By Doug Haidet ASHLAND – Seven months after originally committing to play football at Appalachian State – and with the NCAA Division I early signing period (Dec. 3-5) closing in – Ashland High School senior quarterback Nathan Bernhard has flipped his commitment to the University of Maryland. Bernhard said that when the Arrows’ season ended November 7 in the playoffs at Columbus DeSales, he felt he was still headed to the Division I Sun Belt Conference school in Boone, North C

ASHLAND – If Michael Shimek was asking around for a hype man, the first guy in line would be Ashland University defensive ends coach Andy Tabler. Now in his sixth season on the AU staff, Tabler still remembers watching film of Shimek getting to the quarterback while starring as a first-team All-Ohioan at Hoover High School. The recollection is so vivid, Tabler even remembers the number on Shimek’s jersey – No. 18 – as if it was the passcode to his ATM card. “You saw it on fil

TOLEDO – For anyone looking to ride a bull, someone has to throw open the gate.That’s exactly what happened on one of the most unforgettable nights in St. John’s Jesuit football history this season. In Week 10 at Lyden Stadium against the University of Detroit Jesuit High School, first-year Titans head coach Joe Horn knew he had to lean on junior RJ Mays as his man out of the backfield. Top running back Sam Harshman – who had essentially split carries all season with Mays – w

By Doug Haidet ASHLAND – So much for the weakness residing in the trenches. After last spring’s graduation purged the vast majority of their key contributors, Ashland’s linemen of 2025 have spent the past 11 weeks proving any doubters wrong. “The only returning (full-season starter) we had was (senior Brandon Briggs), so coming into this year we thought our biggest problem would be our line,” senior two-way lineman Budda Martin said. “But I think our line has done great and i

By Doug Haidet ASHLAND – Gabe Baith didn’t have to say a word. Instead, he sent out a deafening warning with his feet on the very first play of the 2025 season. The senior returned the opening kickoff of Ashland’s opening game against Bay 89 yards for a touchdown. Within 13 seconds, teams were on notice, and Baith has rarely taken his foot off the gas since. “When I was on the sideline, I just had a feeling I was gonna take one back,” said Baith when recalling his off-to-the-

By Doug Haidet ASHLAND – After beating Madison in Week 6, Ashland senior quarterback Nathan Bernhard was handed a pair of game balls by AHS athletic director Jason Goings for posting the 100th and school-record-breaking 101st touchdowns of his career. Bernhard, an Appalachian State commit, has since bumped that number to 111 (64 passing, 47 rushing). Had Goings waited until the end of this season to give out such recognition for massive career numbers, he would have needed a

Written by Doug Haidet There is a case to be made that this week’s Ashland at Lexington collision is the biggest Week 10 face-off in the history of Ohio Cardinal Conference football. Since the league’s founding in 2003, only two other times has there been a winner-take-all meeting in the final week of the regular season between two league unbeatens (Orrville at Wooster in 2004 and Ashland at Lexington in 2007). This year’s version pits the Arrows (9-0, 5-0 OCC) against the Mi

Ashland High School standout Tyler Sauder has been a key figure on both sides of the football this season — a dynamic wide receiver and a...

Ashland’s Nathan Bernhard Commits to Appalachian State University ASHLAND, OH – April 25, 2025 A long time coming. Nathan Bernhard’s long-awaited announcement has been made. Ashland High School’s signal caller has officially committed to Appalachian State University, announcing his decision Friday afternoon as he and the Arrows prepare for a highly anticipated senior campaign. Bernhard, a standout on and off the field, has been the full-time driving force behind the Arrows’ o