2012 Around the Great Lakes columns

November 14, 2012 W&J finds triumph amid tragedy Few things hit a football team harder than the loss of a fellow player. But Washington and Jefferson not only saw a brighter future, but the team also reached the light at the end of the tunnel. And, after Saturday's win, the Presidents were able to give Tim McNerney's family the PAC championship trophy.

November 6, 2012 Mount, Wabash meet you coming and going Playing both sides of the ball isn't as common in college as it is in high school, but when a coach sees value in it, there's little hesitation. The Purple Raiders' Blair Skilliter and Little Giants' Houston Hodges see action more than most.

October 30, 2012 Fortunes have turned for OWU, Waynesburg Ohio Wesleyan and Waynesburg are off to their best starts in at least half a decade. And both are still in contention for a playoff spot with just two weeks remaining in the season.

October 23, 2012 Former Guardsman at Witt knows how to be a defender Jon Daniels walked away from the Wittenberg football team eight years ago and wound up joining the Ohio National Guard. After serving in Kuwait, he wondered if it would be possible to play football again. It was, and his latest stint with Witt has been a success.

October 16, 2012 Case's Ferguson grown into impact player The numbers tell the whole of Ryan Ferguson's story: Despite being only 180-pounds, the outside linebacker for Case Western Reserve has a team-best 62 tackles, has a forced fumble and has broken up four passes.

October 9, 2012 Transfer Fairchild one of Otterbein's biggest catches All-American wide receiver Trey Fairchild has been part of a revival season for the Cardinals, who have won their first five games and have hopes of their first Ohio Athletic Conference championship since 1946.

October 2, 2012 Waynesburg quarterback sloughs off slow start In his first game as starting quarterback, Waynesburg's Tyler Fatigante went 6-of-24 for just 16 yards. But his team won. And the thing is, it kept winning. Now, with a 5-0 record, Fatigante has developed into a star player and a threat to PAC opponents.

September 24, 2012 CMU has a hard-hitting humanitarian Linebacker Akwasi Brefo came from West Africa to the U.S. as a child knowing little to nothing about American football. Now, not only is he helping to anchor the defense of a 4-0 team, but he also returned to Africa over the summer to teach youngsters in Rwanda.

September 17, 2012 Kenyon has put losing streak in rearview mirror Since its second-place finish in the NCAC back in 2005, Kenyon has struggled -- failing to break .500, having a small roster and notching two winless seasons. Under a new coach, the Lords have found their way back into the win column and are 2-1 so far, their best start since 1998.

September 11, 2012 Puryear wastes no time making mark at Trine After leaving Grand Valley State to play for Trine last fall, Myron Puryear played well enough to earn All-North Region honors and become a go-to player on defense and special teams. He hasn't slowed one bit coming into this season.

September 4, 2012 Diabetes is no deficit for Yellow Jackets rusher Tyler Lohr's career in the Baldwin Wallace backfield bloomed after a slow start last season -- an accomplishment made more impressive after being diagnosed with juvenile diabetes. His coach says Lohr "is the kind of kid who never uses being diabetic as an excuse for anything."

August 28, 2012 10 games to watch for 2012 In his debut column, Brian Lester dives into some of the most anticipated games of the region -- ones in which pride and conference titles will be on the line.