COLUMBUS — The Mansfield News Journal sports staff had a great day at the annual Ohio Prep Sports Media Association meeting on Tuesday, May 5.
Freelance photographer Tom Puskar took first place in the OPSMA photography contest while sports reporter Jake Furr took runner-up honors in the Division I writing contest.
Puskar’s three entries earned honest honors for a first place finish. PressProsMagazine.com and Dayton Daily News’s Jeff Gilbert took second while Erin Caldwell of the Sandusky Register was third, Rick Cassano of Southwest Ohio Sports Daily was fourth, and Kathy Root of the Norwalk Reflector and Julie Billings of the Pike County News Watchman were honorable mentions.
Furr earned runner-up honors in the largest division of the writing contest. It is made up of the Top 10 largest newspapers in the state along with all websites.
He took first place in the news stories category and second in feature stories to earn 13 total points, just one point behind the Division I writer of the year, Jeff Gilbert of PressProsMagazine.com and Dayton Daily News.
Former News Journal and current Marion Star sports reporter Rob McCurdy is the Division II Writer of the Year, and Seth Shaner from the Clintonville and Worthington Spotlight earned honors in Division III.
The contest included submissions from the 2025 calendar year and was judged by OPSMA members. There were four writing categories in each of three divisions based on circulation size. Each category was judged by two members from another division. Writers and photographers were judged on a body of work that included three submissions per category.
OPSMA membership now stands at 232 media members from around Ohio. Founded in 1972, the Ohio Prep Sports Media Association works to support and enhance the coverage of high school sports in Ohio and to recognize superior writing among sports journalists. In 2010, the OPSWA partnered with the Ohio High School Athletic Association to create a website, establish electronic communications and increase its membership and recognition.
The OPSMA website is located at http://www.ohsaa.org/news/OPSWA and includes the membership directory, officers information, hall of fame inductees and other updates.
2025 OPSMA SPORTSWRITERS OF THE YEAR
DIVISION 1 – Jeff Gilbert, PressProsMagazine.com and Dayton Daily News
DIVISION 2 – Rob McCurdy, Marion Star
DIVISION 3 – Seth Shaner, Clintonville and Worthington Spotlight
2025 OPSMA Writing Contest, Division and Category Results
Number of placers dependent on number of entries in each category.
Division 1 – Top 10 Largest Newspapers and All Websites
Division 1, Game Stories
1. Rick Cassano, Southwest Ohio Sports Daily
2. Chris Vogt, The Report Ohio
3. Jeff Gilbert, PressProsMagazine.com
4. Frank DiRenna, Columbus Dispatch
5. Dave Purpura, Columbus Dispatch
Division 1, News Stories
1. Jake Furr, Mansfield News Journal
2. Dave Purpura, Columbus Dispatch
3. Chris Vogt, The Report Ohio
4. Curt Conrad, Richland Source
Division 1, Feature Stories
1. John Kampf, Willoughby News-Herald
2. Jake Furr, Mansfield News Journal
3. Chris Vogt, The Report Ohio
4. Chris Lillstrung, Willoughby News-Herald
5. Jeff Gilbert, PressProsMagazine.com
Division 1, Columns
1. Jeff Gilbert, PressProsMagazine.com
2. Chris Lillstrung, Willoughby News-Herald
3. John Kampf, Willoughby News-Herald
Division 1 Writer of the Year: Jeff Gilbert, PressProsMagazine.com and Dayton Daily News (14 points, one first-place entry, one third-place entry and one fifth-place entry)
Co-Runners-up: Jake Furr, Mansfield News Journal (13 points) and Chris Vogt, The Report Ohio (13 points)
Fourth-place: John Kampf, Willoughby News-Herald (12 points)
Division 2 – All Other Daily Newspapers (2+ Editions Per Week)
Division 2, Game Stories
1. Rob McCurdy, Marion Star
2. Mark Hazelwood, Norwalk Reflector
3. Zach Baker, Findlay Courier
4. Dave Hanneman, Findlay Courier
5. Jonah Rosenblum, Ravenna Record-Courier
Division 2, News Stories
1. Mark Hazelwood, Norwalk Reflector
2. Rob McCurdy, Marion Star
3. Dave Hanneman, Findlay Courier
4. Aaron Gross, Defiance Crescent-News
Division 2, Feature Stories
1. Rick Noland, Medina Gazette
2. Rob McCurdy, Marion Star
3. Dave Hanneman, Findlay Courier
4. Tom Wilson, Lancaster Eagle Gazette
5. James Simpson, Wooster Daily Record and Ashland Times Gazette
Division 2, Columns
1. Jonah Rosenblum, Ravenna Record-Courier
2. Aaron Gross, Defiance Crescent-News
3. Tom Wilson, Lancaster Eagle Gazette
4. Zach Baker, Findlay Courier
Division 2 Writer of the Year: Rob McCurdy, Marion Star (18 points, one first-place entry and two second-place entries)
Runner-up: Mark Hazelwood, Norwalk Reflector (13 points, one first-place entry and one second-place entry)
Third-Place: Dave Hanneman, Findlay Courier (11 points, placed in three categories)
Division 3 – Weekly and Monthly Newspapers
Division 3, Game Stories
1. Keith Spare, Morgan County Herald
2. Stephen Forsha, Highland County Press
Division 3, News Stories
1. Skip Weaver, Miami Valley Newspapers
2. Julie Billings, Vinton-Jackson Courier
Division 3, Feature Stories
1. Seth Shaner, Clintonville/Worthington Spotlight
2. Skip Weaver, Miami Valley Newspapers
Division 3, Columns
1. Seth Shaner, Clintonville/Worthington Spotlight
2. Stephen Forsha, Highland County Press
Division 3 Writer of the Year: Seth Shaner, Clintonville and Worthington Spotlight (16 points, two first-place entries)
Runner-up: Skip Weaver, Miami Valley Newspapers (13 points, one first-place entry and one second-place entry)
Third-Place: Stephen Forsha, Highland County Press (10 points, two second-place entries)
Action Photography Contest
1. Tom Puskar, Mansfield News-Journal
2. Jeff Gilbert, PressProsMagazine.com and Dayton Daily News
3. Erin Caldwell, Sandusky Register
4. Rick Cassano, Southwest Ohio Sports Daily
Honorable Mention: Kathy Root, Norwalk Reflector
Honorable Mention: Julie Billings, Pike County News Watchman
This article originally appeared on Mansfield News Journal: NJ’s Puskar wins OPSMA photo contest, Furr runner-up in D-I writing
Reporting by Mansfield News Journal Sports Department, Mansfield News Journal / Mansfield News Journal
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