While the kids are about to enjoy a few months away from the books, the local athletes will be using that time to prepare themselves for what they hope will be a successful season starting in the fall.

We also will continue to bring the readers all of the latest in area sports, including our third summer of feature stories of returning athletes from the seven schools covered by the chain of newspapers.

Athletes from Tecumseh, Bethel, Tippecanoe, Greenon, Northwestern, Troy and Troy Christian will be in the spotlight all summer long, giving the readers an insight at some of the players they will get to see next season when school starts.

In addition to the weekly features, there are other sports happenings that will be taking place this summer:

Ohio Crush- The Ohio Crush will spend the next couple of months playing for a chance at a championship season. The semi-pro football team out of New Carlisle is off to a great start so far this year, not having lost a game yet. The Crush, led by several local players, will play several games at their home field in Park Layne through the months of June and July. They have started off the season with some impressive performances in the pre-season, then opened the year with wins against the Jackson County Patriots, then came home to Raynor Park with a 50-0 rout of the Columbus War Eagles in their home opener.

There is no cost to come out and enjoy these athletes in action as they head toward another shot at the playoffs. The Crush next play at home this Saturday at 4 p.m. against the Zanesville Jets. Their other home games are set for June 18, June 25 and July 16. You can catch all of the highlights in the New Carlisle News after each game.

Local Baseball- The Dayton Amateur Baseball League is underway, and a couple of area teams have joined the DABL, as the New Carlisle Knights and the Miami County Cubs are underway for their new season.

The Knights, formerly of the Roy Hobbs League, play their games at Gastineau Field in New Carlisle, while the Cubs, play a lot of their games at Troy’s Market Street Field, the same field where the high school team plays. They are formerly known as the Troy Yankees of the Roy Hobbs League.

Also in the league are the Springfield Angels, who plays many of their games at Greenon High School.

Troy Post 43 also begins their games this week, as the local team out of Troy will see a lot of action this summer also at Market Street Field. Coach Frosty Brown has high school kids from all over the area, including players from Tecumseh, Troy and Tippecanoe among other schools.

Springfield City Am- One of the most anticipated events covered by the New Carlisle and Enon edition of the newspapers this summer will be the City-Am golf tournament. This annual event is held over two weekends in July at Reid Park in Springfield, and often includes residents from the vicinity. The opening weekend is July 9-10, and the championship weekend is set for July 16-17.