In 1991, the Ohio High School Athletic Association initiated a program entitled the Sportsmanship, Ethics, and Integrity Program. One aspect of the program was to honor those special individuals who bring great recognition to our high schools, coaches, and especially, our athletes through media's different forms. Each of Ohio's six athletic districts was asked to put a process in place to gather nominations of individuals who fit this special category. Our 2019 Media Award Recipients are Mr. Dale Barger and Mr. John Bombatch.
Mr. Dale Barger, The Greenville Daily Advocate. Mr. Barger is a Covington High School graduate and an inductee into the school's Athletic Hall of Fame. He is a graduate of Wright State University. Dale is currently the sports writer for the Greenville Daily Advocate and has held that position since 2003. His responsiblities encompass covering all Darke County high schools. He lists some of his career highlights as: covering Tri-Village Boy's State Basketball Championship in 2015, covering Versailles Girl's Volleyball State Championship in 2015, covering Bradford's Softball team throughout their tournament run in 2018, and authoring articles on two of hte Cross County Conference's successful coaches: Tony Augsburger and Josh Sagester. Dale is married to wife Rita Ann. They have two children, David and Evan, and two grandchildren.
Mr. John Bombatch is a graduate of Marion Harding High School and The Ohio State University. He was the sports writer for the Middletown Journal from 1994-2013. Prior to taking the job in Middletown, his career centered on sportscar racing. He lists one of his highlights as being selected to take a 200 mph ride at Indianapolis. In 2013, he became the Sports Writer for the Xenia Gazette. He now covers nine high schools and four universities in Greene County. He has won numerous sports writing awards given by the Ohio Associated Press. He had the pleasure of covering Valley View's three State Football Championships, Fenwick's Volleyball State Championship, and numerous state championships in Cross Country, Track, and Wrestling. John shares that his greatest accomplishmnet is his mastery of the written word. He is a life-long stutterer. He often assures his interviewee that his stuttering is an inconvenience but that he never stutters on the keyboard! John lives in Kettering with his son, Drew, and his dog.