A seven-time Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association writer of the year, Blackledge spent the final 34 years of a four-decade career as the chief prep beat writer for the Columbus Dispatch. A Delaware, Ohio native, Blackledge graduated from Ohio Wesleyan University in 1982 with degrees in journalism and communications. He served as sports editor of the Wilmington News-Journal for three-plus years. He also worked at the Lake County Telegraph and the Delaware Gazette. In addition to the prep beat, Blackledge has covered the Browns, Indians, Reds, Bengals, Columbus Crew and various Ohio State sports.
Columbus Bishop Ready and Columbus Africentric left the Convocation Center Saturday hoisting gold trophies, but it wasn't as easy as the final scores might suggest. Ready relied on its bone-crunching half-court defense to stymie Fairfield Union and Africentic turned to its relentless full-court pressure to rattle South Point.
Olentangy Orange defenders Mikey McCollum (14) and Jordan Edwards (2) stand their ground and draw a charge against Pickerington Central's Devin Royal late in the fourth quarter of the Division I regional final, but it was Royal who led the charge for the Tigers in their advance to the state tournament.
Pickerington Central's Trinity Jackson shoots over Olmsted Falls' Danielle Cameron, but the Tigers' size inside couldn't hold up against the five-guard lineup that erased their fourth-quarter lead and completed a comeback in the Division I state semifinals. (PressPros Feature Photo by John Hulkenberg).
