 'You know I'm only here because I want to play football,' " the former Ohio State and NFL offensive lineman said. "We always told him that
ThisWeek •

Pioneers' Brown on road to recovery

Tyler Brown delivered a pitch, much like he had since he was in youth league.

The Olentangy Orange High School junior was pitching for the 18U Midland Redskins, a baseball team based in Batavia near Cincinnati.

He reared back and threw a 94 mph fastball then heard a crack. Not so much a snapping crack, but a popping crack. Three pitches later, his right arm was completely numb.

"It was like a pop, like cracking my knuckles, only it was in my elbow," Brown said. "You get a pop like that a lot
ThisWeek •

Skin infections raise need for precaution

Editor's note: This is the first of a two-part series on skin infections in wrestling. The first installment discusses skin infections in the sport, what the infections look like and what measures are taken to keep the infections from spreading. The second installment will look at treatments and prevention.

Jamie Ramirez leaned against the wall outside the Central Crossing High School wrestling room shaking his head as he discussed the sport's "perfect storm."

In the past year, the Comets' coa
ThisWeek •

Preventive care can limit skin infections

Mike Moyer has spent a lifetime in all phases of wrestling.

The son of a high school coach, he competed at West Chester (Pa.) University and coached at George Mason University in Fairfax, Va. But it's in his current role, as executive director of the National Wrestling Coaches Association (NWCA), where Moyer hopes to have the most impact on the sport.

One of his chosen battles is skin infections.

"When I wrestled in high school, we didn't have MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus
ThisWeek •

Athletes battle heat, cramps in many ways

Brandon Schoen was beside himself.

For a second consecutive week, the Olentangy Orange High School senior was forced to leave a football game early because of muscle cramps.

Schoen scored two touchdowns and rushed for 83 yards on 12 carries against Olentangy Liberty on Sept. 2 before exiting early in the third quarter. A week earlier against Olentangy, he had 85 yards and two touchdowns on nine carries, all in the first half. He only played three plays in the second half, all at defensive back
ThisWeek •

Grandview Heights Roundup: Emma Hall's play carries on father's legacy

Emma Hall's game looks familiar to coach Brian O'Mara as she battles in the paint for the Grandview Heights girls basketball team.

The 5-foot-10 senior forward is the daughter of Steve Hall, a former Ohio State men's basketball player who died of colon cancer in 2015. O'Mara sees the same type of player in Hall.

"I used to play against Steve in the open gym, and he asked me to come back to coaching after I had given that up years and years ago," said O'Mara, who is in his sixth season leading
ThisWeek •

Johnstown man returns for 'once-in-a-lifetime' motorcycle race

Tom Asher's drive to become the best kicked into high gear.

The 47-year-old Johnstown resident, who had not raced a motorcycle in more than 10 years, was surfing the Internet early last September when he found a link that piqued his interest.

Asher watched a video on adventure motorcycle competitions, a hybrid of street and off-road racing that looks like Survivor meets the X Games. It led to the opportunity of a lifetime as a member of Team USA in the biennial BMW Motorrad International GS Tr