By Tom Nader

Publisher and Editor

Portage County has another Super Bowl champion: AJ Barner.

The Aurora High School graduate helped lead the Seattle Seahawks to a 29-13 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX.

Barner has now accomplished something no other Portage County football player ever has by winning these three things:

   • High school football league champion (Aurora Greenmen — 2016 and 2019)

   • College football national champion (Michigan Wolverines — 2023)

   • Super Bowl champion (Seattle Seahawks — 2026)

Amazing!

In Super Bowl LX on Sunday, Barner had four receptions for 54 yards, including a 16-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. It was the first TD in the game and the Seahawks rolled to a win over the Patriots at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, Calif.

Other known football players from Portage County to win a Super Bowl include Jack Lambert (Crestwood graduate), Don Nottingham (Ravenna) and Tom Curtis (Aurora).

Lambert, as a star linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers, won championship rings from Super Bowl IX, X, XIII and XIV.

Nottingham played for the Miami Dolphins when they won Super Bowl VIII.

Curtis played for the Baltimore Colts and was a victor in Super Bowl V.

WATERLOO’S LEWIS HONORED

Waterloo High School girls basketball head coach Nicole Lewis was named the district’s Teacher of the Year by the Summit County ESC.

Lewis was honored at a banquet hosted at the Stow Baseball Banquet Center last week.

UCADZE HITS 100

Milestone Alert: Kent Roosevelt’s Maxim Ucadze notched the 100th point of his ice hockey career on Thursday with an assist.

DUNLEAVY SET TO RETIRE

Longtime Southeast High School girls soccer and middle school girls basketball coach Dean Dunlavy was honored at the Pirates’ girls basketball game on Monday.

Dunlavy has announced that he is retiring at the end of the 2025-26 school year. 

He is the winningest girls soccer coach in Portage County history with 261 wins. He spent 28 years coaching the Pirates’ girls soccer program and 23 years coaching girls basketball.

COLLEGE SIGNINGS

•    MJ Shellenbarger, Mogadore girls wrestling, Tiffin University
•    Wyatt Januska, Crestwood football, Kent State University
•    Ke’Shan Talbert, Kent Roosevelt football, University of Mount Union

ROOSEVELT ANNOUNCES VOLLEYBALL HIRES

Kent Roosevelt High School has announced the hiring of Mackenzie McGuire (left) as its new volleyball head coach.

Additionally, Sadie Wright has been hired as the program’s assistant coach.

Both are former members of the Kent State University volleyball team.

PIRATES WIN WRESTLING TITLE

The Southeast Middle School wrestling team won the Eastern Ohio Wrestling League’s Division III championship.

It is the second consecutive league title for the Pirates. The team is coached by Jaidyn Sapp and Rick Reynolds.

GOLD MEDAL FOR WATERLOO’S PHILLIP

Waterloo High School junior Benjamin Phillip recently won the gold medal at the Special Olympics Division 12 Regional Basketball Skills Competition hosted in Lodi.

Phillip bested the field in a series of skills events that include shooting from six different shots on the court, dribbling skills and passing accuracy.

Pictured with Benjamin are his mother Diana, sister Madelyn and father Jacob.

LONG-RANGE RECORDS

Field High School girls basketball standouts Audrey Richmond (sophomore) and Morgan Stoicoiu (senior) both surpassed the program’s single-season record for 3-pointers in Monday’s loss to Streetsboro.

The previous record of 40 was set by Maria Sziva.

Richmond now has 42 and Stoicoiu has 41, with at least two games remaining on the schedule.

Kent Roosevelt High School girls basketball standout Grace Schoenberger, a sophomore, set a pair of new program records on Monday in the Rough Riders’ win over Firestone.

Schoenberger is now the single-season record-holder for 3-pointers with 49 and is also now the career record-holder for 3-pointers with 90.

SPRINGFIELD CHEER CHAMPIONSHIPS

The Springfield Spartans’ high school and middle school cheer programs captured the overall championship at Sunday’s Metro Athletic Conference Cheer Competition.

Here is a complete look at the final team scores:

HIGH SCHOOL

1. Springfield 278.70
2. Woodridge 266.10
3. Streetsboro 257.50
4. Norton 243.50
5. Coventry 233.60
6. Ravenna 219.10
7. Cloverleaf 215.50
8. Field 193.30

MIDDLE SCHOOL

1. Springfield 255.50
2. Woodridge 253.10
3. Norton 234.70
4. Coventry 229.60
5. Streetsboro 222.50
6. Cloverleaf 193.50
7. Ravenna 188.50
8. Field 171.30