Norm Persin coaches Oak HillÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s boys basketball team against Coal Grove in the Beasts of the Southeast on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020, in Chesapeake, Ohio. Now at South Webster, Persin has led his third school to the state semifinals.
Norm Persin coaches Oak HillÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s boys basketball team against Coal Grove in the Beasts of the Southeast on Saturday, Jan. 11, 2020, in Chesapeake, Ohio. Now at South Webster, Persin has led his third school to the state semifinals.
Making it to the state tournament never is old hat, but former Chesapeake boys basketball coach Norm Persin is happy to be there again for more reasons than himself.
Persin coached South Webster (26-3) to a 36-34 victory over Portsmouth Notre Dame on Saturday to earn a berth in the Division VII state Final Four at 7 p.m. Friday against Willoughby Cornerstone Christian Academy (20-8).
The other semifinal features Arlington (24-3) and 27-0 Russia (pronounced ROO-shee).
The state title game is at 5:15 p.m. March 22 at the University of Dayton.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œIt means a lot,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Persin said. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œIt means more to these kids. IÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ve won a state championship. IÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ve been in these situations.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
Persin, 74, won a state championship with Oak Hill in 2009. He made the state tournament with Lucasville Valley in 2021. Persin coached two years at Wilmington and 21 seasons at Chesapeake, where the court is named for him.
PersinÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s teams have won 823 games, placing him third in the history of Ohio high school basketball coaches.
ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œGetting back to the state tournament means a lot,ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥ Persin said. ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥œThese kids, theyÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ve worked really, really hard. ... IÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™m really, really happy for them.ÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥
Amazing Stats of the Week
Fairland wrestler C.J. Graham completed his high school career with 202 victories. Ashland girls basketballÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s Emilee Neese scored her 1,000th career point, as did Wayne boysÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™ Ronnie Staley. George Washington girls basketballÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s Jeriyah Pryor scored 43 points in an 83-74 victory over Woodrow Wilson.
ChesapeakeÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s boys basketball team made the region finals, the Elite Eight, for the first time since 2010. Fairland girls basketballÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s Addison Godby recorded her 500th career rebound and 300th assist. Tug ValleyÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s boys and girls basketball teams each are 21-2 and have won 17 in a row.
Recruiting roundup
SIGNINGS: Gallia Academy trackÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s Brittyn Snedaker (Wittenberg).
OFFERS: Cabell Midland trackÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s Matthew Edwards (Evansville).
Notes, Quotes, Anecdotes
High school basketball official Bob Sparks retired after 52 seasons.
Minford boys basketball is headed to the state Final Four for the first time in program history. The Falcons have made the state semifinals in boys soccer, girls soccer and boys basketball this academic year.
GreenÃÛÁÄÖ±²¥™s brother/sister combination of Jon and Abbie Knapp were named Southern Ohio Conference Division I basketball players of the year.
Former Ashland basketball player Ella Sellars of Cedarville University was named second-team All-Midwest Athletic Conference.
Claude Spillman, son of former Marshall University and NFL player C.J. Spillman, of Louisville St. Xavier High School won the 200-meter dash in the KHSAA indoor track championships.
Keep it Clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd,
racist or sexually-oriented language. PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK. Don't Threaten. Threats of harming another
person will not be tolerated. Be Truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone
or anything. Be Nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism
that is degrading to another person. Be Proactive. Use the 'Report' link on
each comment to let us know of abusive posts. Share with Us. We'd love to hear eyewitness
accounts, the history behind an article.
