Wednesday, February 4, 2015, was the day high school athletes around the country signed letters of intent to compete at the collegiate level. Southern West Virginia had many students officially committing to colleges, with most electing to stay in the region. I had the chance to cover both sides of this important time in the sports calendar, getting perspectives from both the athletes and from college coaches. While football is the one sport that drew most of the media’s attention, I was also interviewing several women’s soccer players who will be continuing their careers. It made for an exciting 12-13 hours.

Until this year, my most recent experience in covering National Signing Day had been two years ago, with WOUB at Ohio University. I was getting ready to do a live shot from Peden Stadium on the incoming class of Ohio football players. The main reason for being live was to have an interview on-air with Bobcats head coach Frank Solich. However, Solich’s news conference went long, and was still going on when it came time for the anchor back in the studio to bring me in. I had prepared a mini-script on what to say in the event that this happened, but it’s safe to say that was not my finest moment as a sportscaster.

In 2015, there were absolutely no issues with covering athletes or coaches. One football player I spoke with is headed to Richmond, which made the FCS playoffs this past season. The two women’s soccer athletes are staying nearby; one will play at Concord (Athens, WV), while one is going to Liberty (Lynchburg, VA), where her father is an alum. Speaking of Concord, the Mountain Lions football staff was excited about its 2015 recruiting class, as they get set for the upcoming season, one year after making the Division II semifinals. Everybody I’ve met with has been very nice, a neat reminder of why I wanted to get into this industry in the first place. It didn’t hurt that I finished Wednesday covering an exciting high school basketball game, too.

It signaled the end of my first week at WOAY, and it’s been busy, but at the same time, a blast. Some of the stories I’ve covered over the last few days: the Big Atlantic Classic (a popular high school basketball tournament), the Super Bowl, National Signing Day, and NCAA Division II basketball. I look forward to reporting on many more events here in Southern West Virginia.

With Tuesday’s 3-0 win over Cambridge United at Old Trafford, Manchester United have progressed to the 5th round of the FA Cup – the round of 16. That they needed a replay to defeat the lowest-ranked team left at this stage probably prompted some to believe that this team still needs time to develop under Louis van Gaal. After the underdogs hit the post inside the first minute, how many fans were thinking this might turn out to be worse than the disaster against Milton Keynes Dons?

Now, with Cambridge behind them, the Red Devils find themselves having advanced further in this season’s Cup than the current top two in the Premier League. In recent years, United have developed a mini-trend in terms of performance…

2014: Third round (when all EPL & Championship clubs enter the competition)
2013: Quarterfinals (lost in replay)
2012: Fourth round
2011: Semifinals
2010: Third round
2009: Semifinals

Should that pattern continue, the Red Devils would be poised for a big run in 2015, perhaps even their first Cup triumph in 11 years. Up next, though, is a trip to Preston North End. All of the draws so far have pitted United on the road against a team outside the Premier League and the Championship. Preston North End’s significance is not lost on United fans; David Beckham gained valuable first-team experience at the club. With less than two weeks before the encounter, van Gaal’s duty will be to keep the players in shape, while also being mindful of the coming Premier League fixtures. United still have games this season at Liverpool and at Chelsea, and others that will go a long way in determining where the club finishes in the table.

The lack of European competition this campaign means there’s a little more rest than most veterans have been used to, but this will test the mettle of everyone on the squad, coaches included. Can United get results in the final four months of the season?

This weekend was reserved for the fourth round matches of the 2014-15 FA Cup. At this stage, 32 teams still had hopes of winning the oldest soccer competition in the world. But the magic of this tournament is in its one-game format, where clubs from a lower tier have a chance to become giant-killers and leave a legacy. Saturday brought multiple scenarios of that kind.

The top two teams in the Premier League, Chelsea and Manchester City, had each progressed to the fourth round, and since both were drawn to play non-Premier League sides at home, they were considered heavy favorites to progress to the last 16.

Chelsea hosted League One Bradford City at Stamford Bridge, and got off to a quick 2-0 lead, but the Bantams rallied to put four past Petr Cech and stun the Premier League leaders 4-2. With the visitors in the third tier of the English system, this result certainly joins the list of the most shocking FA Cup upsets…

Defending EPL champions City didn’t fare much better at home against Middlesbrough, who are one tier below the top flight in the Championship. City created more chances in the first half, but the saying stayed true: the more an underdog keeps the favorite scoreless, the more confident they are of pulling the upset, which Boro did 2-0.

Those weren’t the only top flight clubs to struggle against non-EPL sides. Manchester United were on the back foot for much of their match at Cambridge United (the lowest-ranked team remaining in the Cup), and will host a replay at Old Trafford. Liverpool will travel to Bolton for a replay of their own after failing to beat the Wanderers at Anfield; the same goes for Sunderland, who will visit Championship side Fulham. Another Premier League team’s Cup dream is over after Swansea lost at Blackburn. One more match remains Monday, when Rochdale (League One) hosts Stoke, the runner-up in 2011.

Some may argue that the FA Cup’s popularity has gone down a little in the last few years, but more results like this in later rounds could put an end to that. It’s been a generation since a team outside the top flight won the Cup (West Ham United, 1980); are this weekend’s results a sign of that drought coming to an end?

The FA Cup Final is on May 30 at Wembley Stadium in London.

Thursday marks the official start of NHL All-Star weekend in Columbus, with many hockey fans expected to visit Central Ohio. With the Blue Jackets still being one of the newer franchises in the league, this is a prime chance for the region to show its commitment to hosting big events.

Columbus is steadily becoming a popular location for major events. In November, the NCAA announced the city will host the 2018 Women’s Final Four; it has already hosted men’s tournament games and will do so again in March. The Arnold Sports Festival has been a popular staple every February and March, bringing in fitness experts  from around the world. The city isn’t just known for sports, however; Ohio’s capital is a finalist to host the 2016 Democratic National Convention. With Cleveland already chosen for the Republican Convention, Ohio’s status as a key political state will only grow even more.

For those headed to the festivities, there are activities planned for all ages. The outdoor ice-skating rink has already been open for several days, and the snow slide located right next to Nationwide Arena will be a big hit. The Fan Fair officially opens Friday at the Greater Columbus Convention Center, and will have interactive attractions, meet-and-greets with both active players and legends, and of course, a photo opportunity with the Stanley Cup.

As for the actual All-Star Game on Sunday, expect it to be a celebration of hockey, and the region’s history in sports. Although Blue Jackets goalie Sergei Bobrovsky will not play after picking up an injury on Wednesday, fans will still be excited to see Nick Foligno and Ryan Johansen among the other stars of the league.

Columbus has had to wait for this weekend for several years; they were originally scheduled to host in 2013, but the game was cancelled following the lockout. There was no All-Star Game in 2014 because of the Winter Olympics.

Now that Central Ohio has its chance to shine by hosting the stars of a “Big 4” league, expect them to pull out all the stops as hockey takes center stage in the Buckeye State.

The first tennis major of the year starts Monday, when the Australian Open commences in Melbourne. Most of the sport’s big stars will be competing over the next two weeks, but will one of them take home a title, or will an up-and-comer upset the field? Here’s a preview on the two singles tournaments.

Men’s Singles

The current “Big Four” in the men’s game (Novak Djokovic, Roger Federer, Rafael Nadal, & Andy Murray) are all in Australia, along with defending champion Stan Wawrinka. Federer, largely regarded as the greatest men’s player of all time, has made four straight semifinals in Melbourne, but can he win another major at 33? Lleyton Hewitt is of the same age, but has not won a major on home soil; his best finish was 10 years ago, losing to Marat Safin in the final. If the Adelaide native can beat Ze Zhang, his next opponent would either be Benjamin Becker or #25 seed Julian Benneteau, with Milos Raonic potentially waiting in the third round. Home fans will also be supporting Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic, the top two Australians in the latest ATP rankings. Wawrinka was regarded as a surprise winner last January; will fans witness another in two weeks?

Women’s Singles

Serena Williams last won the Australian Open in 2010, and could face a tricky second-round clash with Vera Zvonareva, once the #2 player in the world. A few more familiar foes were drawn in the same quarter, notably Sloane Stephens & Victoria Azarenka, who play each other in the first round. As the second seed, Maria Sharapova finds herself at the other end of the bracket, with Eugenie Bouchard, a semifinalist in 2014, potentially waiting in the quarterfinals. Li Na, the defending champion and first Grand Slam singles winner from Asia, retired last fall, but Dominika Cibulkova, the runner-up, is in Serena’s quarter, and is looking for her first major championship. The top Australian in the WTA rankings, Samantha Stosur, opens play against Monica Niculescu, but could face Italian veteran Francesca Schiavone in the following round. Also, can Caroline Wozniacki finally get that elusive first Grand Slam?

Expect a lot of traffic around Melbourne Park, with the MCG, one of the venues for next month’s Cricket World Cup, located a short walk away. The next two weeks should say a lot about how the 2015 tennis season will unfold, but all indications say it will be a fun one.

Cardale Jones announced Thursday afternoon that he will remain a student-athlete at Ohio State for the 2015 football season. The redshirt sophomore, having been three years removed from high school, was eligible to enter April’s NFL Draft in Chicago, and many analysts were talking about his draft stock being extremely high. However, Jones will be back with the Buckeyes for at least one more year.

This has been a six-month whirlwind for the Cleveland native. At the start of the Buckeyes’ preseason camp, Jones was the third-string quarterback, behind Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett. When Miller was injured before the season opener against Navy, Jones moved into the second-string role, and came on to see Ohio State past Michigan after Barrett suffered an injury. Through three games as a starter, he has led the Buckeyes to a Big Ten championship, a national championship, and overcame struggles in his last two games to lead his team to victory. On Thursday, he became the focus of the nation’s sports media, announcing his intentions in a manner somewhat similar to LeBron James in 2010.

Tyvis Powell, Jones’ roommate and the defensive MVP from Monday’s national championship game, took to Twitter to express his feelings about the decision:

With Jones staying in Columbus, the main question about Ohio State will be who the starting quarterback is come September. Jones never said during Thursday’s conference that he was the guaranteed the starting role by head coach Urban Meyer. This offseason will be one to watch as the Buckeyes compete for a second straight title.

Ohio State opens the 2015 season on September 7 (Labor Day) at Virginia Tech.

Ohio State made history Monday night, when they beat Oregon 42-20 to become the very first Division I FBS champion in the playoff era. Here are three points I saw as the evening unfolded:

1. Buckeyes take advantage of opportunities

It’s a motto that’s become synonymous with March Madness: All teams want is a chance. Ohio State had an early-season hiccup against Virginia Tech, but instead of adopting an attitude of “Maybe next year,” they rebounded and put up at least 31 points every game for the rest of the season. The Buckeyes developed a trait that’s also usually linked to March Madness: they got hot at the right time, and it showed in the last three games. Even when Ohio State stumbled early against Alabama, and in the second half against Oregon, the Buckeyes didn’t panic like previous teams did in big games under Jim Tressel. All they wanted was a chance to get into the playoff, the committee gave them a spot, and Urban Meyer & company took advantage of that chance.

2. What’s next for Ohio State?

Most fans may not have realized this before recently, but Cardale Jones is a redshirt sophomore, meaning he is eligible to declare for the NFL Draft this spring. Neither he nor Oregon’s Marcus Mariota have announced their future plans yet, but they only have until Thursday to make a decision. Jones only has three career college starts, but as Columbus radio host Mike Ricordati pointed out, all three games were on a national stage, and were followed by confetti celebrations, and the Cleveland excelled in all of them. Also, what about Braxton Miller? The two-time Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year has said multiple times he plans to stay in Columbus for the 2015 season, but is eligible to transfer to another school and not sit out the year (like Russell Wilson did in 2011). The Buckeyes will bring back multiple stars on both sides of the ball, including Ezekiel Elliott, J.T. Barrett, Joey Bosa, Darron Lee, and Tyvis Powell. Expect the Buckeyes to be tabbed as favorites next season.

3. ESPN Megacast Works for Big Events

“The Worldwide Leader in Sports” received mostly positive reviews for their approach to broadcasting the 2014 BCS Championship, and brought back the Megacast for Monday’s game. Viewers had multiple options when it came to viewing the events at AT&T Stadium, from the traditional broadcast, to hearing only the natural sounds from Arlington, to seeing the game solely from the Spider-cam. I watched a little bit of Film Room on ESPN2, where Chris Spielman joined several coaches in dissecting every play as it happened live. What I enjoyed was not just the analysis, but also who appeared on the program: new Pittsburgh coach Pat Narduzzi coached against both the Buckeyes and Ducks this season (he was Michigan State’s longtime defensive coordinator); also, Mike Riley, who was at Oregon State but is now the head coach at Nebraska, offered great insight while watching a longtime rival play a potential future rival. As long as they save it for big occasions like a college football championship, ESPN has a winner with the Megacast.

What did you notice that was unique about Monday night? Leave a comment below!

In 1939, Ohio State and Oregon played each other for the first NCAA Division I Men’s Basketball national championship, with the latter winning 46-33. Those two schools will be part of history again on Monday night, when the Buckeyes and Ducks meet in the first FBS playoff championship game in Arlington, Texas.

With 2014 being the first year of this new playoff, it has been a win for college football, and a win for both schools. If the BCS was still around, many analysts argue, Alabama & Florida State would’ve likely played each other for the title, with OSU & Oregon watching. After the semifinal results on New Year’s Day, it’s the other way around, and all eyes will be on AT&T Stadium for the first chapter in a new era of the sport.

Even with the semifinal spots meaning four teams have a championship shot instead of two, the Buckeyes were still on the outside looking in until the first weekend of December. In his first career start, Cardale Jones led the Buckeyes to a 59-0 rout over Wisconsin to win the Big Ten Championship. Jones followed that performance by overcoming several first-half mistakes to help Ohio State beat Alabama 42-35 in the Sugar Bowl. In the regular season, J.T. Barrett proved his ability to overcome adversity himself after struggling in a Week 2 loss to Virginia Tech, leading the Buckeyes to another solid season before his injury against Michigan.

Oregon also had a “make-or-break the season” moment during their run to North Texas. After opening the year 4-0, the Ducks hit a road block in Arizona, losing 31-24 at home to the Wildcats. After righting the ship with a road win at UCLA, Oregon largely cruised to a Pac-12 title, crushing the Wildcats in the conference championship game. After a tense first half in the Rose Bowl against Florida State, the Ducks went to a higher gear in the second half both offensively and defensively. Oregon didn’t have any quarterback controversies throughout the season, with Heisman winner Marcus Mariota providing a steady presence in his third year as the signal-caller.

There are several big stories to follow in the build-up to Monday’s game. Mark Helfrich is in his second season as Oregon head coach; Ohio State knows the “second-year success” superstition well. It worked for Paul Brown in 1942, for Jim Tressel in 2002, and it worked for Urban Meyer with Florida in 2006, at the Buckeyes’ expense. The Ducks will be fired up to win a championship after coming close in 2010, only to lose a defensive battle with Auburn.

Ohio State, meanwhile, will want to continue erasing the negative perception of not just their program, but of the Big Ten in general. They are in their first championship game since the nightmares against Florida and LSU, and were the only Big Ten team to make the title game in the BCS years. The Buckeyes’ key goal will be to compete with the Ducks for all four quarters; the game will likely be decided by what happens when Oregon has the ball.

More superstitions that might work in Oregon’s favor: Ohio State will wear their home scarlet jerseys Monday night. The Buckeyes have lost three of their last four postseason games when donning scarlet, while some of their biggest moments this century have come when wearing white jerseys. Also, Mariota is keen to continue the trend of Heisman winners being victorious in their ensuing postseason games.

On the other hand, Ohio State is undefeated all-time against the Ducks, including two Rose Bowls (1958 & 2010), and are feeling confident after beating the SEC champions. The Buckeyes were contenders for the title in both 1998 and 2013 – the first and last years of the BCS era – before losing late in the season. In the first year of the playoff, an early-season loss was disappointing, but didn’t derail their hopes.

College football will win on Monday, no matter the outcome. This game looks like it will be a classic, as all championships should be.

North Texas will be paradise this weekend for college football fans. With anticipation building to Ohio State-Oregon in Arlington on Monday night, those interested in college football on Saturday will be intrigued by the FCS National Championship in Frisco. That’s where North Dakota State will play Illinois State, with the Bison going for a fourth straight title.

Since NCAA Division I football was split into two tiers in 1978, other teams have enjoyed success in consecutive seasons at the FCS/I-AA level. Georgia Southern won back-to-back championships three different times; Youngstown State, led by Jim Tressel, won in 1993 & 1994 – part of the four titles claimed by the Penguins that decade. Appalachian State took three straight from 2005-2007, the crown jewels of Jerry Moore’s legacy with the Mountaineers.

For the Bison, the 2014 season has been about rebuilding and maintaining success at the same time. NDSU had to cope with the offseason losses of star quarterback Brock Jensen (graduation) and head coach Craig Bohl (hired by Wyoming), but began the fall with a 34-14 win over Iowa State. Their 34-game win streak came to an end in November at Northern Iowa, but have scored at least 27 points in each of their contests since. Carson Wentz has accounted for 29 total touchdowns, while John Crockett is likely to reach 2,000 rushing yards on Saturday. Their recent record has prompted College GameDay to visit Fargo, North Dakota, each of the last two seasons. The Bison began the FCS playoffs as the #2 seed, earning a first-round bye, and have defeated South Dakota State, Coastal Carolina, and Sam Houston State on the road to Frisco.

Illinois State’s journey this fall has been about winning regardless of the location, as illustrated by their quarterfinal and semifinal games. After an offensive shootout at Eastern Washington, the Redbirds traveled east to top seed New Hampshire, where 15 unanswered fourth-quarter carried them past the Wildcats. Now comes a trip to the South for an inaugural championship game appearance. Indiana transfer Tre Roberson has excelled during his first year in Normal, Illinois, throwing for over 3,000 yards while contributing 10 rushing touchdowns. The Redbirds’ running game on Saturday will rely on Marshaun Coprich, who has over 2,000 yards and 27 touchdowns on the ground. Illinois State has also overcome a road loss at Northern Iowa (the Panthers beat ISU and NDSU in consecutive weeks); they were given the #5 seed in the playoffs before beating UNI in a second-round contest in Normal, followed by their road wins at Eastern Washington and New Hampshire.

Although both the Bison and Redbirds play in the Missouri Valley Football Conference, the two schools didn’t face each other in the regular season; they were co-champions with 7-1 records. It’s only fitting that these teams would meet each other at this stage, where the winner takes all the spoils as the FCS national champion. Will the Bison make it four straight titles, or will the Redbirds be one of the two teams celebrating in Texas? College football fans are eager to find out.