The Journal Review sports department is undergoing changes. However, we want to reassure readers that local sports coverage is still an emphasis at the newspaper. We have assembled a team of contributors who have a combined 200 years’ worth of experience covering local sports.
As the largest newspaper within the Sagamore Athletic Conference and the only newspaper within the SAC that continues to publish five days per week, we are serious about sports. Other newspapers have dwindled to publishing three days a week or less. And, with the future Monon Athletic Conference coming in 2025-26, we will maintain our top billing.
Our sports team includes two members of the Indiana Sports Writers Hall of Fame — Barry Lewis and Jeff Nelson. Nelson is the true veteran on the team. This school year marks his 40th year with the Journal Review. Not bad for a guy from South Dakota. He will continue to pen his columns, sharing all the things he does in the national sports media world.
Lewis has done it all in the area. He is a former Journal Review sports editor. His football previews will run each Thursday and will be filled with all the information readers need before heading to the games. He also will share his Montgomery County sports history column. He still likes to mention he was the catcher for the first Southmont baseball sectional championship, so get ready.
Another former JR sports editor on the team is Jared McMurry. He will bring a new and unique perspective now that he is a Crawfordsville High School cross country and track coach. McMurry will be balancing all his gigs, which includes his own lawn care business, while being a great husband to his wife and father to two young children. Let’s be honest, any grandson of sports enthusiast Vance Pyle has quite the name to live up to when covering local sports.
Rob Hinckley is also on the JR roster. He covered local sports for 15 years. He recently returned to Indiana after living in Florida and is ready to get locked into the local sports scene again. Hinckley also has a love of racing and is eager to share that with our readers. He works as a track announcer at a local track and always understands what is happening in the world of racing.
Veteran sportswriter and photographer Greg Flint will bring with him 25 years of sports coverage experience. He has been a mainstay covering Wabash River Conference teams most of his career with jaunts up to West Lafayette to cover the Boilermakers.
Tyler Smith, who has been a regular columnist, will share stories about local sports that do not necessarily involve the schools. He has proven to be an innovator and has brought sporting events like a men’s basketball league, indoor pickleball and most recently wiffle ball, to our community. Smith will continue to sprinkle in some Indiana Pacer and Indianapolis Colts news.
Local sports photographer Susan Ehrlich will continue providing her photos to the Journal Review. She loves promoting high school athletes and is perfect for our team.
One of two newcomers is Heather Shirk. She has agreed to put her college degree in sports broadcasting and reporting to use for the benefit of the local community. Mountie fans can expect to see Shirk with her reporter’s hat on this school year when she is not busy as director of the Montgomery County Visitors Bureau.
Another new team member is Southmont senior Evelyn Zachary. She plans to make pursue a career in journalism after college and is getting her feet wet as a contributor to her local newspaper. Zachary will dabble in some writing but will primarily share her photography talents with the team.
Finally, Bob Cox returns with a new title — sports coordinator. He has covered local sports for 22 years. However, if you add his two years as sports editor of North Montgomery’s Charger Spirit student newspaper, it would be 24 years. His new position is part-time. He will schedule our team members for local sports coverage and collect results for publication. He said he will be the fall guy for the team. After all, he has been in politics for many years, so he’s used to taking the heat.
We look forward to being with all of you at area sporting events. The JR sports team urges everyone to support our advertisers because without them our local schools would be like many Indiana schools with no media coverage. All our student-athletes deserve coverage whether they are on a great team or a team that works hard but cannot get in the win column. We have great kids in our schools, and we want to bring you, their stories.
See you at the game!
