Paden City played their last home basketball game at Bob Burton gymnasium on Tuesday, February 25. The gym was packed as Wildcat fans came out to cheer their favorite team to victory. Head boys basketball coach Kelly Sine had the team well prepared as they welcomed the Beallsville, Ohio Blue Devils. Paden City closed out their high school basketball history with a 67-41 victory

avenging an earlier season loss to the visitors. The memories of the years were evident as Wildcats from nearly every generation since 1952 were in attendance to cheer on the team.

On Thursday, February 27, I attended the Hundred Hornets last home basketball game in their gymnasium. It was also packed as they hosted the Wildcats of Paden City, making it the last time the two schools will ever play each other in basketball. It was a fantastic game played by both teams. Paden City, a decided underdog in the contest, jumped out to a 12-0 lead before the Hornets hit a basket. The game was tight throughout with Hundred pulling out the win with a big fourth quarter comeback to help them get a victory on the home court as they close out basketball history.

This week several of our athletes will be competing in the state wrestling tournament in Huntington. Magnolia has two wrestlers who made it through the Class A/AA regionals held in St. Marys. Representing the Blue Eagles this week in Huntington is Dominic Harper who earned his way with a fourth place finish in the regionals in the 120 weight class. Aso representing Magnolia will be Eden Harlan who finished fourth in the 190 weight class. Tyler Consolidated is sending four wrestlers down state with Branson Winfrey a second place finisher in the region in the 165 weight class, Gideon Winfrey a third place finisher in the 150 weight class, Kellan Dalrymple a fourth place finisher in the 144 weight class and Colsen Spragg a fourth place finisher in the 138 weight class. All of these wrestlers are capable of bringing home the gold. Lets cheer them on and wish them well at the state tournament.

The girls state basketball tournament will take place next week starting on Tuesday, March 11 and running through Saturday the 15th. Class A Magnolia and Class AA Tyler play tonight with a chance to advance to the state tournament in Charleston next week.

The boys regionals are also underway, hopefully we can send a team or two to the big event which kicks off on March 18-22 at the civic center in Charleston.

I have been to every boys state basketball tournament except two since 1971 and hope to make this one as well. Good luck to all.

An exciting announcement has been made that professional football is coming back to the Ohio Valley. The Ohio Valley Ironmen will take to the gridiron this coming May, and play their games at John Marshall Stadium in Moundsville. Coach of the team is Manny Matsakis who is originally from Shadyside and is a 1980 graduate of the school, played his collegiate ball at Capital University and still holds the record for longest field goal in Capital University history, 54 yards in 1981. Three years later he would be drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles, the last straight-on kicker drafted by an NFL team.

It’s been nearly 56 years since professional football has stirred the football elite in the Ohio Valley. The last year was in 1969 when the Wheeling Ironmen roamed the sidelines at Wheeling Island Stadium for the last time. The history of the Ironmen is a storied tale that needs to be told, however hold on to your hats because excitement of pro football is back in the area. The International Football Alliance, debuts in late May in both the United States and Mexico.

The Ironmen offer a delightful “blast from the past” vibe, harkening back to the beloved Wheeling and OV Ironmen of 1960’s fame, for those of you old enough to remember.

Matsakis is bringing with him his vaunted Triple Shoot offense, a wide-open hybrid of an attack with four receivers and a superback RB. The Ironmen offense will spread it out and turn it over to QB James Franklin to attack via fly-sweep run or a run-and-shoot aerial barrage. It will be exciting to watch as they compete against six other IFA teams in outdoor stadiums using NFL rules.

As a coach, Matsakis quickly hit his stride as an offensive savant and was in great demand, serving as head coach at Emporia State (1995-98), Texas State U (2003) and Bethany College (Kansas) (2013-14). He also served as an assistant under some fantastic head coaches like Mike Leach and Bill Snyder. Leach’s staff at Texas Tech included Art Briles, Sonny Dykes and Dana Holgersen. Manny considers Rich Rodriguez as a personal friend.

So gird your loins, football fans. The roster is filling, training camp is approaching, and the team is lining up sponsorships. Tickets will be on sale in April, and merchandise will be available soon. Any questions concerning the Ironmen Union for fans or Ironmen Guild for business can contact Joe@ohiovalleyironmen.com for personal attention.

While we’re talking about excitement, it’s exciting to see the weather changing and kids back out on the ball fields. High school baseball, softball and track are up and raring to go. The games are scheduled for March 25 with a few schools holding track meets. Baseball and softball kick off on March 19. Let’s hope for good weather as spring season gets under way!