School Board Recognizes Sports Teams

(Bruce Yarnall photo)

Barnesville Boys Bowling Team

At the beginning of the Barnesville School Board Meeting last Thursday night, three winter teams were recognized by the body. The Varsity Boys Bowling Team, Varsity Cheerleaders and Varsity Wrestlers and their coaches were introduced by Brad Hannahs, athletic director.

As he introduced Coach Chad Hall and the team, Brad Hannahs noted the Boys Bowling team claimed Barnesville’s First ever Buckeye Eight crown. Barnesville was one of several teams to join the conference this year.

Hall said the boys also won the Baker Tournament, the East Ohio Bowling League, and the OVAC. During the season they lost only one match.

With no seniors on the team, everyone will be back next year, Hall shared.  

In addition to the boys achievement, Hall was recently named OVAC Boys Bowling Coach of the Year.

(Bruce Yarnall photo)

Barnesville Cheerleaders  

Head coach Abby McClelland noted the varsity cheerleading squad won the OVAC 3A competition following a mistake in scoring by the judges. Since cheerleading remains unrecognized by the state as an official sport, there are several associations that stage statewide competitions, she noted.

Barnesville participated in three statewide contests winning a variety of preliminary rounds and taking various competitive crowns by the three associations.

Cheerleaders participated again this year at the Nationals in Orlando, FL taking second and third places in two divisions.

Praising the cheerleaders and noting just one senior is leaving the squad this year, McClelland looks forward to the coming year. Tryouts are over and cheerleaders from seventh grade through varsity have been selected.     

(Bruce Yarnall photo)

Barnesville High Wrestlers

Head coach Jayson Stephen said the wrestlers had “a lot on their plate this year. At this they did not believe in themselves at first but by encouraging them to do what they did, they still came out well.”

The team was OVAC 3A champs, coming in 5^th overall at the tournament at Wheeling. Several Shamrocks were OVAC champs while others placed.

The team was OVAC Dual Meet champs, Regional Dual Meet champs, and placed six overall in the state Duals.

Wrestlers Ayden King placing in the Iron Man Tournament, the toughest tournament in the nation.

The team won the Sectionals, came in third in the district and qualified four wrestlers for the state tournament where Stephen said the team came in eighth overall with three placers, a state alternate and state qualifier.  

The coach noted the team is losing a few seniors but will see 15 junior high 8^th graders moving up. Eight of the new team members were junior high state qualifiers.

Several team members will participate in free style wrestling in the spring, and several signed up for spring and summer wrestling camps this summer, Stephen concluded.  \

As he introduced Stephen, Hannahs noted he was named Ohio Division III Coach of the Year earlier this month.

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Following the presentations and hearing administrative reports from several in the administration, the board retired for an executive session that lasted a little more than 1.5 hours to discuss employment and “in-person conferences with an attorney for the Board concerning disputes involving the Board that are subject of pending or imminent court action”.  

Following the executive session and during the agenda portion of the meeting, board members denied Grievance #25-001 filed on January 29 by BACE, the association that represents non-teaching employees of the district.

Due to current time constraints, a full accounting of agenda items and reports will be posted later this week.