๐จ Break out the champagne because that's where I'm heading ... kinda (they spell it differently)
Next month, I'll be starting a new gig as a HS sports reporter for The News-Gazette in Champaign, IL. Looking forward to working with some great people at
@ngpreps
/
@news_gazette
!
To my Wayne County folks ... thank you.
I can't do what I do -- let alone get this kind of recognition -- without you, and I can't tell you how much I appreciate y'all letting me into your lives to tell your stories. I promise to keep it up as long as you let me.
@IndyProSPJ
๐จ Friends, I am happy to finally announce my free agency has come to an end. Starting Oct. 25, I will be covering sports and news for
@pi_news
in Richmond, Indiana. I'm super excited for this opportunity and can't wait to get my career underway.
I'd say that stacks up nicely ...
I'm seriously speechless. Again, thank you so much to all the athletes, coaches and administrators I've had the pleasure of talking to over the last few months. This is all thanks to you.
Tonight's the night I find out where I stand. Looking forward to being around so many talented journalists at the
@IndyProSPJ
banquet.
First, I wanted to take a moment to share the stories that are allowing me to attend this evening and thank everyone who made them possible. โฌ๏ธ
Northeastern welcoming the champs back to town
@GoKnights_Hoops
On the mic,
@Brent_Ross22
said, "We're going to win this regional," and that was met with thunderous applause
They call Keaton Mikesell Northeastern's best kept secret. As for Ava Mikesell, everyone knew about her when she was a freshman. The "carbon copy" sibling point guard duo is taking Northeastern ๐ to new heights. Story โฌ๏ธ
.
@BallStateFB
's
@dannypinter75
puts up 24 reps on bench press at the
@NFL
Combine. He told me yesterday his goal was 25. Story on his motivation behind this event coming soon.
Sitting in my car waiting for the defrost to kick in, and
@wearrrichmond
Superintendent Curtis Wright starts scraping the ice off my car. First thing he said to me: "Teamwork makes the dream work."
I gotta be doing something right, right?
I always knew this could happen because we fall under the same Gannett umbrella, but I still find it pretty cool my story was in this past Sunday's IndyStar. First time for me, so I was pretty geeked.
Here it is, guys. Memphis Lee is the first-ever Colts High School Man of the Year. Working on this story got me emotional, and it was my honor and pleasure to put Memphis' journey into words. It's also in today's paper, so be sure to pick up a copy!
๐จ Wayne County schools and athletic directors: I'll be reaching out in the coming days to introduce myself and, hopefully, get some tips on what's happening in your area. I'll also be frantically following all of your accounts ... you know, for the news ... Anyway, hi, I'm Zach.
PSA: The weather does not determine Christmas season. The calendar does. Please make it through Halloween and Thanksgiving before opening your mouth about Christmas. I love you all. Goodnight.
Putting together last week's sports rundown ... The fact that Keegen Schlotterbeck pitched a hell of a game against the No. 1 team in 2A and then notched 10 hits and 13 RBIs in four games only for Jamari Pamplin to steal his thunder with a 3-HR game is insane.
@CHSBdogBaseBall
I want to congratulate
@CHSBdogBaseBall
for all they accomplished this year. The Bulldogs were my last team standing for three weeks and allowed me to give them as complete coverage as I could. Thank you for that. I hope my last couple stories do you justice.
Laurelai DePew just became the first in
@RHSRedDevils
history to sign to play DI softball. She'll be graduating early, and you can see her playing for Miami (Ohio) this spring. Story on her coming soon.
Just an FYI for all
@CHSBdogBaseBall
fans: I'm hoping to have a couple stories ready to go in print Monday. Look for them online Monday morning as well.
@bulldogs_c
Congrats to our All-Area Baseball Player of the Year,
@SJOBaseball
's Luke Landrus. You can read more about him, Coach of the Year Chris Jones of
@MontiSagesBSB
and the rest of our All-Area team members at .
I had a chance to talk with
@TreyUetrecht
after
@BallStateFB
's spring game. His left arm was in a sling, but his smile never left his face. His impact on the team has been unmeasurable. It was a pleasure to write his story.
Just got off the phone with
@DBane0625
after talking about his camp coming up next month. He's extremely thankful for all the support y'all have provided from Richmond, and he's looking forward to coming home. I'll have a story soon.
@SCiBelieve
@JJurgs9
@CodyDudley87
This was a fun one to write. I got the chance to be a fly on the wall for yesterday's
@CHSBdogBaseBall
practice leading up to state (S/O coach Crull), and I can confidently say this team hasn't changed a bit since day one. Story โฌ๏ธ
@bulldogs_c
So, I won an
@IndyProSPJ
sports reporting award. That's pretty cool. Won't know to what extent until later this month, but I'll keep y'all updated.
Thank you so much to all the coaches and athletes I've had the pleasure to talk with over the last few months!
Unfortunately,
@Brent_Ross22
tells too many stories for me to fit them all into one. You build up a pretty good list of stories on your way to becoming
@GoKnights_Hoops
' all-time winningest coach. Here's mine on Ross doing just that โฌ๏ธ
@go_nws_knights
That wraps up my second year of Wayne County basketball coverage. It was a pleasure, to say the least. Looking forward to spring.
Northeastern fans ... I'll have photos out tomorrow and a story up Monday morning.
Earlier today, my story on Hagerstown's regional win eclipsed 10K views, and my August stories topped 20K views for the month (both career highs). I know this LLWS run means a lot to all of you, and your readership means a lot to me. I just wanted to thank y'all for the support.
BREAKING: Memphis Grizzlies G Desmond Bane has agreed on a five-year, $207M max contract extension, his agents Jim Tanner, Max Wiepking and Terrence Felder of
@_Tandemse
tell ESPN. Grizzliesโ cornerstone players โ Ja Morant, Jaren Jackson Jr., and Bane โ are secured long-term.
Had a couple great talks with Jeff and Kelli, and I'm getting ready to write about this moment and how Kelli got into reffing. If all goes as planned, the story should be in Sunday's paper.
Just got back to Richmond, and I still can't get over how good of a game I just watched. They say "You can't write it any better than that," but I'll certainly give it a shot.
Simply put, this is the icing on the cake for my
@bsudailynews
career. So glad I could watch the announcement live with my team. Can't put into words how proud I am of all the hard work we've done. Three straight years is special. Now, go make it four!
Before every game this season, Calvin Berhalter led Northeastern in this team prayer. He was hoping to continue the tradition for another few weeks. This was his last one, but he said this group of brothers made it special.
@go_nws_knights
@NEKnightsFB
@calvinberhalter
Final | 49-45 Heritage Christian
The Eagles retook the lead and made a huge goal line stop to seal the win. Helluva game, and a helluva season for Northeastern.
I challenge anyone to find a team with a culture like
@Cville_B_Bball
's. The Bulldogs haven't won a game in 12 tries this season, but you couldn't tell by their attitude and effort. Story โฌ๏ธ
@bulldogs_c
@22_kodi
Well, guys, today was my last day. I have a "See ya later" column and a feature on
@NHS_Wrestling17
's Heather Crull set to publish next week.
Again, I can't thank y'all enough for the last couple years. Until next time!
I paid close attention to what happened during the ๐ game Friday, but I paid even closer attention to what happened afterwards. Here's how
@NEKnightsFB
went from heartbreak to a joyous moment through my eyes โฌ๏ธ
@go_nws_knights
@cartwright15
Can't say how impressed I am with how the
#Wettig21
went the last two days. Nothing but class all around and an amazing first experience for me. Big S/O to
@RHSRedDevils
for all the help. You guys did an awesome job.
One year ago today, I started working for
@pi_news
.
Thank you to
@RobinGibsonTSP
and
@deannawatson66
for taking a chance on me. Thank you to everyone in Wayne County for accepting me into the community. Thank you to all those I've talked with for letting me tell your stories.
If you're an
@STMfball
fan, a
@PeaceBumba
fan or just like stories about people, you're going to want to pick up a copy of tomorrow's
@news_gazette
. Really proud of this one, and I hope y'all enjoy it.
Here are a bunch of photos from last night's season opener between
@GoKnights_Hoops
and
@SCiBelieve
โฌ๏ธ
I'm heading home for the holiday. I'll have the story ready in a day or two. Everyone have a happy Thanksgiving!
Congrats to
@TuscolaAD
's Jackson Barrett for signing to continue his running career at Illinois. Story on the future
#Illini
coming tomorrow in
@ngpreps
.
Words can't describe it. Two years in a row the
@bsudailynews
is an
@acpress
Pacemaker winner, and two years in a row I've been speechless. I'm incredibly proud of this team, and I can't wait to see what we produce next.
Final | 5-4 Knights
Who else? Terrell ends it with a bases-loaded single through the infield. Northeastern moves on to the semifinals after one of the best games of the year.
I was the last car in
@GoKnights_Hoops
' escort back to Northeastern Saturday night, and I never once saw the bus at the front of the line. That's when I knew just how different this season was for the Knights. Story โฌ๏ธ
@go_nws_knights
@Brent_Ross22
Heather Crull's expectations for herself are so high it's intimidating, but she's good enough that her goals are realistic. Story on a young Olympic hopeful who already has a bronze medal around her neck โฌ๏ธ
@go_nws_knights
@NHS_Wrestling17
@BoreyCaker
I want to apologize to everyone. This past Thanksgiving, my sister and I historically broke a wishbone in half and didn't know what to do. It has finally dawned on us that this is why 2020 has gone the way it has. We are sorry, we take full responsibility and we will fix this.
I have made my decision. I will be at Northeastern tonight to cover
@NEKnightsFB
in the first round of sectionals against Heritage Christian. Be on the lookout for me. I'll see y'all there.
@go_nws_knights
@cartwright15