Meadowbrook, West Muskingum Claim Milestone District Titles
ZANESVILLE, OH – The playoffs are truly a special time of year in sports at any level. Professional, collegiate, or in this case high school, postseason success does not come easy. For some, it comes often, while for others, it’s a whole lot hard work, determination, and patience that finally pays off.
For the volleyball team at Meadowbrook, a district championship is hardly anything new. If nothing else, the Lady Colts have become synonymous with that piece of hardware, claiming it each of the past seven seasons in the Ohio High School Athletic Association (OHSAA) east district. To put that streak in perspective, when this streak started, the freshmen on the current Lady Colts’ team were in the second grade.
The Lady Colts breezed through the 2026 regular season with a near perfect record, and have continued that stretch in the Division V playoffs, first dispatching Coshocton in the semifinal round, followed by Tusky Valley to claim the title, each of which in a sweep. Though even after yet another trophy to add to the trophy case, it doesn’t mean that winning feeling is waring off on Meadowbrook.
“So obviously, winning seven district titles is a big deal, but I think that every year is fresh and every year is important to the groups of girls I have, especially the seniors” says head coach Kelly Zehnder. Zehnder has led the program to state wide success since her appointment in 2010, turning the Lady Colts into one of Ohio’s truly elite high school programs.
The story for the boys soccer team at West Muskingum, however, could not be more different. Nearly 20 years ago, the Tornadoes claimed their most recent district championship, a time in which all players on the current roster were not even born yet. A near two-decade drought was not sitting too well with Ryan Barks and his squad, who finally lifted the Division IV east district trophy with a 1-0 win against fellow Muskingum Valley League opponent River View on Thursday night.
“We knew we had something special coming into this year” said head coach Ryan Barks, who took over the program one year after the most recent title.
“Knowing that you have that talent, knowing you have high goals, high expectations, sometimes it is easy to get an ego, it’s easy to get cocky. These guys have stayed humble. We’ve had to learn hard lessons throughout the season, and it’s really shown and paid off in the tournament thus far, and we’re ready to keep pushing forward” continued Barks.
Equally well earned district titles for each team, regardless of the road to reach that mark. They both now march into the regional rounds of the tournament. Meadowbrook will be close to home at neutral site Cambridge High School to battle Martins Ferry on Thursday, November 5. West Muskingum will call Cambridge home as well next week, facing off with St. Clairsville on Wednesday, November 5 in a rematch from last year’s district final round.
