Youth league awards scholarships to Harrison Central seniors

Kara Blackburn, Cooper Thompson and Hunter Fulton are the Harrison Central Youth Basketball League 2026 scholarship winners. The scholarships started years ago when the league played in Jewett and continued when the league moved to Scio. Each year, $1,000 scholarships were awarded. To be eligible for the scholarships, a student must have played in the Biddy League and then continued to play at the high school level.

“Kara Blackburn played for the Warriors, Spartans and Bandits during her Biddy days, and for the Huskies for four years in high school,” Coffman said. “For the Huskies, she was a three-year varsity letter winner while racking up awards. Her junior year, she received District 5 honorable mention and won the team’s Most Improved Player award.

“Her breakout senior year awards included District 5 first team, All-Buckeye 8 Conference team and Division 4 East District special mention. She sank 52 bonus field goals her junior and senior years. Kara was also selected to play in the District 5 All-Star Game. In her senior year, she was voted MVP of the team by her coaching staff. She has been accepted to Coastal Carolina University.”

Hunter Fulton played in the Jewett Biddy League for the Hurricanes and Tar Heels, plus played all four years at the high school level. After high school, Fulton will enter the Army. "Hunter took his oath of enlistment last week and will leave Aug. 3 for Fort Leonard Wood to train to become part of the military police," Coffman said. He will be stationed at Fort Campbell, Kentucky.

Cooper Thompson played for the Vikings and Lakers in his Biddy years and also played four years at the high school level. “For the Huskies during his senior year, he received District 5 honorable mention and All-OVAC honorable mention," Coffman said. After high school, Thompson plans to become an EMT. He is already attending EMT school, which runs from March to July. He will also be attending firefighter school after EMT classes.

“Congratulations to all and thank you for representing our Biddy League and HC the right way,” Coffman said.

The sponsors for the youth league were Harrison News-Herald, Coffman Lawn Care, Edwards Family, Baxter Family, McAfee Family, Phillips Family, Koch Funeral Home, Scio American Legion, Brightside Tavern/Junction, Jewett Museum, Big John Coutts Memorial, Friend Veterinarian Services, JB3 Properties, Son Set Storage, Unified Bank, HC Youth Softball League and Cadiz Pharmacy.

“These sponsors play a big role for us,” Coffman said. “Their sponsorship is used to purchase the team’s jersey and also contributes to the scholarships we hand out."The business or family name is printed on the back of the team jersey and also displayed in the weekly Biddy Globe.