The Lady Oaks Volleyball team have continued their dominance over the Southern Ohio Conference (SOC). The Lady Oaks won their home matchup against the Eastern Eagles to move to 4-0 in conference play. The Lady Oaks came into this game the underdogs with the Eagles having the better overall record. Both teams were undefeated in conference play and looking to stay that way. The Oaks hosted the Eagles Tuesday night in what would turn into a 3-1 statement victory for the Lady Oaks. This win put the rest of the SOC on notice that the Lady Oaks are the team to beat in the SOC. The only conference team the Lady Oaks have yet to play are the Western Indians who the Lady Oaks are heavily favored over. This team is bolstered by many upperclassmen bringing a large amount of experience to this team. If the Lady Oaks continue playing as they are right now, it is hard to see how they will be brought down within their division. This team that was once doubted could now be a serious contender for their conference and heading into the state playoffs. 

The Lady Oaks Volleyball team has gotten the ball rolling in their last three games winning 3-0 over South Gallia and Ironton St Joseph, as well as a 3-1 win over Northwest. With two of these games being conference games, the Lady Oaks have found themselves atop the SOC II with the Eastern Eagles who the Lady Oaks have yet to play trailing close behind. There were questions as to how the Lady Oaks would perform this year losing multiple key players to last year's senior class;, however, the Lady Oaks have bounced back well with their only losses coming to teams from higher divisions. The Lady Oaks have yet to lose against a team in their division. The Lady Oaks are coming up on the most important stretch of their season with five straight conference matchups leaving little room for error over the next week. If the Lady Oaks can win four out of their next five, they put themselves in a very good position to win the conference. Winning the conference would bring great momentum heading into the playoffs for a team that was largely doubted going into this season. 

The Oaks football team goes to River Valley this week for their first road matchup against the Raiders. The Oaks and Raiders are both still looking for their first wins. The Oaks are coming off of a game where they saw better performance from the offensive side of the ball leaving them hopeful for this Friday's game. Both teams are coming into this game with first year head coaches looking to be the piece that helps guide these programs back in the right direction. Both programs have struggled in recent years with multiple coaching changes as well as many other challenges. The Oaks believe that this game will be the one to turn around their season and get them back in the win column. The key to an Oaks victory is going to be establishing their offense early as well as putting a stop to River Valley's run-heavy offense. River Valley has been very limited in the passing game running a very one dimensional offense that works in the Oaks favor if played correctly. If the Oaks can get their offense rolling early they will be a very hard team to stop. Friday is set to be a hot, stormy day with weather conditions most likely playing a big part. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 P.M. but that could be subject to change due to the extreme heat sweeping across southern-Ohio. Picture credits Kendall Nelson

The Oaks have an upcoming game against the Eastern Beaver Eagles at home this Friday with kickoff set for 7 P.M. The Oaks suffered an unfortunate loss against the Wellston Golden Rockets week one but are looking to build upon the mistakes made in that game in order to push themselves towards a win in week two. The Oaks defense held its own throughout most of the week one matchup with the Oaks simply making one too many costly errors. The Oaks however are not rattled as they believe they are capable of producing at a much higher level than they displayed in their week one matchup. The Oaks are coming into this matchup hungry to prove themselves after their week one struggles. The Eastern Eagles are an SOC 1 powerhouse and until last Friday had not lost a regular season game in 34 games. The Eagles are led by senior receiver Boston Webb who is the main weapon of the Eagles offense. The Oaks offense is excited for the chance to prove themselves against standout senior linebacker Cade Leist. The Oaks will come into this matchup with more experience as the Eagles graduated many key seniors at the end of last season while the Oaks roster saw little change from last year. Picture credit Total Media Sports 

The Ironton Tigers have made their stand and showed their dominance in every game they have played in. The Tigers stand tall at 5-0 and look to continue their winning streak throughout the rest of the season. Every game Ironton has played, they have won in a great fashion. The most a team has scored on Ironton was only 14 points. The Tiger’s defense is sharp and physical and lets no one score with ease. For the offensive side of the ball, Ironton scores 40-50 points a game and leaves their victories in shut outs. Although Ironton has had many doubts and uncertainty after all the recruiting scandal, the Tigers still dominate any team they play. The Tigers were taken down by Wheelersburg last year in a hard fought game. Even though the two teams don’t play this season, the Tigers would be favored heavily to win. With Ironton being ranked in the top 50 of the state, their talent and coaching staff is deep and terrific. Players from all around join the team to get noticed and help lead Tiger Town to a state championship. The culture of Ironton is deep, and winning has always been in Tiger Town’s water. Famous coaches and players have coached and played at Ironton. Ironton hopes to continue to dominate every team they play and lead Tiger Town to a state championship. Picture Source 

The Rio Grande Redstorm  may have had a rough start to their season, but they have high hopes to turn their season around. The Redstorm started off the season 0-2 as they have lost to Defiance College and Lindsey Wilson. Although they may start off 0-2, the team has strong players and an experienced coaching staff who can turn around their season. Mike Bartum, the first year head coach for the Redstorm this season, has had his shine in his football career. Bartum attended Marshall University where he played football and had success playing as a tight end on one of their most historic teams. After college, Bartum would go on to play 13 seasons in the NFL where he played long snapper and tight end. During his time in the NFL, he was considered one of the best long snappers. The Redstroms have great coaches such as Bartum and many other experienced coaches Bartum has brought on. Going into week 3 and the rest of their season, Rio will continue to get better and sharpen each other daily. They may not be in the win column as of now, but as the season goes on, watch out for the storm as they have the ability to turn around their season any day. Source 1 Picture Source 

The Bengals Wrangle the Texans

The Cincinnati Bengals beat the Houston Texans 20-6 last Sunday on September 20. This is now the second year in a row the Bengals have started 2-0. The game was dominated by the Bengals defense. They allowed only two field goals the entire game against a Texans team that was actually favored to win. The defense was led by Demetrius Knight Jr. with 12 total tackles and Cedric Johnson with his two sacks. However, the offense didn’t shy away from the action. The Bengals offense would score two touchdowns and settle for two field goals. Joe Burrow and Ja’Marr Chase would be responsible for both touchdowns of the game. The first one being a 32 yard passing touchdown in the corner of the endzone where Chase would make an astounding catch while spinning away from the defender. The next touchdown would occur in similar fashion from a Burrow to Chase pass for an 18 yard touchdown. The Bengals kicker, Evan McPherson, went two for two on field goal attempts. One for 51 yards and the other for 57. Overall, the Bengals are looking strong this year and seem to be planning on making a strong run in the postseason that they unfortunately missed out on last season. Information Source: Picture Source:

The NFL (National Football League)  is finally back and is already shaping up to be an exciting season for fans. On September 13, the Cincinnati Bengals brought the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to town. The game would quickly go in the favor of the Bengals as they would lead 24-10 by the end of the first half. This dominant performance was led by a 27 yard scoop and score (fumble recovery for a touchdown) from Demetrius Knight Jr. Then, the offense would go off and score 17 more before the end of the first half. The offense was led by Joe Burrow, Chase Brown, and surprisingly Mike Gesicki. Joe Burrow would connect Gesicki for the first offensive touchdown of the game, and would quickly be followed by a 12 play possession ending with a rushing touchdown from Chase Brown. However, the Buccaneers were not going down without a fight. In fact, the Bengals would not score a single touchdown in the second half. All of their points would come from their kicker, Evan McPherson, going four for four on field goals. These field goals would actually become crucial as the Buccaneers would go on to score 17 more points before the end of the game leading to a 33-27 victory for the Bengals, a much closer final score than expected considering the Bengals’ dominant first half. The victory is a much needed one, as the Bengals have a history of losing their first game of the season. However, the game also illustrated some concerns. The Bengals’ star wide receivers, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, would only go for 71 total yards combined. That is less yards than Gesicki had alone with 79 yards. Overall, the Bengals won their season opener against the Buccaneers, dominating in the first half of the game, but slowing down in the second, making the game an exciting match up for the two teams. Information and picture source

The Ole Miss Rebels utterly dominated the Louisiana State Tigers (LSU) in their conference matchup last Saturday. This game was decided in the first half with the Rebels coming out hot with the score at halftime being 24-7. The Rebels also dominated the stat sheets, with Ole Miss having 426 total yards of offense, most of it coming from the arm of senior quarterback Trinidad Chambliss. LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt ended the game with 158 passing yards compared to Chambliss’ 363 passing yards. Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, home of the Rebels, was rocking Saturday night with a sold out crowd of nearly 70,000 people. The roots of this game run deep with their first meeting coming in 1894 and just in the last year Ole Miss’ head coach Lane Kiffin left the Rebels for LSU sending the Rebels into the playoffs with no head coach as well as never making an official announcement to players leaving them to hear from third party sources. This game was extremely personal to the Ole Miss players that felt they had been abandoned by Kiffin for a program he believed was better, the Rebels left it all out on the field to dominate and get their revenge on Kiffin. The Rebels got the last laugh with a game sealing interception, players celebrated by running up the LSU sideline and taunting Kiffin. Picture Credits  

College football enters Week 3 with its first loaded Saturday of the 2026 season, featuring several matchups that could shape the early national picture. The spotlight will be on Oxford, where No. 7 LSU visits No. 8 Ole Miss in a game carrying plenty of story. LSU coach Lane Kiffin returns to his former home, adding another layer to an already significant SEC matchup.  Friday night also features a ranked Big 12 battle as No. 22 Houston travels to No. 13 Texas Tech, while No. 5 Miami visits Wake Forest. Saturday's early window includes No. 2 Georgia at Arkansas and No. 6 Ohio State against Kent State. Later, Florida State travels to No. 10 Alabama, while No. 16 SMU faces No. 23 Louisville. No. 17 Utah hosts Utah State in a rivalry game as well. The evening slate brings more intrigue, with No. 3 Notre Dame hosting Michigan State and No. 1 Texas welcoming UTSA. But the nightcap in Oxford could command the most attention as LSU and Ole Miss meet in one of the weekend's most consequential SEC clashes. This weekend will have lasting impacts on this season of college football with certain teams playing in “must win games.” Picture Credit