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SPORTS BRIEFING

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Four teams up a division COLUMBUS — Four area football teams have moved up a division for the 2026 season, which was announced by the Ohio High School Athletic Association on Thursday. Salem is the only area team in Division III, while Crestview is in Division V and East Palestine and Lisbon are in Division VI. They are among the 37 schools in Ohio that moved up a division from their 2025 assignment due to the 2026-27 school year being the start of a new two-year base enrollment cycle. South Range dropped from Division V to Division VI. A total of 708 Ohio schools will field ...

PREP BASEBALL

Local Sports

Lisbon 6, Columbiana 5 LISBON — Ashton Hinchliffe singled home Mason Jones in the bottom of the sixth inning as Lisbon rallied past Columbiana, 6-5, Thursday to remain in the Eastern Ohio Athletic Conference title chase. Columbiana took a 5-4 lead in the top of the sixth before Lisbon rallied with two runs. Bryce Esarey manufactured the tying run as he was hit by a pitch, went to second on a wild pitch and to third on a passed ball before scoring on a wild pitch. Hinchliffe followed with the game-winning hit. Lisbon improves to 6-7 overall and 4-1 in the EOAC. Columbiana is 7-8 and ...

Curtis on power surge

Local Sports

Beaver Local 17, Crestview 4 COLUMBIANA — Beaver Local sophomore Brylee Curtis is on a power surge. Curtis hit two more home runs — giving her seven in the last three days and nine on the season — and drove in five runs as the Beavers beat Crestview, 17-4, in five innings Thursday. Curtis hit two-run homers in the first and third innings and finished 3-for-3 with four runs scored. Addie Thurik went 4-for-4 with a triple and a double and scored four runs. Macie Bourne was 3-for-3 with a double and three RBIs. Ciara Call homered, tripled and drove in three runs. Carlee Crabtree ...

SPORTS BRIEFING

Local Sports

Pittsburgh is place to be PITTSBURGH (AP) — The NFL expects several hundred thousand fans to cram into a city not exactly known for its wide-open spaces for the draft, which will be held tonight through Saturday. To prepare, Pittsburgh’s public school system will go to remote learning on Thursday and Friday to keep its buses off the roads, and many businesses are allowing employees to work from home rather than come to the office. The most direct way into town for many visitors is through a stretch of western Pennsylvania hills and anonymous suburbia before you descend — ...

PREP BASEBALL

Local Sports

Columbiana 20, Southern 0 COLUMBIANA — Ethan Lehnerd threw a no-hitter with 12 strikeouts, no walks and three hit batters in Columbiana’s 20-0 win over Southern Local on Wednesday. Avery Young led the Clippers at the plate with three hits including a double and two RBIs. Lehnerd added three hits and two RBIs. Drennen Bosela had a double. Beckett Wilson, Hunter Davanzo and Liam McElwain had two hits each. Mason Sosack took the loss with three walks and a strikeout in three innings. Columbiana is 7-7 overall and 5-1 in the Eastern Ohio Athletic Conference. Columbiana is at ...

Beavers capture Buckeye 8

Local Sports

Beaver Local 7, Martins Ferry CALCUTTA — Beaver Local’s softball team took care of business in the Buckeye 8 Athletic League championship game on Wednesday as Brylee Curtis once again provided the spark in a 7-4 victory over Martins Ferry. Curtis, who tied a state record with four home runs in one game on Tuesday, once again homered for the Beavers in the win. She also added a single and two RBIs. Brenna Jones also homered for Beavers Local, while Addie Thurik and Macie Bourne had doubles. Thurik was the winning pitcher with five strikeouts and no walks. Beaver Local is ...