Column

March 12, 2020: A dark day for winter sports athletes around the Buckeye State.
It was the day the OHSAA suspended all winter sports tournaments due to the start of the COVID-19 pandemic.
For Columbus Grove, it was a day several athletes had their livelihoods taken away. The unbeaten and top-ranked Bulldogs’ boys basketball team was set to play for a regional championship that night at Bowling Green State University’s Stroh Center against Parkway.
Meanwhile, a trio of Grove wrestlers were set to compete at the state wrestling tournament the next day in Columbus.
However, the Grove roundball team and grapplers Jeff Meyer, Dylan Sargent and Dakota Sargent never got their chance at state glory when the OHSAA called off all sports that Thursday afternoon.
The decision shook Columbus Grove head football coach Andy Schafer to his core, with several of his football players affected by the decision.