Tracy Miller picks up 300th win as Garaway rolls at Rittman

Bob Von Kaenel, longtime Dover High School Boys Basketball Coach, will be inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame as part of the 2024 Class. The 17th Annual Induction Ceremony will take place Saturday at 4 p.m. at the Hilton Columbus/Polaris, located at 8700 Lyra Drive. Von Kaenel launched his coaching career in 1978 at alma mater Strasburg High School with both the Girls Reserve Basketball team and 7th grade Boys Basketball team. After moving to Tuscarawas Valley, he contributed 11 years as the Head Boys Basketball Coach, Girls Track Coach, and four years as Assistant Football Coach. While at Tusky Valley, he led his team to a Division III State Runner-Up finish in 1988. In 1991, Von Kaenel became Head Boys Coach at Dover where he has amassed a coaching record of 761-274 through the 2023-24 season. The impressive record lands him among the top five winningest Boys High School Coaches in Ohio history. He took his 24-3 Tornadoes to the state tournaments in 1998 when they finished as Division II State Runner-Up. The 2004 team earned a 22-4 record and returned to the Final Four. In fact, every Dover team had a winning record across his tenure and in 11 seasons they finished with 20 or more victories. Von Kaenel’s highlights include 19 Conference, 22 Sectional, and 9 District Championships over the course of his storied career. He’s been named AP State Coach of the Year three times—in 1988, 1995 and 1999. At the local level, he was selected as Conference Coach of the Year 14 times and District 5 Coach of the Year 12 times. He coached in the District 5 East-West All-Star Games, Ohio North-South All-Star Game, Ohio-West Virginia Classic, Wendy’s 4-State Classic, and the Ohio-Kentucky All-Star Game. In 2005, he was named the OHSAA Sportsmanship, Ethics, and Integrity Award Winner for Boys Basketball in the State of Ohio. That same year, he was also selected by the National Federation Coaches Association as the 2005 Ohio Coach of the Year and Mideast Region Coach of the Year. Von Kaenel earned the coveted Paul Walker Award for outstanding coaching and service to the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches Association in 2006. He has been secretary since 2001 and served as president from 1998-2000. He was enshrined in the OHSBCA Hall of Fame in 2016 and in the OHSAA Officials Hall of Fame in 2017.  Another tie to Dover, Dan Hughes, a Fort Frye High School and Muskingum University graduate, coached the Crimson Tornadoes Boys Basketball team for a season in the early 1980s. Hughes had a tremendous coaching career in the WNBA where he led the Seattle Storm to two championships and is second in all-time wins for a WNBA coach. The rest of the Class of 2024 inductees are Sylvia Crawley, Don DeVoe, Craig Ehlo, Jack Greynolds, Tyrone Hill, Thurman Leggs Jr., Kirk Martin, Mel Nowell, Bev Oberding, Lauren Prochaska and the 1976 AAA State Champion Barberton High School Boys team.

Dover High School boys head basketball coach Bob Von Kaenel will be inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame April 20, but another with ties to Dover will have a big hand in the honor. Dover native and 1997 graduate Sheila (McCombs) Fox is the Executive Director of the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame. “One of the things I love most in my work with the Hall is the relationships I’ve made and how gracious and kind all the inductees are,” said Fox. “When my 12-year-old daughter was in 3rd grade, she had a Black History Month research project & presentation and she decided to learn more about Wayne Embry. He graciously agreed to meet with her on Zoom while she interviewed him. (during COVID) Later that year, Miami University dedicated a statue in his honor, and I took her with me for the celebration. They have had a special relationship ever since.” A 2001 grad of Ohio University, Fox was originally hired to oversee the annual Induction Ceremony in 2010. Through her work and experience with non-profit organizations, the Executive Board named her the first-ever Executive Director in 2014. Since beginning her work with the OBHOF, Fox created the Strategic Partnership Committee, which is working to build partnerships with individuals and organizations. She also established their social media presence, oversaw a brand and website redesign, and developed new membership levels and benefits. In addition to working with the OBHOF, Fox also runs her own event planning firm, Event In Site, LLC, which she launched in 2007. She lives in Worthington with her husband and two daughters. Founded in 2005, the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame recognizes the remarkable achievements of both male and female athletes across high school, college, and professional basketball – along with phenomenal coaches and individuals who’ve impacted the game along the way. Together with a dedicated collection of coaches and basketball enthusiasts, Doc Daugherty and the late Don Henderson led the charge to establish the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame with a mission of preserving legacies, celebrating greatness, and honoring excellence. The annual Induction Ceremony, hosted in Columbus, celebrates basketball and its rich legacy. As of 2023, 284 individual inductees representing over 30 Ohio colleges and universities and 120 Ohio high schools have been recognized. The list of charter inductees of the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame includes Embry, Jerry Lucas, Katie Smith, Jimmy Jackson, Oscar Robertson, Clark Kellogg, Bill Hosket Jr., Fred Taylor, Paul Walker, Jay Burson, John Havlicek, Bob Knight, and Nate Thurmond. Another tie to Dover, Dan Hughes, a Fort Frye High School and Muskingum University graduate, coached the Crimson Tornadoes boys’ basketball team for a season in the early 1980s. He had a tremendous coaching career in the WNBA where led the Seattle Storm to two championships and is second in all-time wins for a WNBA coach. The rest of the Class of 2024 inductees are Sylvia Crawley, Don DeVoe, Craig Ehlo, Jack Greynolds, Tyrone Hill, Thurman Leggs Jr., Kirk Martin, Mel Nowell, Bev Oberding, Lauren Prochaska and the 1976 AAA State Champion Barberton High School boys’ team. The 2024 Class will be enshrined on April 20 at the Hilton Polaris in Columbus.

It’s not the way Josie Pry wanted to end her college track and field career. And she won’t let it. Pry’s solid senior college track and field season recently came to a premature end when the current South Alabama University and former New Philadelphia High School standout suffered a season-ending right knee injury during practice for an indoor meet. She had already had her senior season of high school taken away by COVID and now her senior season of college has been cut short by injury. But the 22-year-old daughter of Joe and Carla Pry is undeterred. Pry recently underwent surgery to repair her ACL and meniscus and has decided she will take a redshirt year and come back next year as a graduate student. She had surgery on March 21 and will graduate in May with a Biology major with a concentration in Marine Science and will be going into Marine Science for her master’s program. The South Alabama Track and Field program put together an impressive start to its 2024 indoor season at the LSU Purple Tiger Invitational. Before getting hurt, the 5-foot-7 sprinter was part of the women's 4x400 meter relay that turned in a stellar performance, finishing with a time of 3:58.41 to take second place in the event. South Alabama finished third on the women's side at the 2023 Sun Belt Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships. Pry was seventh in the 400-meter hurdles with a seventh-place time of 1:02.48, a personal best. South Alabama wrapped up competition at the Crimson Tide Invitational in Tuscaloosa as Pry set a new personal-best in the 100-meter hurdles, recording an eighth-place finish in 14.30 seconds. At the Southern Miss Invitational Pry finished in fifth place in the women’s 400-meter hurdles, crossing the finish line in 1:06.59. Pry (8.92 seconds) took third and fourth place in the women's 60m hurdles as South Alabama had another strong showing to start the indoor season at the Samford Invitational. Here is a capsulized look at Pry’s other athletic accomplishments at South Alabama and at New Philadelphia. 2022 Outdoor — Set a new PR in the 100m hurdles (14.44s) at the Sun Belt Outdoor Championships … Placed first in 100m hurdles at the Jaguar Opener (14.40s) … Helped 4x400 relay (3:49.00) to a sixth placed finish at the conference championships … Season-best 1:03.98 in the 400m hurdles at the 2022 Mississippi State Maroon and White Invitational. Indoor — Set a new PR in the 60m hurdles (8.82s) at the Sun Belt Indoor Conference Championships … Set a new PR in the 400m (1:00.88) at the USA Jaguar Invitational … Placed first at the Samford Invite 2022 60m hurdles (9.03s). 2021 Outdoor — Helped the 4 x 100 medley (47.59s) team to a first-place finish and the 4 x 400 medley (4:02.61) team to a third-place finish at the USA Invitational ... Ran with the 4 x 100 medley (47.21s) team to a runner-up finish and set a personal record in the 100m (12.37s) at the Southern Miss Invitational ... Clocked a personal-best time of 1:03.76 in the 400m hurdles at the Crimson Tide Invitational ... Notched a PR in the 100m hurdles (14.60s) at the Sun Belt Championships. Indoor — Recorded a personal-best time in the 300m (42.83s) at the UAB Blazer Invitational ... Set a PR in the 60m hurdles (8.89s) at the Sun Belt Indoor Championships. High School Lettered four years in volleyball, basketball and track at New Philadelphia … Placed second in the 400m (1:02.90) at the 2020 Mount Union HS Qualifier #1 Meet … Crossed the line at 9.28s in the 60m hurdles at the 2020 OATCCC D1 Indoor State Championships … Won the 100m hurdles (14.76s) and finished second in the 300m hurdles (44.47s) at the 2019 Tuscarawas County Classic … Claimed second in the 100m hurdles (15.62s) and in the 300m hurdles (46.75s) at the 2018 Tuscarawas County Classic.

In every organization there is a support system that makes life easier for those in charge. The Ohio State men’s basketball team is no different and much of its support comes from their student managers, who devote countless hours and effort to helping reduce the stress players and coaches endure throughout a rigorous, five-month season. Dover native and 2023 Crimson Tornado graduate Ben Hamm is one of those student managers. Hamm, a standout player for Dover High School boys basketball coach Bob Von Kaenel, is in his first year as a student manager. “This is my first year doing this at Ohio State,” said Hamm, a son of Matt and Heather Hamm. “Luckily, Coach Von Kaenel has a lot of connections, so that’s how I got introduced to the job.” “I, along with the other managers, attend every practice setting things up and doing whatever the coaches need from us to keep the practices running smooth,” said Hamm. The student manager also works every game performing various tasks to assist in any way they can. “Specifically, for me, I was in charge of mopping up the court when the players fell or the court got slick on game days,” said Hamm. “As a first-year student manager, I was also able to go on one road trip to Minnesota and Michigan State.” “I was extremely fortunate for this trip because I got to witness the buzzer beater that silenced the crowd at the Breslin Center in East Lansing.” Hamm, who is majoring in Health Sciences, said the position is a permanent gig for as long as he wants to be a student manager. “Overall, this has been a phenomenal experience for me getting to meet new people and stay involved with high-level athletics,” said Hamm. Ohio State is on to the quarterfinals in the National Invitation Tournament. The No. 2 seeded Buckeyes defeated No. 3 Virginia Tech 81-73 in the second round of the NIT last Saturday, extending their season another game. Ohio State will play Georgia in the Elite Eight tonight in Columbus.

Lauryn Contini is ready to play Division I college soccer. After an outstanding career as a New Philadelphia High School girls’ soccer standout, Contini is poised to play women’s college soccer for the University of Louisville. The 5-foot-5 freshman midfielder and the rest of her University of Louisville teammates will take the pitch this Saturday against rival Kentucky at Lexington as the Cardinals abbreviated spring schedule gets underway. “I’ve had a great time so far and my teammates have made it much easier,” said Contini of her transition from high school to college soccer. “I’m really happy.” The Cardinals fall season is set to begin in the middle of August. Her new head coach is happy to have Contini on board. “Lauryn is going to provide an immediate attacking presence for us,” said Louisville head coach Karen Ferguson-Dayes on the UL website. “She is capable of scoring goals with both feet in and around the box. She strikes the ball exceptionally well and is also an excellent final passer who will be able to set up her teammates. She can play as a forward or attacking midfielder with her great offensive instincts.” Contini’s high school coach, A.J. Wahlie, had nothing but positive things to say about his former standout player. “What makes Lauryn so special is her work ethic,” said Wahlie. “We were doing two a days as a team and she was doing three a days. She’s electric. She has it.” Contini, a daughter of Ryan and Lisa Contini of New Philadelphia, is majoring in Sports Administration with a minor in Business. She graduated early from New Philadelphia last December and started college classes at the University of Louisville shortly thereafter. “For me it was the opportunity to play in the spring season and I felt it would be good for my development,” explained Contini, who went to Louisville with 40 credit hours under her belt. “Academics are taken very seriously there.” She trains during the morning hours and attends classes in the afternoon. Contini had an outstanding junior soccer season for the Quakers. Contini scored a state-high 55 goals with eight assists as she and her New Philadelphia teammates advanced to a Division II regional championship match in 2022, losing to Marietta 1-0 and just missing the final four. For her efforts, she was named first-team All-Ohio in 2022. Contini led area players selected to the Ohio Scholastic Soccer Coaches Association All-Ohio team. She was also named first team All-Ohio Cardinal Conference and Eastern District Player of the Year and was also nominated for All-American status by the United Soccer Coaches Association. Contini, who scored both goals in a 2-0 win over archrival Dover in the regional semifinal, led the Quakers to a 15-4-2 record and a berth in the regional championship before falling. “That was an amazing game,” Contini recalled. “I’ll never forget it.” Contini elected not to play high school soccer her senior season. “I just felt the risk (of getting injured) was not worth the reward,” said Contini. “It was definitely different not playing, but I felt I made the right decision.” Michigan State, Ohio State and Purdue were among the other top suitors for Contini, but she eventually decided upon the University of Louisville where she fit right in. “It’s a great place,” said Contini. “I’m very comfortable there.” Contini was also a member of the Cleveland Force Soccer Club. She was selected to the ECNL National Training Camp in 2022 and the ECNL Selection Game in Florida. She was also an ECNL Ohio Valley All-Conference Team honoree in 2021-2022 and 2022-2023. Like many Tuscarawas County boys and girls, she began playing soccer at age 3 at the Tuscarawas County YMCA in Dover. Her parents took her to a Columbus Crew professional soccer match when she was 5. Contini met one of the pros and really fell in love with the sport. And she hasn’t looked back.

March Madness begins today for the Kent State Tuscarawas men’s basketball team. No. 4 seed KSU Tuscarawas will begin tournament play in a United States Collegiate Athletic Association National Basketball Championship Division II small college quarterfinal game at 2 p.m. against No. 5 seed Penn State Greater Allegheny in Petersburg, Va. The Golden Eagles have assured themselves of a third straight tournament appearance. Kent State Tuscarawas’ solid 88-79 win over Miami Hamilton on March 2 not only assured them of a USCAA National Basketball Championship bid, but it also locked them into the No. 4 seed in the tournament -- their highest seed since joining the USCAA. The two teams were supposed to have met during the regular season, but the Lions cancelled the game which was never rescheduled. The Golden Eagles and PSU GA will take to the court at Virginia State University in Petersburg with identical 21-9 records. Kent State Tuscarawas acquitted themselves very well in a regular season ending victory against a team that had won 10 of its last 11 games while the Golden Eagles also put the finishing touches on an unbeaten season at home going 13-0. Kyle Shockley led the Golden Eagles with 28 points and nine assists and brother Kameron added 26 points and hauled down 10 rebounds. Ethan Bower had 12 points and Javier Ward 10 for the winners. Kameron, a senior forward, was recently selected as a First Team USCAA All-American to become the second Golden Eagles hooper to earn that award. Shockley ranked first in the USCAA with defensive rebounds (224), was third in total rebounds (279), fourth in blocked shots (54), sixth in rebounds per game (10.3), 11 th in steals (65), 12 th in assists (109), 19 th in points per game (18.8), 20 th in field goal percentage (54%) and recorded 16 double-doubles on the season. He achieved Honorable Mention All-American status in 2023 and was named USCAA D2 National Player of the Week twice (2021 & 2024). Kyle, a junior, received a Second Team USCAA All-American award to raise the number of Golden Eagles basketball All-American honorees to nine. Kyle earned USCAA D2 National Player of the Week recognition twice in the period of a month this season. Kyle is the Navy and Gold's leading scorer averaging 20.4 points per game which ranks seventh overall in the USCAA. He has scored 592 points on the year, which is second overall, is fourth in field goals making 211 of 403 attempts, ranks 14 th in assists with 108, 13 th in steals (61) and is in the top 25 in field goal percentage converting on 52.4% of his shot attempts. A semifinal round game is in the offing for the victor on Tuesday at 2 p.m. and the opponent could very well be No. 1 ranked and top seeded Cincinnati Clermont -- a team the Golden Eagles split with during the regular season. KSU Tuscarawas also finished with the No. 1 schedule in the power rankings, while UCC ranked No. 2, Hamilton No. 3 and Greater Allegheny No. 4. All four teams are in the same bracket at the championships. Pay-per-view access will also be available for live game streaming via the uscaasportsnetwork.com . Single game access is $8.54 per individual game, or an All-Access pass can be purchased for $40 that will give fans access to all 17 women's tournament games and all 21 men's tournament broadcasts.

Sophia Knight racked up a Mid-American Conference softball honor recently. The former Tuscarawas Central Catholic High School and current University of Toledo right-handed hurler was tabbed as the Mid-American Conference Co-Pitcher of the Week for her performances in the Velvet Milkman Classic in Murray, Ky. Feb. 24. She shared the weekly conference honor with Ohio's Skipp Miller. It was Knight's first MAC Co-Pitcher of the Week honor and first for the Toledo softball team this season. Knight (5-3) led the Toledo pitching staff at Murray State's Velvet Milkman Classic, allowing just two earned runs and striking out 22 batters for a 0.65 ERA in 21.2 innings pitched. The junior came on in relief to pitch for the last five innings, allowing just one unearned run and striking out the side to end the game in a win over IUPUI. Later that afternoon, she recorded six strikeouts, including the 200th of her career, in 5.2 innings to pick up the win over Western Illinois. Knight, a daughter of Nikki and Jerry Knight and a Nursing major, pitched five scoreless innings in relief and put WIU down in order in the seventh to pick up the win. As a sophomore in 2023, Knight made 14 starts in 25 games played. She was 9-9 with nine complete games and a 3.82 ERA and fanned 76 batters in 121 innings of work. Knight tied her season-high nine strikeouts vs. Bowling Green and made the Dean's List. As a freshman in 2022, Knight appeared as the primary pitcher for the Rockets in 34 games, throwing a team-high 130.1 innings, recorded 105 strikeouts, and was 6-18 with a 6.55 ERA. She collected her first career win vs. Charleston Southern, threw a season-high nine strikeouts vs. Niagara and tossed 10.2 innings at Michigan State, the second-most in Toledo history. Knight lettered all four years in softball and basketball and lettered three years in volleyball at Tuscarawas Central Catholic High School. She was a team captain senior season and named First-Team All-Ohio before signing with Toledo.

Once is nice, but two times is twice as nice for University of Akron track and field standout Hunter Garretson. Garretson, a redshirt junior pole vaulter from Newcomerstown, earned his second consecutive Mid-American Conference men’s indoor pole vault title going 18 feet, 2 inches at the 2024 Mid-American Conference Indoor Championships hosted by Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Mich. last Saturday. Garretson went one inch better in 2024 than he did in 2023, claiming the crown for a second consecutive season. It was Garretson’s sixth career collegiate title, combining the indoor and outdoor campaigns he has competed in his career at Akron. Meanwhile, current Kent State University senior and former New Philadelphia vaulter Kristian Kneffler made it a one-two finish for former Tuscarawas County vaulters with a second place and school-record showing of 17-9.75 inches. His performance helped the Golden Flashes win the men’s title with 155 points. Host Eastern Michigan was second with 140 and Akron took third with 128. Kneffler cleared 17-6.5 at the Meyo Invitational hosted by Notre Dame earlier this month to originally break the Kent State track and field indoor record. It was Garretson’s second straight win after his performance in the Al Campbell Invitational held on Feb. 16 at the Stile Athletics Field House on Akron’s campus. Garretson registered a career-best mark of 18-9.5, the No. 2 performance in the NCAA this season. He attempted to set the No. 1 mark at 19-1 but was unsuccessful in his three attempts. For his efforts, he captured MAC Men's Field Athlete of the Week accolades. In 2023, he earned Second-Team All-America honors at the NCAA Championships last March, eclipsing 18-1 to place 12th in the nation.

Kristin Ronai is the Director of Compliance & Legislative Affairs for the Ohio High School Athletic Association. But many remember her as River View High School graduate Kristin Daugherty whose teams won two girls basketball Division II state titles and was named the OHSBCA’s “Miss Basketball” award winner her junior and senior seasons in the mid-2000s. She is one of only three players to win back-to-back OHSBCA “Miss Basketball” honors and was a four-time All-Ohio selection, including Division II Player of the Year in 2006 & 2007. Daugherty then went on to graduate Magna Cum Laude from the University of Dayton. While at UD, she played on the women’s basketball team for the Flyers and was a four-time All-Conference honoree and served as a three-time captain. Daugherty was also named the Atlantic-10 Women’s Basketball Student-Athlete of the Year in 2011 and an inductee into the University of Dayton Athletic Hall of Fame in January 2020. Daugherty, a daughter of Bill and Caroline Daugherty, joined the OHSAA in August 2011 and held a variety of titles before being named the Director of Compliance in January 2019. She is currently responsible for oversight of all student eligibility issues and serves as the liaison for legislative affairs. Other primary responsibilities include responding to concerns/questions of administrators regarding eligibility guidelines and bylaw interpretations, co-chairing the Competitive Balance Committee, providing testimony and explanations for the OHSAA Appeals Panel and legal cases, and collecting EMIS data for divisional alignment purposes. Daugherty’s sister, Kari Pickens, is the head coach of the nationally ranked and defending NCAA Division II national champion Ashland University women’s basketball team. Daugherty resides in Mount Vernon with her husband, Jared, who is the head men’s basketball coach at Mount Vernon Nazarene University. The couple has three children, Kyler (8), Kamryn (5), and Kolton (2), who are frequently seen running around MVNU’s Ariel Arena.