Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

It was a year of team and individual accomplishments.
The local sports year of 2016 featured many team accomplishments along with individual milestones and achievements.
A prime example of both were the Ironton Lady Fighting Tigers’ 22-0 regular season and trek to the Division III state tournament Final Four featured team and individual highlights.
Lexie Barrier — who had signed before the season with James Madison University — earned Association Press Player of the Year honors and earned other awards as well in helping achieve team goals.
Here is a brief summary of some of last year’s top local sports stories:
January
Ironton Lady Fighting Tigers’ senior basketball standout Lexie Barrier was named to the McDonald’s All-American list.
Ironton senior fullback and linebacker Desmond Young was selected to play in the annual Ohio High School Football Coaches Association North/South All-Star Game.
Fighting Tigers’ senior pitcher Cody Rawlins signed to play at Shawnee State University.
Rock Hill Redwomen senior guard Kaci Russell scored the 1,000th point of her career in a 65-31 win over Portsmouth.
Chesapeake Panthers’ senior guard Gage Rhoades eclipsed the 1,000-career point mark in a 53-33 win over Coal Grove.
St. Lawrence sixth grade student Matthew Sheridan won the district Elks Hoop Shoot free throw contest and advanced to the state tournament.
February
The Ironton Lady Fighting Tigers clinched the Ohio Valley Conference basketball championship for the second straight year and also went 22-0 to register the programs’ first unbeaten regular season.
The Fairland Dragons won the OVC basketball championship.
Desmond Young signed to play football at Division I Savannah State University.
Two more Ironton football players signed college scholarships as running back and linebacker Andrew Barker inked with NCAA Division II Ashland University and senior running back D’Angelo Palladino signed with FCS power Fordham University.
St. Joseph Female Flyers’ senior basketball standout Lynsey Booker scored a milestone with her 1,000th career point.
Symmes Valley Lady Vikings’ senior softball standout Kaitlyn Payne signed with the University of Rio Grande.
Ironton Middle School basketball standout Kevin Chase Johnson was selected to play in the New York City Middle School All-Star Game.
South Point Pointers’ senior lineman Joey Riner signed to play at Kentucky Christian University.
Former Ironton All-Ohio basketball standout Trey Fletcher scored his 1,000th career point for Walsh University. Fletcher — a junior — is the 39th player to achieve the milestone at Walsh.
The Ironton Lady Fighting Tigers beat North Adams and won the Division III district title.
March
The Ironton Lady Fighting Tigers rally to beat West Lafayette Ridgewood 46-43 to win the regional tournament and earn a berth in the Division III state tournament Final Four.
Unfortunately, Ironton lost to eventual state champion Columbus Africentric 63-34 in the semifinals. Barrier was named to the all-tournament team.
The Chesapeake Panthers stunned Lucasville Valley with a 66-52 win to claim the Division III district title. The Panthers then lost to eventual state semifinalists Lynchburg Clay 53-48 in the regional semifinals.
Associated Press All-Ohio selections are: Ironton’s Lexie Barrier (Co-Player of the Year), Sydney Webb and Cheyenne Scott in Div. III; Fairland’s Emily Chapman and Taylor Perry, Coal Grove’s Emily Compliment, South Point’s Haley Rawlins, Rock Hill’s Kaci Russell and Chesapeake’s Kaylee Curry in Div. III; Lynsey Booker of St. Joseph and Kaitlyn Payne of Symmes Valley in Div. IV.
Barrier was a first team pick, Webb and Chapman special mention and all other players honorable mention. Ironton’s Doug Graham was the Div. III Co-Coach of the Year.
In the boys’ AP All-Ohio selections: Chesapeake’s Gage Rhoades (first team Div. III), Fairland’s Kollin Van Horn (special mention Div. III), Ironton’s Phil Kratzenberg, Chesapeake’s Brad Meadows, Fairland’s Luke Thomas and South Point’s Tayshaun Fox (honorable mention Div. III);
South Point Pointers senior track standouts Trent and Trey Patterson signed to run for the newly formed program at Shawnee State.
Fairland Lady Dragons softball star Allison Shepherd elected to sign with Alice Lloyd College.
Trey Fletcher was named to the All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference second team.
South Point Lady Pointers’ volleyball standout Olivia Abner signed with Grace Bible College in Grand Rapids, Michigan.
Chesapeake Lady Panthers’ volleyball star Carley Lester chose to sign with NCAA Div. III Bluffton University.
Tommy Hardy was presented the Joe Swarts’ Lifetime Achievement Award by the Ironton Chapter of Ohio High School Basketball Officials. The chapter also honored Jason Meenach with the Ronnie Vanderhoof Newcomer Award.
April
Chesapeake added coaching great Bob Harris to the name of its track along with Dave Smith. The facility is now called the Dave Smith/Bob Harris Track.
Ironton’s Lexie Barrier and Chesapeake’s Gage Rhoades were named to the Ohio High School Basketball Coaches’ North/South Games as well as an Ohio team members in the Ohio/Kentucky All-Star Games.
Chesapeake track standout Atiya Spaulding signed scholarship with Ohio University.
Ironton Lady Fighting Tigers’ basketball standout Cheyenne Scott signed to play at the University of Rio Grande.
Fairland’s girls’ softball program registered its 500th victory with a 7-5 win over Portsmouth on April 18.
Fairland Dragons’ tennis standout Justin Prince signed to play at the University of Charleston.
The Rock Hill Redwomen won their second straight OVC softball championship.
May
Ironton senior basketball trio of Phil Kratzenberg, Travis Carey and Marques Davis all signed to play at the University of Rio Grande.
Symmes Valley veteran softball coach Jeff “Odie” Estep won his 400th career game when the Lady Vikings beat Circleville Logan Elm 13-11.
Fairland softball standout Mollie Morris inked to play at NCAA Div. III St. Joseph’s College in Brooklyn, N.Y.
Ironton St. Joseph dedicated its baseball field, the first time the school has had its own facility.
The Fairland boys and girls won OVC track championships.
In softball sectional tournaments, Ironton, South Point and Symmes Valley all won titles. The Lady Vikings beat Portsmouth Clay 8-1 to win the Div. IV district but lost 8-3 to Strasburg-Franklin in the regional semifinals.
In baseball, Coal Grove won the Div. III sectional only to lose a 4-3 heartbreaker to Minford in the district semifinals.
State track meet qualifiers included Chesapeake’s Cecil Fletcher (400 meters) and Rock Hill’s Seth Miller (3200-meter run).
Chesapeake Panthers’ All-Ohio guard Gage Rhoades signed to play at Kentucky Christian University.
Rock Hill Redwomen cross county runner Sarah McFann signed with Maryville College in Maryville, TN.
Sam Gue was named the new Rock Hill Redmen boys’ basketball coach.
Coal Grove re-hired Brian Kidd and Rock Hill re-hired Todd Knipp as football coaches after initially balking at their re-hirings.
South Point Pointers’ track standout Stephen Wagoner signed with Shawnee State.
June
Chesapeake Panthers’ sprinter Cecil Fletcher ran a 50.14-seconds time and was fourth in the Div. III state meet.
Rock Hill Redmen distance runner Seth Miller ran a 9:59.46 time and was 15th overall in Div. III.
South Point Lady Pointers’ tennis standout Madison Riley signed with Western Carolina after initially signing with Morehead State. Riley made the switch when Morehead elected to drop the sport.
July
Fairland Lady Dragons’ softball standout Maddy Kazee signed with Alice Lloyd College.
South Point’s Keion Dre Hill signed a letter-of-intent to run track at Shawnee State.
Ironton Middle School student Bryce Maynard won the WNPF North American National Championship in powerlifting in the 12-12-year-old 165-pound class.
August
The Ironton Fighting Tigers’ cross country team was one of only three schools who got an early viewing of the film “Carsity Punks,” a new independent film by Anthony Solorzano.
Rock Hill beat Ohio Valley Christian 5-1 for the soccer program’s first-ever victory.
September
Coal Grove Hornets’ senior baseball standout Chase McKnight made an early decision as he signed to play at Rio Grande, both as a pitcher and infielder.
Just five games into the season, South Point’s board of education decide to relieve Chad Coffman of his duties as head football coach over philosophical differences. Chase Kratzenberg was named the interim coach.
October
Rock Hill Redmen cross country and track distance runner Brendon McCormick signed with Shawnee State.
Fairland Dragons’ senior cross country and track distance runner Bryce Day signed to run at Shawnee State.
Former Ironton basketball player Jay Wolfe was selected as the newest member to the Ohio High School Athletic Directors’ Hall of Fame. Wolfe is currently the A.D. at Olentangy High School.
The Ironton Fighting Tigers won a second straight Ohio Valley Conference football championship and qualified for the postseason playoffs.
The Chesapeake Panthers qualified for the Div. IV playoffs.
Gallipolis won the OVC golf tournament with Chesapeake’s Derek Lemley the medalist.
In the OVC cross country meet, Rock Hill won the boys’ meet with Fairland’s Bryce Day the overall winner. Fairland won the girls’ meet with Mary Watts of Gallipolis the individual champion.
Ironton Lady Fighting Tigers tennis standout Aleigha Justice won the sectional title and played in the district tournament.
November
Larry Goodwin was hired as the new South Point baseball coach.
Former Ironton All-Ohio football star and Ohio Dominican University senior tight end Aaron Stephens was named to the All-Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference team.
Fairland Lady Dragons shooting guard Issy McKinney signed with NAIA Rio Grande University.
Bryce Maynard added another award to his powerlifting career by winning the World Natural Powerlifting Federation world championship at a meet held in New Jersey. The Ironton Middle School student won in the Raw Division which does not allow wraps, compression wrap material or any aiding material.
Running in the state cross country meet was Fairland’s Bryce Day and the Rock Hill Redmen team of Brendon McCormick, Jasson Aguilera, Ethan Miller, Victory Aguilera, Logan Boggs, Eli Baker and Brady Floyd.
Chesapeake’s Derek Lemley qualified for the Div. II state golf tournament for the third straight year and was 28th overall.
Coal Grove Lady Hornets’ Alex Gillette also qualified for the state tournament and was 28th in the girls’ Div. III tournament.
December
Area players named to the Associated Press All-Ohio team were:
Division V: Ironton’s Tyler Webb (first team), Eli Willis, Garrett Carrico, Tanner Wilson, Ethan Duncan; Rock Hill’s Brady Knipp, Tim Adkins, Trystan Matney and Cameron Barnette; Fairland’s Keedrick Cunningham and Chase Fisher;
Division VI: Chesapeake Casey McComas (first team), Brendan Meadows (first team), Will Scott, Cecil Fletcher, Austin Browning; Coal Grove’s Jacob Clark, Brad Roach, Daniel Rutherford and Kimo Baldwin;
Division VII: Symmes Valley’s Jarod Sheppard and Green’s Tyler Darnell.
All were honorable mention unless noted.