Ohio (WSYX) — Three adult victims were found dead in an apartment complex early Thursday morning in what police are investigating as a double murder-suicide Authorities responded to the scene on the 3000 block of Esquire Drive near Gender and Refugee Road at 12:20 a.m Police say they received multiple calls that stated a male shot a female and then shot himself Officers arrived on the scene and located three adult victims suffering gunshot wounds: two males and one female All three were pronounced dead at the scene The victims have been identified as Aiden David shot and killed both David and Viars before taking his own life Viars and Hughes were married but had separated Neighbors in the community say they woke up to shots in the middle of the night A lot of emotions running through my mind," said Thomas Hensley you wouldn’t expect something like this." Viars and David were inside Viars' apartment when Hughes arrived and fired a shot into the apartment Viars collapsed just outside the front door Witnesses to the incident stated Hughes then came out of the apartment and shot Viars again A neighbor spoke to ABC 6 early Thursday morning Hughes was arrested for misdemeanor assault and domestic violence in January Court documents said officers arrived at the same address where the killings happened on January 7 and spoke to Viars who had a black eye and told police her husband and Hughes pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor domestic violence Anyone with information regarding this incident is asked to contact Detective Westfall at (614) 645-4221 or EWestfall@ColumbusPolice.org or to call Central Ohio Crime Stoppers at (614) 461-TIPS (8477) Detective Westfall is the lead detective on the case and is being assisted by Detective Polgar If you or someone you know is experiencing domestic violence or you can also call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 800-799-7233 A Meijer Supercenter and a 300-home subdivision are officially moving forward in Pickerington after approvals from a city commission this week The city's Planning and Zoning Commission approved on Tuesday the final plats for the first phase of 76 single-family homes and 43 condos The subdivision's main access point will be on Busey Road city Planning Director Clem Chukwu said during the meeting The commission also approved a site plan for a nearly 160,000-square-foot Meijer Supercenter at the southeast corner of Refugee and Pickerington roads southeast of the Pickerington High School North The grocery store will sit on the southern portion of the site The site also includes a 2.6-acre parcel along Pickerington Road that is dedicated to commercial development in the near future The Fairfield County site would have access points from both Pickerington and Refugee roads The city will add a left-turn lane on Refugee Road into the site Meijer Senior Real Estate Manager Cris Jones told the commission construction will likely happen in 2027 or 2028 Eastern suburbs reporter Maria DeVito can be reached at mdevito@dispatch.com and @mariadevito13.dispatch.com on Bluesky and @MariaDeVito13 on X Visiting Pickerington Central scored eight runs in the top of the ninth inning April 29 sending the Newark girls softball team to a 19-11 loss in the resumption of a suspended Ohio Capital Conference-Buckeye Division game two runs and three RBIs to lead the Wildcats (6-14 Mallory Back added three hits and three RBIs Calyn Music a home run and three RBIs and Lexi Shanaberg three hits and a run 4 inches to win the high jump for the Heath boys during a meet at Buckeye Valley with Fairbanks Heath also had three individual winners on the track Carter Wiley won the 100-meter dash (11.70) Jacob Lane the 400 (55.57) and Ryan Baker the 800 (2:04.45) Heath also had three individual winners in the girls meet Rylie Orr the 3,200 (16:52.88) and Marley Morris the shot put (32-4) The following couples applied for marriage licenses in Fairfield County from April 21 to 25 of LancasterThe following couples filed for dissolution of marriage in Fairfield County from April 21 to 25 The following couples filed for divorce in Fairfield County from April 21 to 25 Upper Arlington’s Hayden Henry celebrates after hitting a three-point shot at the buzzer to put the Golden Bears up 25-16 over Newark at the half (Press Pros Feature Photos by Lorrie Gardner) Dublin Coffman and Reynoldsburg took home Division I district championship trophies in a wild day of boys action at the Ohio Expo Center OH – The buzz permeated throughout The Ohio’s Center’s Taft Coliseum when Pickerington North standout guard Arness Lawson – a Duquesne signee and the program’s all-time leading scorer – was absent during warmups “When did I find out he wasn’t playing?” Dublin Coffman coach Adam Banks asked He’s such a talented player and tough player it sort of throws your game plan for a loop.” Aptus Wealth Management proudly sponsors the Buckeyes and Central Ohio sports on Press Pros “It’s definitely hard to be thrown a curveball like that before the biggest game of the season,” he said “But we’ve never been a one-man team and I knew we’d put forth a great effort without him.” Veteran central Ohio columnist Steve Blackledge writes the OCC and sports at large for Press Pros Lawson was arrested on several charges Friday night the team produced the most exciting contest of the four-game card with Coffman pulling out a 61-60 overtime upset of sixth-seeded North the Ohio Capital Conference Ohio Division champion Coffman (14-10) effectively spread the floor in the overtime with standout senior guard Colin McClure rifling assists for wide-open layups by Thomas Cochran and Gabe Schmidt North (20-4) hung tough with JR Bates (28 points) making play after play Schmidt made another layup on an inbounds pass with 1:14 left and McClure sealed the deal by sinking four free throws in the final minute is a proud sponsor of area sports on Press Pros we knew we needed to create and make open shots,” said McClure a Thomas More signee who topped the Rocks with 27 points despite being tightly defended by Favor McFadden all night “Credit to Pickerington North for the pressure they applied all night We hit a couple road bumps during the course of the season but we knew we were capable of this.” Stone Clifton added 17 points with five threes for Coffman “We had some guys like Stone and (freshman) Luke Muhlenkamp step up and make huge shots tonight to help get us over the hump And Colin did a great job at point guard finding them.” JR Bates hit a three-point shot at the buzzer to account for the final margin “We played Coffman earlier in the year (Jan winning 54-49) and we knew they were tough,” Jason Bates said “I’m proud of the way my team competed right down to the final buzzer.” Sophomore guards Hayden Henry and Luke Mitchell hit the big shots down the stretch as eighth-seeded Upper Arlington (14-9) knocked off fifth-seeded Newark (19-5) for its 11th district title defends against the shot attempt of Newark’s Jake Quackenbush After Newark whittled a 12-point deficit to 36-35 midway through the fourth quarter Mitchell swished a big three-point shot from the corner and Henry hit two runners in the lane “We’ve been in this position a lot of times this year with our schedule,” said Henry who hit a buzzer-beating three at the end of the first quarter and banked in a 55-foot trey just before the halftime buzzer which fought gallantly despite a poor shooting night Ty Gilbert hit two threes and Braylon Morris another in the final 82 seconds as the Wildcats pulled to 45-44 with 26 seconds left After being fouled quickly at the 18.7-second mark UA’s Cal Casey missed both foul shots but 6-foot-9 Ohio State-bound junior Alex Smith grabbed the long rebound Upper Arlington never trailed in the contest The Dave Arbogast family of dealerships is the official transportation source for Press Pros Magazine.com Mitchell attributed the early lead to UA’s execution on the offensive end “We were moving the ball really well and getting good looks,” he said “Getting ahead of them early was really key for us.” Upper Arlington coach Joe Bills was ecstatic with the effort “It was amazing the way we shot the ball at the end of the game,” he said “Henry carried us a lot of times and Luke was just so clutch down the stretch I’m just thrilled we came away with a victory After all the highs and lows we’ve been through this year Mitchell scored 15 points and was supported by Henry (12) and Smith (11) Jake Quackenbush paced Newark with 14 points as Gilbert and Norris chipped in 10 each “It’s tough to win games shooting just 34 percent (from the field),” Newark coach Jeff Quackenbush said we had to chase them around and they’re going to get open looks the way they run their sets Northwestern signee Tyler Kropp racked up totals of 23 points six assists and two blocked shots as third-seeded Olentangy Liberty (20-4) trounced Pickerington Central (12-12) for its fourth district title “I lost in the district final my freshman and sophomore years and left with a sour taste in my mouth “We knew we had a big height advantage and crashing the boards was a big emphasis for us We were able to get everyone involved on the offensive end.” contact Weedman USA at 614-733-3747 or go online to Weedman.com Christian Moulton added 18 points and Nick Butterfield 16 for the Patriots opening up numerous odd-man rushes that Liberty exploited “They’re a guard-oriented team and we’re more inside-oriented so obviously we wanted to attack the rim,” Liberty coach Greg Nossaman said “It brought back memories for me because the last time we played in the Fairgrounds was 2013 when we faced Northland and Seth Towns and my son was a senior.” Second-seeded Reynoldsburg averted what could have been the most startling upset in district final history as the Raiders’ frenetic defense keyed a 22-6 fourth quarter comeback Upset-minded Bradley perplexed Reynoldsburg with its outside shooting at first but the Raiders adapted in the second half to advance Bradley (8-15) came out smoking from three-point range in its empty-post screen-heavy offense and hit eight three-pointers on the way to a stunning 33-18 lead Turning up its half-court and full-court pressure to the max Reynoldsburg – tall and talented with three players signed or committed to Ohio University – gradually scrambled its way back into the game The comeback wasn’t decided until Jordan Fisher sank 4 of 4 foul shots in the final 21 seconds there was a sense of desperation on our part,” said Fisher who led the balanced Raiders (23-1) with 16 points Four of his teammates contributed between nine and 11 points “We kind of knew all of those threes weren’t going to fall all game long Reynoldsburg coach Andy Moore was so frazzled he returned to the locker room to unwind rather than participate in the postgame celebration It marked the Raiders’ fourth district title and first since 2018 Reynoldsburg’s Jordan Fisher was a one-man wrecking ball inside the paint “We weren’t really locked in defensively and did a poor job closing out their shooters,” Moore said “When we went to our full-court diamond press it caused a lot of trouble and really got us going It’s kind of hard for a team to play keep away from us with all the height and length we have We haven’t had to battle back like that all year.” Bradley coach Brett Norris was proud of the way his team executed the game plan but ultimately couldn’t handle the Raiders’ athleticism Garrett Sever and Jayden Reed-Davis scored 13 points each for the Jaguars “We probably didn’t get enough shots,” he said “Their defense became a problem and fatigue became such a factor but I felt like we had an opportunity to come away from here with a win and didn’t capitalize.” See Huffer Chiropractic in Jackson Center or Dublin © PressProsMagazine.com, All Rights Reserved. | Site Map | Terms of Use | Website Designed by Marketing Essentials. Get the best experience and stay connected to your community with our Spectrum News app. Learn More the Pickerington Central Girls Basketball team is back in the State Championship game It’s a program with a proud history: winners of seven state titles Pickerington Central coach Johnathan Hedgepeth and former Tigers coach Chris Wallace spent many years leading the girls’ basketball team together “I don’t know how to coach with anyone else But it’s more than the sport that unites the two Hedgepeth led the program from 2013-2021 before stepping down to spend more time with his own kids That’s when Wallace took over before stepping aside last year for the same reason “My son is playing at Northwestern and playing football," Wallace said And then my other daughter is a freshman at Illinois All things that were hard because you can't leave these kids here." But even though Wallace is no longer in charge he’s still very invested in this team’s run to the state championship game especially since his daughter Blossom Wallace is on the team this year got to play with my sister and under my dad this team is gearing up for the big game with the coaches—both current and former—by their side “They are ready to go,” said Coach Hedgepeth A popular Midwest-based grocery store chain could be adding a new location in Pickerington a 159,935 square-foot Meijer grocery store has been proposed at the southeast corner of Refugee and Pickerington roads southeast of the Pickerington High School North campus City Manager Greg Butcher described the discussions with Meijer as "very preliminary" in an email to The Dispatch The grocery store would sit on the southern portion of the site with a gas station on the northern portion close to Refugee Road Plans also show an 2.6-acre outparcel along Pickerington Road The city is in the process of rezoning 9 acres of the 25-acre parcel which is owned by Lakshmi Vinayaka Holdings LLC was annexed into the city from Violet Township in 2015 with the northern portion zoned as community commercial and the southern portion zoned as central business/mixed use This action rezones the southern portion to community commercial — so the entire 25-acre parcel has the same zoning — which allows for big box stores like the proposed Meijer The city's planning and zoning commission approved the rezoning Dec Pickerington City Council held a hearing on the rezoning Jan Meijer is a Michigan-based, privately owned and family-operated grocery store chain that operates 500 supercenters, grocery stores, neighborhood markets and express locations across six states in the Midwest and employs more than 70,000 people, according to its website. Ohio (WSYX) — Pickerington police seized 3,723 pills containing carfentanil during a traffic stop in February The potent and potentially deadly drugs were discovered by an officer who pulled over 41-year-old Jorge Santillan was arrested and charged with multiple felony drug crimes after a gym bag filled with pills was found in his car there was a bag on the passenger floorboard," said Pickerington Police Commander Greg Annis Authorities said Santillan told investigators he was en route to New Jersey to deliver the drugs a synthetic opioid 100 times more potent than fentanyl and not approved for human use but is a known tranquilizer used for large animals that include elephants and rhinos The seized white powder also tested positive for fentanyl after the pills and powder were checked by the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation's crime lab Pickerington police noted the rarity of carfentanil in their community "Not a lot," said Commander Annis "The majority of hard drugs are fentanyl-based The Ohio Attorney General's Office reported that carfentanil had been on the decline since 2017 with 32 samples testing positive for carfentanil during the first four months of this year compared to 40 confirmed samples for all of 2024 "These drug organizations are constantly trying to come up with something new," said Commander Annis "We basically use whatever information that we do get from the Department of Justice and other federal agencies and put that to the best possible use and get as much off the street as we can." PICKERINGTON − An $800,000 building permit to finish a shell for the new Starbucks at 961 Hill Road N tops the list of recent permits the Pickerington building department granted The new Starbucks is currently under construction The city also issued commercial building for $25,000 to a property at for duct work and to install ventilation equipment at 22 W the city issued a permit at 1241 Hill Road N for new tenant occupancy and a permit at 300 Opportunity Way for several tents The was no dollar amount for those two permits A new Local Cantina will soon open in Pickerington The city recently announced on Facebook that the Mexican restaurant is expected to open shortly following an agreement between the two and the continued efforts to develop the Downtown area The restaurant recently closed two locations in the Short North and Gahanna There are also plans for parking in the Pickerington area abayo@dispatch.com FORECASTPickerington Local Schools names three finalists for superintendent positionby Chrissy Morton PICKERINGTON, Ohio (WSYX) — The Pickerington Local School District Board of Education has announced three finalists in its search for a new superintendent The finalists will participate in a final round of interviews with the Board of Education on Thursday during a special meeting at Pickerington High School North and will include a Meet & Greet session who has served as Interim Superintendent since February 1 Hunt has provided consistent leadership and supported ongoing initiatives while keeping the District’s focus on students and staff during this interim period." Hunt will continue in the interim role until the Board completes the hiring process The Board looks forward to the next phase of the search and appreciates the community’s involvement in this important decision for Pickerington Local Schools For more updates on the search timeline and process, visit the Superintendent Search Page on the district's website PICKERINGTON — The suspect involved in a deadly shooting in Pickerington on Friday Samuel Stallworth was indicted by the Fairfield County Grand Jury on March 12 More: One person dead after a shooting in Pickerington Friday morning The Pickerington Police Department responded to a call at 3:43 a.m on March 7 in reference to a shooting on Montmorency Drive in the Cherry Hill subdivision The caller said a victim had been shot multiple times and the suspect fled the house in a vehicle according to a Facebook posting from the police department The victim was later identified by the police as Kamal A Pickerington is expanding its borders as the southeastern suburb prepares to add more housing north of Refugee Road Pickerington City Council unanimously approved annexing 151.9 acres from Violet Township during a meeting Tuesday night City Manager Greg Butcher told The Dispatch in an email Friday The Fairfield County Board of Commissioners approved the annexation Jan The annexed area is roughly bordered by Milnor Road to the west; Ault Road to the east; and an existing subdivision Pickerington High School North and Lakeview Junior High to the south While the exact plans are not yet known for the site preliminary development plans call for building single-family homes over at least 10 years Eastern suburbs Reporter Maria DeVito can be reached at mdevito@dispatch.com and @mariadevito13.dispatch.com on Bluesky and @MariaDeVito13 on X Pickerington police have identified a Columbus man who was fatally shot Friday morning and plan to file charges soon against the accused shooter was found suffering from multiple gunshot wounds at a home on Montmorency Drive in the Cherry Hill subdivision who lives in the 600 block of Montmorency Drive is in custody and is expected to be charged with murder and several other charges Friday reporting a shooting at the house on Montmorency Drive off of Norton Road Officers found the vehicle on Hill Road just north of the Diley Road intersection and initiated a traffic stop Officers found two firearms in the vehicle and Stallworth was taken into custody without incident Pickerington police said that Walters and Stallworth were in the home with two females when a dispute broke out and Stallworth shot Walters multiple times The two females were not injured in the shooting Dispatch reporter Shahid Meighan contributed to this report Editor's Note: This story has been updated with additional information bagallion@dispatch.com smeighan@dispatch.com Ohio (WSYX) — A former school custodian faced a packed Fairfield County courtroom as he was sentenced for a hidden camera in the staff bathroom was discovered last October but is believed to have been recording since September But I do pray for you all to have some peace and justice so sorry," Dorst said during his court appearance The school district closed Toll Gate Elementary on Thursday to allow teachers and staff to attend the proceedings Many staff members shared how Dorst's actions affected them "I remember using the bathroom where he violated my privacy and trust feeling a few times like I was being watched." I look up and I wonder if there could be a camera and a tiny hole on the ceiling tile that was broken I wonder if someone could somehow see through the blinds and see into my bathroom The worst part of this whole thing was going home to tell my family that the time had come and I was identified multiple times on the video." The sheriff confirmed that no students were involved or recorded Dorst faced more than a dozen misdemeanors A judge sentenced him to 270 days in jail for each victim He is also required to register as a sex offender for 15 years (This story was updated to accurately reflect the most current information.) The Pickerington Local School District Board of Education approved a five-year contract with Charles Smialek as its next superintendent at its meeting Monday who has a Ph.D and has been superintendent of the Parma School District in Cuyahoga County since 2018 will start working as Pickerington's superintendent on Aug he was superintendent of the Euclid City School District Smialek will be paid $200,000 annually for each year of service to Pickerington schools as well as a $5,000 annual annuity The board may increase the salary during the five-year contract but the contract does not include any specific raise amounts Smialek "brings a remarkable wealth of experience having served as superintendent in two different districts," Pickerington school board President Clay Lopez said in a prepared release and strong commitment to transparency and community engagement make him an exceptional fit for our district." He also previously served as an assistant superintendent Smialek's doctorate degree in philosophy in educational leadership is from Kent State University He also has a master's degree in teaching and a bachelor's degree in history Pickerington's previous superintendent, Chris Briggs, retired on Jan. 31 after more than seven years in that role, The Dispatch previously reported has been serving as interim superintendent since Briggs' retirement and will continue to do so during the transition period NHart@dispatch.com @NathanRHart Ohio (WSYX) — What was supposed to be a new beginning for a Pickerington military family quickly ended when a fire ripped through their home It happened earlier this week on Old Gate Drive Donald and Kourtnie Peeples tell WSYX they moved to Columbus from Washington State not even a month ago The Peeples family said when the fire broke out they had a full house with other family and friends because they wanted to celebrate the last and final move of their over 20 years of military service "We just woke up in the night by screaming I heard screaming in the baby monitor and booming and smoke detectors," Kourtnie recounted both Donald and Kourtnie described how they raced out of their bedroom and started getting everyone out of the house "I went through the door through the flames to the water hose in the back of the house to try and combat the fire but the whole water hose station was engulfed in flames," Donald said Kourtnie didn't think they would survive The five family members and a cat in the home got out we're devastated," Kourtnie said The Violet Township Fire Department says it believes the fire started in the back of the house Crews had to battle fierce flames for hours There was severe damage outside the home and even more devastation inside "I don't think you can begin to heal until you have a safe place and we don't have a safe place," Kourtnie added His retirement officially started this year on Halloween Day His family decided to plant permanent roots here in Ohio all the stars had to align for us to get this house The mission now for them and their 2-year-old daughter Donald and Kourtnie say asking for help is not easy and point to their neighbors and family getting them through it "One of the great things that has come from this is how many people have come together to help us out They hope to eventually move back into that home in the future The cause of the fire is still under investigation A GoFundMe was set up for them and can be foundhere. The Hillsboro Lady Indians faced two of their strongest opponents on their 2025 schedule this past Saturday (April 19) as they took on Pickerington North and Wheelersburg at Symmes Valley in a weekend doubleheader Hillsboro made their schedule tough to prepare for the upcoming postseason in May they held strong with two top softball programs Hillsboro scored first with a run in the top of the second inning but that run was equaled with PNHS scoring a run in the bottom of the same inning Pickerington North scored their final two runs of the game Hillsboro scored their final run in the top of the sixth inning but HHS committed seven errors in the loss In the circle during the non-conference game Camryn Spruell was charged with the unlucky loss as she held Pickerington North to three hits allowing three runs (all unearned) with two walks and 13 strikeouts in seven innings The Lady Indians also had a walk by Spruell The following game for Hillsboro saw them fall by a 3-2 score this time to the Wheelersburg Lady Pirates the Lady Indians led 2-1 after the top of the fourth as they scored both of their runs in that inning Wheelersburg scored their runs with one in the bottom of the first the Lady Indians collected four hits and no errors while Wheelersburg had five hits and one error as she finished 1-for-3 with one run and one RBI Chloe Roberts ended the game at 1-for-2 with a run The Lady Indians also had Addley Miller finish 1-for-2 with a walk Spruell in the loss allowed three earned runs on five hits and one walk in seven innings The Lady Indians now stand at 11-3 overall this season Pickerington Central’s Mikaila Asomoah Blossom Wallace and London Johnson celebrate the Tiger’s 49-41/OT win over Magnificat the Tigers forced 22 turnovers after halftime and emerged with an overtime victory OH – As Pickerington Central showed Sunday there’s nothing quite as motivating as seeing eye-popping negative numbers on a stat sheet That’s the situation the Tigers found themselves in at halftime of their latest state tournament appearance – No 16 overall and their third in a row – against a veteran Rocky River Magnificat in a Division I semifinal at Mansfield Senior were shooting just 35 percent from the floor Veteran central Ohio columnist Jarrod Ulrey writes the OCC and sports at large for Press Pros the Tigers turned up the heat with pressure defense didn’t settle for jumpers and neutralized the Blue Streaks’ inside power with physicality  It took a clutch move in regulation and an unsung hero in overtime to get the Tigers over the top but they prevailed 49-41 to advance to the championship game at 8:30 p.m and we were losing rebounding by double digits,” Tigers coach Johnathan Hedgepeth said They’re big and they were just tougher than us (in the first half) and showing a little toughness and grit like we were supposed to.”  who lost in state semifinals each of the past season They won their seventh state championship – including their first under Hedgepeth – in 2018 and lost in the state final the next season senior guard Kennady Gordon drove coast-to-coast and laid it in just before the buzzer junior guard Gabby Plair hit a three-pointer 46 seconds in grabbed a steal eight seconds later and also made a free throw as the Tigers outscored Magnificat 12-4 Pickerington Central’s Gabby Plair appears to take a charge from Magnificat’s Reese Roggenburk Plair’s play went into overdrive in OT to spark the Tigers to a 49-41 victory  “It’s weird because at the start of the playoffs (Plair’s) practices became exponential,” Hedgepeth said “She started doing a great job and adjusting to the regionals She’s been great throughout the tournament “We actually ran the last play that Kennady scored for (Plair) but I see her with a clear lane to the rim and was just praying that it went in.”  Plair didn’t score before overtime but wound up with six points and three steals overall  “We decided to play our game and stop rushing things trust each other and calm down,” Plair said “I just stay ready every game and try to help out my team however I can I just did that with my steals and my points in the end It’s really important to me because everybody knows I can do it and I tried to do my best to move us into the state championship.” The Tigers were outrebounded 23-8 during the first half and trailed 23-15 going into the break as Magnificat’s Reese Roggenburk – a 6-foot-2 senior who will play for Stone Hill – had 15 points and nine rebounds The Tigers forced 11 turnovers in the third quarter as Roggenburk and senior Gemma Wichmann Blossom Wallace puts up a floater in the lane just past Magnifcat’s Reese Roggenburk With a basket by Gordon that came with 7:11 left in the fourth quarter Central completed a 12-0 run and had its biggest lead at 29-24 “We were in the locker room (at halftime) with our heads down but we came into the third ready to dominate,” Tigers junior London Johnson said We wanted to rattle them and get their crowd to be quiet and get our crowd going We just had the mindset that we didn’t want to lose produced two three-point plays in the fourth quarter but the Blue Streaks played the final 3:57 of the regulation and overtime without Wichmann after she fouled out The Blue Streaks made just two of six from the free-throw line during the final two minutes of the fourth quarter and wound up 15 of 23 overall Roggenburk was limited to two points after halftime and finished with 17 points to lead her team The Tigers experienced a wide range of emotions such as in this instance when Coach Johnathan Hedgepeth consoles Zoe Coleman after a missed free throw in the closing seconds of the fourth quarter  “Our two focal points for the game were rebound the ball and don’t turn the ball over and we did a great job in the first half rebounding for sure,” Blue Streaks coach Danny Gallagher said “Things got a little out of control (in the second half) but I’m super proud of them to come back and take the lead and be in position to win the game Sophomore Zoe Coleman led the Tigers with 13 points and four rebounds while Johnson had 12 points and junior Blossom Wallace chipped in 10 for the Tigers “With us turning them over a lot in the third quarter we were able to keep people in front of us and the pressure kind of helped us alleviate some of the fouls,” Hedgepeth said We didn’t want to start off pressuring them because one skip pass equals a 3 or a layup They took us out of a lot of what we wanted to do It’s a blessing and a curse at Pickerington Central This has been our goal from the beginning.” We have your next truck,and we have it in stock Ohio (WSYX) — A man died at a hospital after he was found with "numerous gunshots" early Friday morning in Pickerington According to a statement from Pickerington police a 911 caller said the man was shot numerous times in a home on Montmorency Drive in the Cherry Hill subdivision Pickerington police confirmed the victim was 23-year-old Kamal A Officers found Stallworth's vehicle on Hill Road a short time after the 911 call was placed They found two 'automatic style' pistols and arrested Stallworth Officers and medics also responded to the home He was rushed to Mount Carmel East Hospital Investigators said Walters and Stallworth were inside the home with two females when some sort of dispute began Court documents said the suspect woke up one of the witnesses and said he wanted to talk about an argument that "they" had earlier in the night only to return a few minutes later and fire five shots into the victim Stallworth is now at the Fairfield County Jail Our Jeremiah Wilcox was there on the scene “It’s a high traffic house,” said neighbor Joel Roberts My wife thought she heard someone hitting the door He tells WSYX that he filed a police report after a bullet was shot into his home Other neighbors in the community say the area is quiet and close-knit Many neighbors have expressed concern for the home and the people who live there "There’s been suspicions," said neighbor Hannah Sparks Ohio (WSYX) — The Pickerington Central Tigers girls basketball team are the 2025 Division 1 OHSAA Champions after defeating Princeton (Cincinnati) 47-44 on Saturday night The Tigers (25-3) won their eighth state championship which is tied for the second most in OHSAA history Pick Central led by eight twice during the game and held the lead all the way until the end of the third quarter when Princeton's Kali Forston hit a three-pointer at the end of the 3rd quarter to give he team a 32-29 lead The Tigers trailed 36-29 later in the fourth quarter before putting together an 11-4 run Zoe Coleman hit a three-pointer that tied the game at 40 with 4:54 remaining but Coleman hit another three-pointer to give the Tigers a 43-43 lead with just over 2:00 left which were Pickerington Central's only made free throws of the game to close out the victory in the final seconds five assists and five steals for the Tigers Following an American College of Surgeons’ consultative visit, the State of Ohio has granted provisional Level III-N Trauma Center status to OhioHealth Pickerington Methodist Hospital making it the first and only trauma center in Fairfield County As a provisional Level III-N Trauma Center Pickerington Methodist Hospital meets all the capabilities of a Level III trauma center with the “N” representing specialized care available for neurotrauma patients This designation guarantees 24-hour availability of surgical services from board-certified or board-eligible neurosurgeons the ability to manage any category of trauma alert activation and resources to treat most injured patients locally "Bringing advanced trauma services to Pickerington and its nearby communities is a significant step forward,” said Thanh Nguyen, DO medical director of trauma at Pickerington Now we have the opportunity for the best outcomes for our patients by providing the chance for lifesaving care close to home.” Level III-N Trauma Centers offer prompt assessment while also providing critical support to rural and community hospitals Trauma centers are classified by their ability to provide care with Level I offering the highest level and specialized resources Level II centers provide comprehensive trauma care while Level III-N centers offer advanced neurotrauma care in addition to the initial management capabilities of a Level III center bridging the gap between Levels II and III In response to the high demand for services since the hospital opened in December 2023 Pickerington expanded its capacity this spring opening 24 additional inpatient beds on the sixth floor as well as 12 more beds for patient care in the emergency department This $12 million project was launched to address the growing needs of the community reducing emergency department wait times and to minimize the need for patient diversion "We've been very busy since opening and are grateful in the trust our community has given us for their care,” said Kevin Lutz, DPM president of OhioHealth Pickerington Methodist Hospital “With this new provisional trauma designation we are now even more prepared than ever to serve our patients with a new level of care." Pickerington Methodist Hospital anticipates receiving full status as a Level III-N Trauma Center by spring of 2026 Olentangy’s Chayla Rankin takes a shot after an alley-oop inbounds pass at the end of the second quarter as they fell to the Tigers at the Taft Coliseum (Press Pros Feature Photos by Brian Bayless) Johnson didn‘t let illness slow her down while Wallace stepped up as Tigers pulled away from Olentangy OH – Growing up as part of a large athletic family has long given junior Blossom Wallace a keen eye on the intangibles necessary to succeed in her sport of choice found great success for the Pickerington Central girls basketball program She learned long ago while watching Bexley Wallace a 2018 Central graduate who went on to play for Penn State and Kent State a 2024 graduate who is competing for Illinois Kurtz has 4 Central Ohio locations: Dublin Her performance on that side of the ball against Olentangy junior standout Whitney Stafford was among the instrumental factors in the Tigers’ 51-36 victory in a Division I regional championship game Saturday at the Taft Coliseum in the Ohio Expo Center Wallace is 6 feet 1 – some five inches taller than Stafford “Honestly having to play against older players I was always small compared to my siblings so I was always having to get stops if I wanted to play.”  Central is headed to the state tournament for the 16th time in program history because of defensive performances like the one Wallace produced and because of its ability to overcome adversity off the court who has been among the team’s key players all winter after starting the last two seasons at Canal Winchester battled sickness throughout the week but produced a 15-point The 6-footer had 11 points during the first half as the Tigers built a 33-22 lead Kareena Agrawal tries to move Blossom Wallace out of the way as she and her Tigers gnawed away at the Braves to advance but I believe Blossom Wallace is the best defender in the state,” Hedgepeth said Whitney is super talented and was able to get into the paint “London was in the hospital right after the regional semis It’s a different cast but it’s a special group we don’t know who it’s going to be but somebody is going to step up.”  Neither team scored for the first two minutes 46 seconds of the third quarter when Olentangy senior Kate Mosher made it 33-24 Sophomore guard Kareena Agrawal hit a 3-pointer with 52 seconds to go to get the Braves to within 37-31 by the end of the period  Central scored the first five points of the fourth quarter and never led by fewer than nine during the game’s remainder who was the Ohio Capital Conference Cardinal Division Player of the Year finished with 14 points but was held to just three over the final two quarters as the Braves finished 22-4 Whitney Stafford tries to dislodge the ball from Pickerington Central’s Kennady Gordon  “We battled,” Olentangy coach Klarke Ransome said “I was proud of how we competed and was very and we knew it would take a good effort from us We wanted to give ourselves a chance heading into the fourth “I want to make sure we give our seniors the credit they deserve and we have to continue building the culture as strong as we can going forward.”  Central is hoping for better health leading up to its latest state tournament appearance The Tigers were Division I state champions in 2018 when Bexley Wallace was a senior state runners-up in 2019 and then lost in state semifinals the last two seasons – to Olmsted Falls 58-53 in 2023 and to Springboro 63-54 last season which went 11-for-12 from the free-throw line and got eight points apiece from Gordon and Blossom Wallace and the winner of Sunday’s Cincinnati Walnut Hills-Cincinnati Princeton game are the other state semifinalists “I’ve been to the (emergency room) a couple times this week “It’s about us just slowing down and trusting our teammates Kate Mosher tries to impede the progress of Pickerington Central’s Mikaila Asamoah Ohio (WSYX) — Deputies say a man was shot while trying to steal a marijuana plant over the weekend Court records said Martin grabbed his pistol and fired several rounds as the victim and two other men were allegedly attempting to steal a marijuana plant The victim was shot and taken to Grant Medical Center in critical but stable condition Deputies said Martin told them he saw the victim dragging the plant away and fired to prevent the theft of his plant Martin is scheduled to appear in court for a preliminary hearing on October 16 OhioHealth Pickerington Methodist Hospital is setting a new standard in healthcare with its 84 smart rooms including 72 medical-surgical and 12 labor and delivery units feature technology designed to enhance patient care and streamline hospital operations This innovative approach is part of OhioHealth’s long-term strategy to integrate this technology across its facilities "Pickerington was scalable with it being a new hospital," Duane Perry, BSN, RN, Pickerington Methodist Hospital chief nursing officer, told Becker’s Hospital Review "We were able to get it implemented at a lower cost completely understand how to utilize it and how to optimize it But it is our goal moving forward to put it in more care sites." OhioHealth partnered with smart room company eVideon and virtual care startup Caregility to implement these features such as digital door signs that indicate patient status with color-coded lights Each room is equipped with smart TVs and tablets that allow patients to access educational materials about their care stream their favorite shows and connect with family members via video calls Patients can also use the room’s technology to place food orders and access translation services Staff members wear radio-frequency identification (RFID) tags that trigger personalized introductions on the room’s smart TV whenever they enter This helps patients and family members identify the staff and understand their roles in the care process The technology is not only improving patient care remote nurses saved over 650 hours of bedside care and documented 12,000 nursing notes in just six months "They're able to do care coordination," said Arika Thomas director of nursing for inpatient services at Pickerington Methodist key partner in our discharge planning for the patient during the day They're connecting with the nurses throughout the day We have a tool within our electronic medical record that helps identify if a patient needs a higher level of care or assistance go over it with the nurse and help escalate that." The hospital also plans to roll out 24/7 virtual monitoring where virtual sitters can observe high-risk patients through in-room cameras can intervene by alerting the patient or the on-site staff OhioHealth aims to expand these smart room capabilities to more care sites drawing on Pickerington’s success to improve care across its network "Our experience has been very positive," Perry said "What's nice about this technology and us implementing it is it doesn't just cover one thing To learn more about OhioHealth Pickerington Methodist Hospital, click here. 2025Dylan HefflingerPrep Baseball Ohio Editor in Chief/Advanced Scout Follow on Twitter- @PrepBaseballOHFollow on Twitter- @PrepBaseOHScoutFollow on Instagram- @prepbaseballohio Prep Baseball Ohio is eagerly anticipating bringing the Buckeye state the best high school coverage that can be found anywhere in 2025 we began releasing team previews for squads across the state we will have Preseason All-State Teams as well as the Preseason State Rankings coming your way To view the full list of 2025 Team Previews that we have already completed, please click here If you are a coach and haven't filled out your 2025 Team Preview, click here Interested in attending a Prep Baseball Ohio event? Check out our schedule by clicking here Team Name: Pickerington North PanthersHead Coach: Tim ThomasDivision: I2024 Record: 18-102024 Tourney Finish: District Finals loss to Olentangy BerlinReturning Starters/Pitchers: 7/2 Coach Outlook: "We’re excited to return 7 starters from last year’s District Final team and are eager to see them take on even bigger roles this season One of our key challenges will be addressing the loss of a significant portion of our pitching staff due to graduation competing in one of the toughest conferences in Ohio will provide the perfect preparation for another deep tournament run come June." To view the 2024 Team Previews, click here To view the 2024 Ohio Spring HS Report, click here To view the OHSAA Baseball Tournament Roundup To View the 2024 PBR All-State Teams, click here To view the 2024 Preseason All-State Teams, click here To view the 2024 Ohio Spring Scout Blog, click here To view the 2023 Team Previews, click here To view the 2023 Ohio Spring HS Report, click here To View the 2023 PBR All-State Teams click below: To view the 2023 Preseason All-State Teams To view the 2023 Ohio Spring Scout Blog, click here To view the 2022 Team Previews, click here To view the 2022 Ohio Spring HS Report, click here To View the 2022 PBR All-State Teams click below: To view the 2022 Preseason All-State Teams To view the 2022 Ohio Spring Scout Blog, click here To view the 2021 Team Previews, click here To view the 2021 Ohio Spring HS Report, click here To view the OHSAA Baseball Tournament Roundup To View the 2021 PBR All-State Teams click below: To view the 2021 Preseason All-State Teams To view the 2021 Ohio Spring Scout Blog To view each of the parts to the No 'Last Dance' Series To view the 2020 Team Previews, click here To view the 2020 Preseason All-State Teams, click here To view the 2020 Virtual Ohio High School State Tournament/Preseason Team Rankings, click here To view the Ohio High School All-Decade Team 2010-2019, click here To view the 2019 Team Previews, click here To view the OHSAA Baseball Tournament Roundup To view the 2019 All-State Teams To view the 2019 Preseason All-State Teams To view the 2018 Team Previews, click here To view the OHSAA Baseball Tournament Roundup To view the 2018 All-State Teams To view the 2018 Preseason All-State Teams To view the 2017 Team Previews, click here To view the 2017 Preseason All-State Teams           The Lady Monarch softball squad got back on the winning track Saturday by sweeping a doubleheader from Pickerington North MHS clubbed Pickerington North 18-0 in the opener and won 7-2 in the nightcap The twinbill sweep puts MHS at 13-4-1 on the season Marysville plated 10 runs in the visitors’ por.. Ohio (WSYX) — Pickerington High School North is celebrating senior Reagan Knapp after she became a state champion on Sunday Knapp became the first state wrestling champion in program history from Pickerington High School North and is also the first female state champion from the city of Pickerington Knapp won the title on Sunday by a pin over Greenview's Eve Matt in the 145-pound weight class Knapp placed seventh at the state wrestling tournament as a junior The 2025 Under Armour Next Football Camp Series stopped at Pickerington High School North in suburban Columbus on Sunday The region’s best high school football players had the opportunity to hone their on-field skills and earn a coveted bid to the 2026 Under Armour Next All-America Game Each player took part in a series of optional athletic measurement stations then competed in individual and head-to-head drills against other top athletes at their respective positions.  At the completion of the camp four athletes from the Class of 2026 received an invitation to the 2026 Under Armour Next All-America Game: three players from the Class of 2027 garnered invitations to this summer’s UA Next Future 50 scheduled for June 27-28 at IMG Academy in Bradenton  The following players earned positional MVP honors for their performances at Sunday’s camp: Malachi Ervin (2026) – Pickerington North (Ohio) Benjamin Eziuka (2026) – Detroit Catholic Central (Michigan) Carson Lovett (2026) – Cass Tech (Michigan) Ethan Reyna (2027) – Andrean (Indiana) Kayd Coffman (2026) – East Kentwood (Michigan) Jerquaden Guilford (2026) – Northrop (Indiana) Tavares Harrington (2027) – Mount Carmel (Chicago The remaining schedule for the 2025 Under Armour Next Football Camp Series can be found below: Ohio — Gabby Plair scored a team-high 13 points and Blossom Wallace added 10 as Pickerington Central held off Cincinnati Princeton’s late rally to win 47-44 in the OHSAA Division I girls’ basketball state championship game at UD Arena on Saturday After trailing for more than 18 minutes and most of the first half Cincinnati Princeton’s Mari Gerton hit a jump shot to tie Pickerington Central at 27 points at 4:00 in the third quarter -WATCH THE GAME REPLAY HERE- both teams remained knotted at 40 points after Pickerington Central (25-3) erased a six-point deficit with back-to-back 3-pointers from London Johnson and Zoe Coleman with 3:54 left to play in the fourth quarter Kali Fortson drove in a layup inside the paint to give the Vikings (21-7) a 42-40 edge Coleman flipped the score with another 3-pointer giving Pickerington Central a 43-42 lead as 2:06 remained on the clock Plair added a pair of free throws with 32 seconds to go Heaven Sneed laid in a bucket bringing Cincinnati Princeton within one with 15 seconds left but two free throws from Deyon Smith and a missed game-tying 3-pointer by Erin Thomas allowed Pickerington Central to hold on and clinch the championship but we never let them get to us and we just showed that we were supposed to be here today and we were supposed to win Pickerington Central shot 40% from the field and went 7-for-22 from 3-point distance The Tigers moved into a tie with Mount Notre Dame winning eight state championships Only Africentric is ahead with nine titles in OHSAA girls basketball history “It’s surreal because Pickerington is where my heart is I believe that this is the premier basketball program in the state,” Pickerington Central head coach Johnathan Hedgepeth said “I just am so thankful that our girls were able to just pull it out and represent and get the trophy back to Pickerington.” Fortson finished with 19 points to lead all scorers The loss snapped the Vikings’ 19-game winning streak “Our kids fought hard all season,” Cincinnati Princeton head coach Dee Davis said “We had adversity that we had to face in this game Our not-so-good moments got the best of us today Here are photos from all winning teams and runners up: