Sidney, state champion wrestler resolve issue over banner
Josie Davis is getting her banner.
Davis, a freshman at Sidney High School, won the 126-pound championship at the inaugural Ohio High School Wrestling Coaches Association state championships last Saturday and Sunday held at Hilliard Davidson High School.
There was miscommunication about why Davis would not get a state championship banner in the high school’s main gym, especially since a banner honoring Brandon Luce’s Ohio High School Athletic Association wrestling state championship hangs there.
Following a meeting Friday morning with Davis, her father, Jeff Davis, Sidney Athletic Director Mitch Hoying and Sidney Superintendent Bob Humble, it was announced a banner honoring Davis would be placed in the auxiliary gym. The gym is home to the wrestling team, which previously shared the space with the baseball and softball teams. Those teams have now moved into the Goffena Training Center.
“The gym is utilized by the SHS wrestling program as well as the Sidney youth wrestling program,” Hoying said. “This will be a great opportunity for Josie to inspire the next generation of wrestlers.”
Davis will be acknowledged at a March 16 school board meeting. She will receive a duplicate banner to keep. The school board meeting is open to the public. Meetings are held in the lower level of the Board of Education office and start at 6 p.m.
Humble said the competition gym, or main gym, reserves banner space for OHSAA and conference accomplishments only. Individuals in sports not affiliated or recognized by the OHSAA are recognized on a plaque in the hallway outside of the gym. Davis will have her name added to that plaque in addition to the banner. Team and individual records for all sports are also in the hallway.
“Basically our practice has always been in our competition gym we hang awards that are guided by our league and the Ohio High School Athletic Association,” Humble said. “There are no girls wrestling teams in our league and at this point girls wrestling is not an OHSAA sport. That’s the reason we are not looking to put a banner in the main competition gym.”
Humble said he contacted Hoying on Monday to discuss how to honor Davis’ state title.
“I think there was some misinterpretation of the initial plans,” Humble said. “We already had plans to recognize Josie. The communication of those plans got misinterpreted.”
The district drew criticism after Jeff Davis posted on Facebook that Josie was allegedly told by Hoying her state title wasn’t an OHSAA title, so it was “not a real championship.” Davis said he made the post after feeling like his daughter had been disrespected.
“The big picture was the lack of communication . ... Not getting communication right can blow something very important out of the water,” Jeff Davis said. “But everything (in the meeting) went good. We have nothing against our school system. Nothing that I said on Facebook was to put down our school. It was a matter of wording to my daughter that was not worded right to her.
“I wasn’t out to get at anyone. It was just a father wanting to express himself. Something went wrong in the communication somewhere and it needed to be addressed.”
Jeff Davis said after Friday’s meeting Hoying and Josie Davis shared a hug.
“Once they broke apart,” Jeff Davis said, “she smacked his hand and said, ‘We good.’ ... If you can turn a negative into a positive, that’s what you want. It was never against the school.”
Beavercreek senior Kaileigh Nuessgen also won an individual state championship. Beavercreek athletic director Brad Pompos said Nuessgen will receive a state championship ring provided by the athletic boosters, like all Beavers’ state champions. As for banners, Beavercreek hangs team banners only.
Miami East Supt. Dr. Todd Rappold said the Athletic Council — comprised of head coaches, boosters, etc. — plans to meet in about a week to decide how to honor the Vikings’ team state championship and Olivia Shore’s individual title.
“That’s the reason it’s going to Athletic Council so we can have that conversation,” Rappold said. “Ultimately we want to make sure we recognize our kids for their tremendous accomplishment.”