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Shepas brings experience to East Palestine

Local Sports

EAST PALESTINE — East Palestine’s football program added an experienced head coach who once excelled at the highest levels of the high school football in Ohio on Monday. Rick Shepas, 60, was approved during Monday’s East Palestine Board of Education meeting. Shepas takes over for Michael Demster, who was not retained. Demster went 17-25 over four seasons and led the Bulldogs to an 8-4 record last season including a playoff win over Western Reserve. Shepas last coached high school football in 2004 after serving out a seven season stint at Massillon where he went 53-27 with a ...

Heartland returns to district final

Local Sports

COLUMBIANA — The Heartland Christian Lions purposely scheduled a challenging slate this year to prepare themselves for tournament play. Entering the Lions district semifinal with Cornerstone Christian, the hope was that the Lions were well-prepared for competition like the defending Division ...

Fairport Harding 79, Wellsville 48

Local Sports

Fairport Harding 79, Wellsville 48 FAIRPORT HARBOR — Wellsville’s boys basketball team couldn’t keep up with the zippy Skippers of Fairport Harding on Monday night in a Div. VII district semifinal. The No. 2 seed Skippers used quick ball rotations and a stellar passing display to down the Tigers 79-48. Wellsville, the 13th seed, ended its season at 10-14, while the Skippers are 21-2. The Eastern Ohio Athletic Conference went 2-8 in the tournament. The Tigers were down 21-11 after the first quarter and 41-24 at the half. Yomar Castellano led the Skippers with 24 ...

Rebels, Rhodes break through at district

Local Sports

PENINSULA — Led by All-Ohioan Addison Rhodes, the top-seeded Crestview girls basketball team stepped up in the decisive fourth quarter and nailed down the school’s first district title since 2007 with a 50-38 win over stubborn No. 7 seed Chagrin Falls Saturday night at Woodridge High ...

Southern Local gave all it had

Local Sports

GIRARD — Southern Local’s girls basketball team walked into halftime of Saturday’s Division VI district final against Waynedale down one after falling behind by 10 in the first quarter. The Indians felt like they had weathered the storm and could feel a momentum shift but the ...

Shepas will join Bulldogs

Local Sports

EAST PALESTINE — The East Palestine board of education will vote tonight on hiring Rick Shepas as the new head football coach. Shepas, the Warren Harding athletic director, was head coach as Massillon for seven years before becoming Waynesburg University’s winningest coach. He is being recommended by superintendent James Rook, according to the board agenda. The board will meet at 6 p.m. today at the elementary media center. Shepas starred at Youngstown Mooney High School and was Youngstown State’s leading receiver in the 1985 and 1986 seasons. He still ranks fourth ...