OVAC Executive Director Dirk Decoy and the conference leadership are excited to turn the page toward a new school year, infused with fresh blood at leadership positions and fresh ideas. They are poised to take the conference forward.
Greg Harkness, a 1993 graduate of Martins Ferry High School, is coming home and will serve as the school's athletics director starting August 1. Harkness recently finished an eight-year stint in the same position at Bridgeport.
The Brooke Bruins boys basketball team qualified for the OVAC Class 5A tournament for just the second time and first since 2014. The Bruins program is on the rise, thanks to a change in culture and a talented senior class.
The OVAC will need 24 percent, or roughly 14 member schools signaling each intends to offer either girls' wrestling or boys' volleyball before it can sanction either as an official conference sport. The OHSAA announced last week that both will be classified as emerging sports for the 2022-23 school year.
Kendall Mackie will graduate high school shortly while also already owning an associate's degree from Zane State College. She's mastered the art of time management.
