Ohio — Potholes are no surprise to the citizens of Rittman in Wayne County "There should not be that many in one little area," Cassie Brumfield Brumfield and her friend Cheyenne Maibach tallied 193 potholes on several city streets The two said it's leading to some risky behavior from drivers Many often drive in the opposite lane to avoid the worst "That's a huge safety concern," Brumfield said "Especially with how many roads there are and how many hills there are." That's why the friends reached out to News 5 to get answers He said that because of the warmer weather The city is working out a contract with a paving company to complete some work this summer The city will be using permissive tax funds to pay for the paving Roberts did not say which roads would be paved but he encouraged everyone to drive slowly until the repairs are made But some citizens want to see more than just the roads paved Rachael Todaro helped create a Google Documentlisting over 40 infrastructure issues in Rittman Todaro hopes to present the findings to the city council soon and discuss a way forward "I just hope that it sparks some change and helps mobilize the community," she said "And really gives fuel to a strategic plan." Please select what you would like included for printing: Copy the text below and then paste that into your favorite email application It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Dale Martin Rittman A celebration of his life will be held at Caldwell Parrish Funeral Home & Crematory (8201 Hickman Rd He grew up with a strong sense of faith and family He cherished his childhood memories with his four brothers and his sister They have always been quick with their love and support as Dale faced health challenges over the last few years He was the rock and guiding light for his beloved wife with whom he shared 34 wonderful years of marriage Their bond was a beautiful example of love and partnership He was also a devoted and proud father to his daughter His love and guidance shaped her into the strong As long as Margie and Alexa were at his side it didn’t matter if they were in Las Vegas or spending time on the beach; all that mattered was that they were together He also enjoyed his annual fishing trip with his brothers Dale is survived by a large and loving family including his siblings Alan (Vickie) Rittman He was a pillar of strength and love in their lives Those who knew Dale will remember his infectious smile and the ability to make those around him laugh Our family was there with him from the beginning of the fight to the finish—until his very last breath We have comfort in knowing he is no longer suffering and legacy will live on in the hearts of those who loved him He will be profoundly missed but never forgotten Memorial contributions can be made to The John Stoddard Cancer Center or a charity of your choice in memory of Dale Rittman Add to Calendar Caldwell Parrish Funeral Home & Crematory - Urbandale Chapel Add to Calendar This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply Service map data © OpenStreetMap contributors With Rittman Mead’s expertise in Oracle Autonomous Data Warehouse Pythian enhances its ability to support enterprise modernization and cloud migration strategies The acquisition brings additional Oracle ACE consultants into Pythian’s fold and significantly extends its market presence across the U.K. This strategic combination builds on a longstanding collaboration between the two companies combining Rittman Mead’s proprietary accelerators and toolkits with Pythian’s global delivery scale and comprehensive managed services offerings the integration delivers broader end-to-end support across the data lifecycle—from cloud migration and workload optimization to AI-enabled analytics It also underscores Pythian’s role as a data-first managed service provider helping enterprises modernize at their own pace the Pythian–Rittman Mead acquisition underscores a broader shift in managed services—from infrastructure support to value-added services centered on data As more enterprises move toward multicloud and AI-driven environments MSPs are expected to provide not just uptime and support This deal signals that differentiation in the MSP space will increasingly hinge on advanced capabilities in areas like Oracle cloud services it highlights how partnerships with hyperscalers (in this case Google Cloud) are becoming essential for MSP growth Pythian’s expanded Oracle Database@Google Cloud capabilities show how MSPs can align with cloud platforms to offer more specialized Suparna serves as Senior Managing Editor for CyberRisk Alliance’s Channel Brands She plays a key role in content development and collaborating across teams to deliver timely and she brings a unique blend of strategic thinking and executional excellence to every project May 5 IBM Extends BYOC Deployment Model for Netezza and Db2 SaaS Across AWS and Azure May 2 Mission Unveils Cloud Operate for Intelligent CloudOps Cloudflare Helps Anthropic and Leading Tech Companies to Unlock Real AI Agent Experiences Through Claude Members of the Rittman High School prom royal court were King Dack Mutters Prince Odin Weirick and Princess Riley Summers The district has a gallery of photos on it's website at rittmanexemptedvillageschooldistrict.pixieset.com/prom2025 The Century Foundation takes your data security and privacy seriously. That's why we want you to know that, when you visit our website, we use technologies like cookies to collect anonymized data so that we can better understand and serve our audience. For more information, see our full Privacy Policy Hannah is a graduate intern at The Century Foundation She is currently pursuing a master of public health (MPH) at the Harvard T Hannah worked as a patient advocate at a nonprofit clinic in rural Minnesota where she developed a passion for public health to join RTI International’s domestic health policy division focusing on Medicaid policy implementation and evaluation Hannah’s academic and professional interests center on improving access to care for marginalized populations through health policy reform All aboard! We’re taking the Local Flavor Express to Rittman The Depot is a cozy diner in the former Erie Railroad depot at 80 Grant St If you enjoy homestyle cooking with a railroad theme you’ll want to make tracks to this historic city on the Medina-Wayne line Look for the flashing red lights on the X-shaped sign that reads “Good Food Crossing.” and I took a beautiful autumn drive on a weekday morning to this quiet little community about 17 miles southwest of Akron Rittman historian Pat Watts told me that the city is named for Fred Rittman former treasurer of the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad had to be changed because it was too easily confused with … well Watts said the Erie depot opened in 1871 on South Main Street but farmers moved the narrow wooden building to its current location in 1913 Conrail took over Erie in 1976 and discontinued its Rittman service in 1983 Debra Lieberth has owned The Depot for nearly 20 years The family restaurant is across the tracks from the Morton Salt facility which means that customers won’t ever have to worry about running out of seasoning As we pulled up to the gray building with white trim A country radio station played in the background as we took our seats at a small table Train memorabilia and old photographs decorate the three dining areas and a railroad crossing sign blinks on one of the walls The Depot is a friendly place where the staff greets regular customers by name The Depot offers everything from omelets to scrambles to bowls to hotcakes to sandwiches almost looked pained when I asked if the shredded hash browns were homemade onion and cheese patty topped with egg and cheese on a grilled sourdough bread “It’s like a tower with a moat filled with gravy,” Susie said The dish was so darned comforting and delicious creamy gravy was a luscious complement to the rich egg yolk spicy sausage and other savory ingredients but I added a side of hash browns ($2.95) and a slice of fried mush ($1) These hash browns were so good that I didn’t bother to add hot sauce like I usually do This is how breakfast potatoes should taste a cornmeal cake served with butter and warm syrup The rectangle’s edges were nice and crispy “People come here for the mush,” our server said Local history: Ghost stories materialize at Greater Akron landmarks My wife ordered the Country Breakfast Bowl ($11.95) “My food looks like it’s on a doily of eggs,” she said “I feel like it’s a gravy that my mom or grandma used to make,” Susie said She joined the clean plate club while I chugged my way through The Conductor That meal could easily have fed two people “I guess you know what you’re having for dinner tonight,” Susie said offered top-notch service and kept the hot coffee coming “A lot of our customers come in four or five days a week,” she explained The Depot is a great place to get sidetracked in Rittman Mark J. Price can be reached at  mprice@thebeaconjournal.com Two children under the age of five were held hostage in a home in Rittman on the border of Medina and Wayne County Sunday afternoon according to the Rittman Police Department Rittman Police Chief Bob Shows said officers responded to a domestic call on South Hickin Avenue the woman who called was outside the residence and told police her husband was still in the home with two of their small grandchildren multiple gunshots were heard from the back of the residence The offender refused to leave the residence and did not listen to officers' instructions That resulted in the five-hour-long standoff with police Shows said that negotiators from the Orville Police Department were on the scene and able to contact the suspect Negotiations continued throughout the incident but a small caliber rifer was fired out of the back window Police said the suspect is not a prior criminal Shows said the suspect walked out of the home peacefully and released the children at the end of the incident and breaching equipment were brought out during the incident responded and formed a perimeter immediately Rittman and Sterling EMS stood by to provide medical assistance Tactical Teams from the Medina County Sheriff's Office and the Ohio State Patrol responded to help provide more safety Shows told News 5 that kind of support means the world to them "We at Rittman Police Department greatly appreciate all the first responders who contributed to the successful outcome and the understanding of the residents in the area as this incident developed Two children under the age of 5 were safely released Sunday evening after being held hostage for five hours in a home on South Hickin Avenue which took place on the border of Medina and Wayne counties when officers responded to a domestic call according to a report on News 5 in Cleveland Rittman Police Chief Bob Shows said the woman who made the call was outside the home when officers arrived and said her husband was inside with their two young grandchildren After police arrived multiple gunshots were heard from the back of the residence noting the suspect refused to leave the property Negotiators from the Orrville Police Department began a conversation with the suspect that led to serveral hours of negotiations ending with the man surrendering peacefully and the children being reunited with their mother MRAPs and breaching equipment were used during the standoff Marshallville and Smithville police departments along with the Medway Drug Enforcement Agency and Wayne County Sheriff’s Office Tactical teams from the Medina County Sheriff’s Office and the Ohio State Highway Patrol also assisted Emergency medical services from Rittman and Sterling were on standby Ohio — A 16-year-old is leading efforts to preserve a piece of local history: the 1891 Rittman Train Station once a stop for Baltimore & Ohio Railroad (B&O Railroad) passenger trains Ethan Williams is working to give the station a new purpose “This is a key part of Rittman,” Williams said The station last served passengers in the early 1970s and is now used for maintenance storage While it still features its original decorative overhang and “gingerbread” details the building requires extensive restoration it was the heartbeat of Rittman,” said resident Jim Trogdon The community plans to transform the building into a multi-use facility featuring different classes The space would be open to community members and tourists alike but it needs to be moved from its current location to a site near the Rails-to-Trails of Wayne County hike and bike trail Relocating and restoring the station is estimated to cost $145,000 fundraising efforts have brought in $12,000 and the other half is to restore it and make it operational,” Williams said Organizers hope to complete the move by 2027 which will mark the 200th anniversary of the B&O Railroad Rittman Mayor William Robertson points out that this will also be the year Williams graduates from high school the community is pressing ahead with fundraising efforts determined to give this historic building a new lease on life If you're interested in donating or learning more, click HERE OBETZ — Rittman legend and assistant coach Crystal Ward gave the team key advice ahead of Saturday's Division III state meet at Fortress Obetz Junior Luke Snyder ran with the front pack for the entirety of the race but needed to make a decision entering the final mile if he wanted to defend his state title "When we came out of the stadium for that back mile my coach had a couple of points he gave us," Snyder said and I felt the guy in first coming back a little bit so I just kept going and tried to keep up that hunter's mentality throughout the back mile "One of the other things we've been hearing all year is hunt like a lion a lion's not gonna wait for the point — he'll go after it when he feels the opportunity." He pulled away over the final stretch and crossed the finish line in a time of 14:58.13 which not only shattered the course record by nearly 25 seconds and the Division III state record by almost 18 seconds but it was also the sixth-fastest time run by a champion at the state meet by any division — ever and he has been healthy," coach Matt Snyder said of his son it's a lot harder because the pressure you put on yourself We talked about running your hardest and leaving the results up to God "That's probably the best race I've ever seen him run." As a team Rittman placed ninth; junior Bryen Valerio 61st; sophomores Caleb Bolender 124th and 145th; senior Garrick Marks 192nd Snyder raced against Mount Gilead's Will Baker who came into state with the quickest time out of regionals and Snyder did not forget that when the two met up again at the state meet "I know my courses up to here aren't very fast so those times aren't always great," Snyder said "We raced earlier in the year and he beat me "My coach really helped during team meetings just give your best because you can't control what other people run just leave the rest up to God and see what happens." When he took the lead late over Steubenville Central Catholic's Andrew Rohde and Whiteoak's Landen Eyre Snyder just had to make sure he held off Baker "Am I ahead enough or is this gonna be like another less-than-a-second race?" he said "You're always worried that someone's gonna catch you so you gotta give everything you have left no matter how uncomfortable you feel." And as great as it felt to repeat as state champion from a personal standpoint it felt even better doing it for the Rittman community "There's a lot of people who have poured into our organization throughout the year," Snyder said "They follow us when we go to a meet in Kentucky there'll be multiple families there cheering for us — it's great to be able to feel like we're paying them back zholden@gannett.com | 419-617-6018 | Twitter/X: @Zachary_Holden Kayla Shue and her family are counting their blessings after a fire at their home on Jasmin Court in Rittman “So nothing is really salvageable in our home," said Shue "The fire created thick black smoke that permeated throughout the home and infant sons escaped the house with just the shirts on their backs The couple's 6-year-old boy may have saved everyone Shue says he came into their bedroom to alert them of a problem and he notices the fire in the back bedroom of our house There is a GoFundMepage for the family as they look to recoup some of what they lost in the fire anything.” She said they need clothes for the children and baby items like a walker for the infant and her husband lost his job last week after an accident “His whole passenger side of his truck was gone by the end of the accident," said Shue "We had lost our dog during that time; he was found about two days later and then now he had passed away and perished in the fire.” “These three pieces were what were on fire when they when they entered the room," said Rittman's Fire Chief Kyle McDonald Chief McDonald told News 5 that a faulty dehumidifier is what started the fire the Chief said his department gets more calls Chief McDonald advises people to never leave space heaters or dehumidifiers alone and never use a power strip or extension cord for portable appliances "A lot of these appliances draw way too much power current And that's the first thing to fail," said McDonald or anything; that's what usually starts a fire McDonald also advises people to check the battery in their smoke detector There was only one working smoke detector in the home when this fire started and it didn't alert till they were actually evacuating the house," said McDonald Rittman and Wooster may have a new polling location beginning with the primary election May 6 A notice was mailed to voters impacted by the changes precinct boundaries have to be reassessed due to population changes and occurrences like new housing developments and annexations," said Board of Elections Deputy Director Bryon Bell "Ohio law requires us to make these changes Many factors play a role in these decisions Changes to polling locations are made only when necessary When polling sites are conveniently located and accessible leading to higher turnout and a more representative electorate according to a news release from Wayne County Public Communication “We hope these changes will make voting more convenient,” said Director Julie Stahl “In-person voting on Election Day is just one of three easy options for voters in Ohio We also offer early in-person voting at our office during the four weeks leading up to Election Day To find more information about the changes and to search for polling locations, visit the Board of Elections polling place changes page at WayneCountyoh.gov. that was the topic as Hillsdale and Rittman girls' basketball teams hooked up on Saturday Both Wayne County Athletic League programs came in hunting for a win as both squads are relatively young and are building in a tough league The Falcons earned the 44-26 win to improve to 2-6 overall and 1-4 in the league and the Indians dropped to 0-9 overall and 0-5 in the WCAL Still both teams walked away feeling a sense of confidence boost and happy with where their teams are at More: Hillsdale earns a tough WCAL win on the road over Northwestern “We needed that from a confidence standpoint,” said Hillsdale coach Chris Shenberger “We have good practices and work hard; it’s just the way the upper portion of the league is — it’s rough and I hope we gained some confidence today.” “I’m really happy with how aggressive we played so definitely not disappointed in how we played wished we had a little more confidence,” said Rittman coach Tawanna Young but I try to boost the kids up all the time and I am happy with their effort today.” The Falcons really began to put this game away in the second quarter when they went on a 14-0 run from the start of the period until the 4:06 mark Making it all work was point guard Ally Morgan including setting up Kennedy Fickes twice in the third quarter for a pair of buckets it was Fickes finding Morgan for two points and then Kloe Smith scoring Brooklyn Morgan capped the stretch with a triple to make it 23-2 “Ally and Kloe are both making better decisions now,” said Shenberger we don’t get open enough and take enough shots Today they did a great job of finding each other More: Youth is front and center as girls wrestling is in just its second year make good passes and get their teammates involved Kennedy is our shooter and we need to get her the ball get it to her when she is open and has an opportunity to take that shot that’s icing on the cake because they play great defense Hillsdale put this game on deep freeze with an 8-0 run Sparking the run was Morgan with a drive to the bucket in transition before it was capped by Fickes' mid-range jumper to make it 33-11 The big key was the Falcons ability to force turnovers get out on the break and convert easy looks into points it seems like everybody is able to transition us and we’ve been talking about that,” said Shenberger “We want to get ahead of the ball and fill lanes instead of watching the ball go down the floor before us “I thought we did a good job today with that Obviously we have a lot of things that we need to clean up and continue to improve on Smith finished with 11 and Morgan totaled six points for the Falcons The Indians continued their progression of late as they fell to St Thomas Aquinas 39-34 and showed glimpses of their talent against Hillsdale Leading the way for Rittman were Skyla Maimone with six points Carly Frame had five while Meredith Brown and Chavalah Baltzly both had four points “It's confidence,” said Young about the difference in the team of late We developed a lot of skills from last year to this year but if you don’t do anything with those skills driving the ball and I am not upset with them doing either see how it works for us and I think things of late are starting to work out for us and things are starting to fall our way.” both teams walked away with a sense of renewed confidence as they continue forward with their seasons “We just look at every positive thing we do as a success,” said Young “Sometimes we don’t talk about the successes That is one of the things I am trying to change Shenberger couldn’t agree more as he looked at the vision he and assistant coach Trevor Cline have Hillsdale girls' basketball has been average,” Shenberger said we decided that we have really good athletes and we just want to follow in their footsteps.” CLEMSON — Clemson lost more than a softball game on Saturday The Tigers also lost their head coach and saw their 15-game winning streak come to end at McWhorter Stadium Clemson head coach John Rittman was tossed in the fourth inning after arguing with the home plate umpire following a play at the plate The Blue Devils increased their lead to 4-1 in the fourth inning when  D’Auna Jennings singled up the middle to bring Jada Baker home Rittman disputed that Jennings was standing out of the batter’s box and got in an argument with home plate umpire Tatem Stoelting The argument resulted in Rittman getting tossed from the game “We have a rule in our game where if you are out of the box and hit the ball I felt like she was out of the box and the umpire did not see it or did not call it And when I went back out to make a pitching change ‘You know she was out of the box.’ That was enough to get me tossed but I am going to fight for my team.” A Clemson spokesperson told The Clemson Insider that Rittman will not be suspended for his ejection from the game and will coach in Sunday’s series finale are not the same as baseball rules when a coach is ejected Rittman also confirmed can coach on Sunday A fielding error by Alex Brown at third base and a full-count walk kept the Blue Devils’ third inning alive two-run double from Kairi Rodriguez to right centerfield Rodriguez’s double gave Duke a 2-1 lead at the time 1-1 ACC) increased their lead to 4-1 in the fourth inning after Baker doubled to leftfield with one out to plate Aleyah Terrell D’Auna Jennings followed with a single up the middle to bring Baker home for the fourth run The Blue Devils extended their lead to 5-1 in the sixth thanks to a KK Mathis home run to left centerfield 1-1 ACC) got on the board in the bottom of the first inning after Maddie Moore singled to centerfield to score Brown Duke starter Cassidy Curd dominated the Tigers’ batters until she gave up back-to-back jacks in the bottom of the sixth inning Moore sent a 2-1 offering over the rightfield wall and then Julia Knowler smashed a bomb to the same spot on a 2-2 count Knowler tossed her bat high in the air as the ball went over the fence Duke’s coaches complained about her tossing of the bat “There is a lot of fight in this team,” Rittman said They are going to fight until the last out The rubber match between the two ACC rivals will start at noon on Sunday We have the address for the funeral home & the family on file If you're not happy with your card we'll send a replacement or refund your money Paul Edward Bennett, 84, of Taylorsville, died at 5:35 A.M. Monday, March 3, 2025 at Willow Crossing Health and Rehabilitation Center. Paul was born August 13, 1940 in Metcalfe Co., Kentucky, the son of the late Cordis and Mattie (Pedigo) Bennett.... View Obituary & Service Information The family of Paul Edward Bennett created this Life Tributes page to make it easy to share your memories © 2025 Jewell-Rittman Family Funeral Home Made with love by funeralOne Ohio — 'Tis the season for dazzling displays lighting up communities where some families are ready to battle to win a Christmas light contest It took over a month for Holly Snyder and her husband to finish their Christmas decorations and prepare for the Rittman Lions Club Christmas light competition It's more about having fun with it and creating a beautiful display because we love going around looking at other displays,” said Snyder you can imagine Snyder and her husband's frustration when they noticed some of their light strings were damaged yesterday and it turns out one looked like it might have been chewed but the other ones look a little too clean of a cut,” said Snyder It made them wonder if it was a rodent or a person who damaged their lights Snyder went looking for answers and took her frustrations to social media where she realized she wasn’t the only one experiencing string damage "I've seen several comments where people said their animals might have done it And it had me thinking maybe someone did cut them and I think it's horrible that someone would do that if that's the case,” said Snyder I showed a picture of Holly’s wires to Rob Winters the wildlife management supervisor from Varmint Guard to see if he could find any signs of rodent damage "Being that there's a couple different little cut marks in there that almost looks like it would be squirrel damage because you're not seeing just that one clean cut You're seeing some other damage right around there where they would have been gnawing,” said Winters Winters agreed that two out of three of the cords had a clean cut and that it was hard to determine if a rodent had chewed them Rittman Mayor Bill Robertson says that after seeing the post and no calls have been made about vandalism "I don't think it's a real malicious thing it's probably some kid vandalism type thing which happens every year,” said Robertson he strongly believes it could have been a squirrel because they are notorious for damaging wires in the area "I personally have had problems with my supply line and have had to have Ohio Edison come out and replace that line because a squirrel cut through them,” said Robertson Holly hopes she can blame the wire damage on a rodent "I would feel a little bit better about that not thrilled about it but if an animal did it that means someone's not that heartless,” said Snyder Holly says this will not discourage them from decorating next year and the community will vote on a winner on Dec Mason Porter was sentenced to probation after entering the U.S .st1{fill-rule:evenodd;clip-rule:evenodd;fill:#2a2a2a}By Adam Ferrise, cleveland.comCLEVELAND Ohio — An Army veteran from Rittman who was part of the throng of people who stormed the U.S was sentenced Wednesday to two years of probation District Judge Timothy Kelly in Washington Porter’s sentencing comes days before President-elect Donald Trump takes office Trump has said he will consider granting clemency to the more than 1,580 people charged in the FBI’s most sprawling investigation in its history Porter is among 84 Ohioans charged in the case He previously pleaded guilty to two misdemeanors — disorderly conduct and parading Prosecutors said Porter went to Washington with friends from work he attended Trump’s “Stop the Steal” rally in which he urged people to stop the certification of Joe Biden’s election took pictures of himself inside and was among a group who pushed against police officers trying to control the crowd He left the building after about 22 minutes he helped another rioter try to scale a wall The next day he posted on Facebook: “I don’t feel shame There was no violence on ourside [sic] yesterday and we were UNARMED and still took the capital building Imagine what could happen if we exercised our second amendment to the fullest That fear is why the media is twisting the narrative in this wrote in pre-hearing documents that his client wasn’t particularly political but had become concerned about the rhetoric in the lead up to and after the November 2020 president election Cooper said his client got swept up in the emotion of the day and “To this day he still finds it difficult to believe he was part of this crowd,” Cooper wrote “The blood was up and the adrenaline was flowing Adam Ferrise covers federal courts at cleveland.com and The Plain Dealer. 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All rights reserved (About Us) The material on this site may not be reproduced except with the prior written permission of Advance Local Community Rules apply to all content you upload or otherwise submit to this site YouTube's privacy policy is available here and YouTube's terms of service is available here Ad Choices RITTMAN - In Tyler Dennis' first season leading Rittman From 2016 through 2022 — Dennis' first in charge — the program never won more than three games in a season But it didn't take long for him to dramatically change the culture at Rittman "In my first year and the previous two years The biggest initial challenge was getting the players from that 2022 team to stick with it despite losing the final eight games of the regular season seven of which were by virtue of the running clock "You have to look for the little wins and stuff," Dennis said so what we've been able to get our numbers at the last two years — upper 40s lower 50s — the kids have really bought in." Running rampant: Sonego's 405 yards, four touchdowns powers Rittman past South Central That talented sophomore class he inherited understood what the team's potential was and a lot of that was thanks to Dennis and his staff and the kids have really fed off that energy," Dennis said "All the credit goes to our coaching staff Last season Rittman won its first three games for the first time since 2015 — and four-straight for the first time this millennium — en route to a six-win season and the program's third playoff appearance on the eve of Wayne County Athletic League play beginning Rittman is 3-0 again and travels to winless Waynedale in Week 4 "The biggest thing is the support from the administration and myself as a head football coach zholden@gannett.com Twitter/X: @Zachary_Holden CLEMSON — John Rittman returns to his old stomping ground Friday for a three-game series at Stanford bringing Clemson Softball to the West Coast for the first time in the program’s brief history the trip is more than just another ACC road series — it’s a homecoming to a place where he spent nearly two decades building his coaching legacy He served as Stanford’s head coach for 18 seasons (1997-2014) building a program similar to what he has done at Clemson he amassed a 750–351–3 record and led the Cardinal to 17 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances including two College World Series appearances in 2001 and 2004 Rittman acknowledges the significance of the moment “It’ll be a fun and exciting weekend,” he said but when you go to the softball side of it Stanford head coach Jessica Allister is one of Rittman’s former players She took over the program in 2019 and continued what Rittman started She has taken the Cardinal to back-to-back CWS visits in each of the last two years Stanford enters the weekend with a 25-6 overall record and a 9-4 mark in ACC play “They’re a really good team,” Rittman said The weekend will also serve as a homecoming for senior Maddie Moore a key leader for Clemson at the plate and in the infield at second base Moore grew up in California and will be playing just two and a half hours from home She has been a standout performer for the Tigers this season posting a .468 batting average with 51 hits and nine home runs Her return adds another layer of excitement to an already meaningful series With both teams in the thick of ACC competition this matchup serves as a key test for Clemson as it aims to solidify its standing in the conference “We’ll have to bring our A game,” Rittman said it’s a chance to step onto a field where he built a lasting legacy—only this time Smithville junior Kaitlynn Carr was leading the pack But over the final stretch she was overtaken by champion Legacy Christian's Caroline Hamilton — who set a new course record at 17:43.25 — and Rebecca Geiss of Heartland Christian I'm blessed to be in such a fast division," Carr said "I could have finished better than what I did Carr improved her time by nearly 20 seconds which was a testament to how much faster the field overall was this year "I was feeling good and had some awesome competitors to run with," Carr said "It was just a matter of going out and running how I know I can run I was really excited to get into cross country to see what I could do I'm so grateful for the opportunity that I had." Sophomore teammate Maryn Erdman earned All-Ohio honors as well finishing 27th Just a year removed from finishing behind state powerhouse Minster the top three was about as close as it could get "They'll be a little disappointed because they were runner-up last year but the gap between all those teams closed a lot — I think 10 points separated first through third," coach Snyder said "But it's a great group of girls; they'll learn a lot from this experience Going from second to third and learning how to compete in this environment … they're all young." Sophomores Adyson Fosen (18:41.81) and Annabelle Snyder (18:49.24) were 15th and 18th overall to earn second team All-Ohio honors sophomores Selah Amos and Ryver Ramsier 85th and 115th senior Isabella Piciacchia 165th and junior Olivia Rufener 180th so bringing those six back and having a strong middle school group coming up — should be a lot of fun," coach Snyder said "But you can't be super disappointed with being the third-best team in the state of Ohio." Division III Boys — Smithville senior Joey Clabaugh was 12th overall for second team All-Ohio honors … Waynedale sixth (217) as a team led by junior Jackson Varner in 16th for second team All-Ohio honors; twin Jaydon Varner was 43rd classmates Wyatt Moore and Lucas Miller 90th and 110th freshmen Sebastian Schmeltzer and Noah Shaffer 161st and 171st … Dalton 16th (332) paced by junior Judah Hershberger in 79th; senior Ely Hutson 98th Division III Girls — Norwayne was 10th as a team (268) senior Scarlett Butler 169th … Waynedale freshman Piper Polen was 95th as an individual Division II Boys — Norwayne senior Tripp Wingate wrapped up his career with a 92nd-place finish Division II Girls — West Holmes was 10th (271) as a team led by freshman Iriel Mena in 69th; seniors Lexi and Zora Starner were 77th and 80th juniors Katherine Kaster and Alexis Wagers 125th and 150th The family of Alex Joseph Hasson created this Life Tributes page to make it easy to share your memories RITTMAN - This past weekend the NFL saw Guardian Caps worn in-game for the first time Guardian Caps are padded helmet covers that provide impact reduction soft shell that wraps around the outside of a helmet and reduces impact up to 33% … all while weighing less than seven ounces This year the OHSAA clarified the legality of their use in-game per the National Federation of State High School Associations a rule that has been in place since 2013 — three years after their introduction to the sport And Rittman junior Hunter Cottrell is one of only a handful across the state donning the cap in the regular season "I wear the Guardian Cap because I've had a couple concussions in my past," Cottrell said "This year I've started wearing it during games Cottrell and his family did some research on them prior to his sophomore season and decided it was a worthwhile investment for practices might as well take a chance on it — and it was a really good chance," Cottrell said "I thought I would get targeted if I wore it in game but this year it really hasn't caused anything — I just feel safer with it I really don't feel a lot different when I have it on 'The kids have bought in:' Culture change was a priority for Tyler Dennis at Rittman "It's been a blessing for us this year," coach Tyler Dennis said "About two weeks ago most of our Wayne County Athletic League — Wayne County and general schools — received Guardian Caps from a non-profit organization We've been wearing them in practice and then we left it up to the kids if they want to wear them in games." Cottrell and sophomore Chaz Stewart are the only two on the team that wear them in game "It's good that our whole team has them now," he said "I feel like that our team should really wear them in game because it's really helping prevent injuries." Past injuries are what drove Cottrell and Stewart to wear them all season long "The two that are wearing them have a history of concussions so they're just protecting themselves," Dennis said "They see what could be this year and that motivates them to want to stay on the field." Cottrell started wearing it last season to quell Dennis' concerns about another head injury "Honestly I did it because he said that he would sleep better at night if I wore it," Cottrell said "So I wore it because of that and I've just never taken it off." "The stats behind those that they drop concussions like 40%," he said college football is wearing them — it's a big deal for us the game of football has never been safer to play than it is today." Twitter/X: @Zachary_Holden it was clear that this junior had his sights set on something bigger than just records or winning and as the curtain closed on his junior year a lot of those Luke Snyder can now check off the box He broke former Orrville standout Ben Weeman's 41-year all-time record of 15:14 with a time of 15:02 as a sophomore he was already within striking distance with season best time of 15:37 and finished second at state in Div he became the area's first to ever break the 15-minute barrier with an area best time of 14:55 and won the Div III state title for the second year in a row with a time of 14:58 that would have won in Div Snyder earned The Daily Record Boys Runner of the Year who only gets better by the years as he improved his personal best time to 15:42 this past season from 16:01 a year ago Varner moved into a tie for the seventh fastest time in area history with Wooster's Kevin White (2014) this Smithville senior ran a personal best time of 15:51 this past season Running the area's third fast time of the year Clabaugh finished tied with Wooster's Ethan Keating (2022) for the 12th fastest time in area history Norwayne: Winning arguably one of the toughest league/conferences around speaks for itself but also the improvement up and down the lineup that separated Norwayne this past year This team embodied the passion and the drive that Wingate has herself for the sport as they cut time all across the board That improvement all around was key to them winning the WCAL and performing well at the Div both were the strongest in the state in Div Tripp Wingate shaved his personal best time from 16:33 to 15:59 Romagn Wingate went from 16:44 to 16:13 and Coltin Dreibelbis went from 18:23 to 17:28 She integrated runners like Colton Roda and Kyle Olszewski Putting it all together and making it all work were what separated this coach from her peers First Team (alphabetical order by last name)Cole Kuzma who ran in arguably one of the hardest districts in Div Waynedale (JU): Another talented Varner in the pipeline for Waynedale Norwayne (SO): An ability to dig deep when it matters Norwayne (JU): Really took a leap this year as a junior Hunter Uptain (West Holmes) and Nigel Wenger (Smithville)