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.
The rematch of 2022's big-school title game predictably came down to the wire again. While the last two Mr. Basketball winners, Devin Royal of Pickerington Central and Gabe Cupps of Centerville, put on a show, it was Markell Johnson's 10-foot, left-handed hook shot in the lane with 1.3 seconds that gave the Tigers a 57-53 win. Pickerington's Gavin Headings (above) tips in the final two points of the Pick Central win.
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.