Home Care In Haskins, OH

Residents like 83-year-old Barbara Kilgore, who lived just blocks from the old post office, will now have to travel all the way to Bowling Green to pick up her mail.

HASKINS, Ohio — 83-year-old Barbara Kilgore still lives in the house she was born in on the 100 block of Mary Street in Haskins, a small town outside of Bowling Green in Wood County.

For decades, Barbara and her family would walk to get their mail, just a few blocks up the road to the Haskins Post Office, located in the heart of town, next to the train tracks. But now Barbara's husband, who also faces health issues, has to drive all the way to Bowling Green to pick it up.

"It's inconvenient for my husband, whose health isn't great," said Kilgore. "He's got to drive all the way to Bowling Green two or three times a week which uses gas, and we're both retired, living on social security. So that's money going out needlessly where going uptown just a few hundred feet makes a difference."

The Haskins Post Office closed at the end of May, after the building lease was not renewed. The letter announcing the closure is still taped on the window.

This has created a dilemma for some of the residents who live within blocks of the old post office. Because of their close proximity, the post office was not required to deliver the mail to their homes. Some don't even have mailboxes.

"The people that are affected in town here by the post office closure are mainly the elderly because they live in the old section of town that has never received mail delivery service," said Julie Snider, a resident of Haskins.

Snider drives to Bowling Green not only to pick up her mail, but for two other Haskin residents who are both in their 80s.

"That generation in general, they don't like to complain out loud. They don't want to present the town or anything about it in a bad light, and they recognize that it's not the town's fault," said Snider. "But this is still bothering them."

Town council member and former Haskins post master Nancy Perry is also bothered by the post office closure.

"There's people that will drive to the beauty shop in town, but they won't drive out of town, or into Bowling Green, or Toledo, or stuff like that because it's just more than they can handle," said Perry.

WTOL 11 reached out to the United States Postal Service for comment. They say the inconvenience for residents should be temporary.

"USPS is working on opening a modular unit in Haskins. The opening date has not been determined," according to the statement.

Until then, Kilgore's husband will continue to make his weekly trips to Bowling Green, to make sure any bills or cards sent to the family are received.

"You got a lot of people here that need their mail. This is just a little village. We're not a big metropolis, but we still should count," said Kilgore.

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"We’ve lost a king before we got to watch his (reign)," former Ohio State and NFL safety Malcolm Jenkins tweeted Saturday, referencing the death of former Buckeyes quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr..

Both New Jersey natives, the two never played together in college. They were never teammates professionally — Jenkins just retired after a career with the Saints and Eagles and Haskins' brief time in the NFL was spent in Washington and Pittsburgh. But Haskins' death at age 24 resonated with many in the football fraternity, particularly those with connections to Ohio State.

Mentions of Haskins as a king were frequent, as that is what he aspired to be, a ruler on the field.

"He was a KING and a truly great friend to me and everyone he came around. You’ll be missed by everyone you’ve touched throughout your life," said Ohio State offensive lineman Paris Johnson in a tweet.

Haskins also adopted a lion as symbol of his aspirations, and he chose as a nickname "Simba," that of the main character in Disney's "The Lion King."

"Damn Simba. This one ain’t real," former Buckeye defensive lineman Haskell Garrett posted on social media.

"Fly High Simba" echoed another former member of the Ohio State defense, Darron Lee. "See you when I get there."

It wasn't only former Buckeyes weighing in. Current OSU quarterback C.J. Stroud shared his thoughts, offering in a post that he was "hurt" and "lost for words."

Ohio State athletic director Gene Smith offered a statement saying, "Shocked and saddened by the devastating news about Dwayne. He was a legend on the field and truly a tremendous human being. Prayers to the Haskins’ family."

"Absolutely devastated," wrote Ohio State quarterbacks coach Corey Dennis. "He was an incredible person, a great friend, and Brother. No doubt where he is right now. Love you Dwayne, Rest In Peace."

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And coach Ryan Day, who was offensive coordinator when Haskins was at OSU tweeted, "The loss of Dwayne is beyond tragic and extremely difficult to process. For those who knew him closely, he was much more than a great football player. He had a giant heart, old soul and an infectious smile. The Ohio State community and our entire football program are heartbroken."

A teammate in Pittsburgh and a former Buckeye, Cam Heyward said, "Dwayne meant so much to so many people. His smile was infectious and he was a guy you wanted to be around. We are all in shock about losing him. We are going to miss the heck out of him as well. We lost you way too early. Luckily I got a chance to get to know you. RIP DH."

Parris Campbell was the receiver who caught the majority of Haskins' passes during the quarterback's record-setting 2018 season. "LEGEND," Campbell wrote simply before posting Haskins' uniform number of 7.

Campbell caught 12 of Haskins' 50 touchdown passes that year, an incredible feat that almost no former Buckeye mentioned in their messages. Instead they focused on what kind of man and teammate they found Haskins to be.

"Tough to find the words… you will be missed," tweeted Joe Burrow, who had competed with Haskins for the starting job before transferring to LSU and going on to take the Bengals to the Super Bowl during his second year in the NFL.

"One of my college roommates," mourned Jordan Fuller. "We played in the same 8th grade all star game… we talked about a reunion trip during one of these off-seasons, it felt like we had time."

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Michigan finally got over the Ohio State hump for the first win against their rivals in the Jim Harbaugh era. And the coach has his senior running back largely to thank for the win.

Hassan Haskins gashed Ohio State for 169 rushing yards on 28 carries, with five of those going for touchdowns, to help lead the Wolverines to a 42-27 win against the Buckeyes on Nov. 27. Haskins will hope to keep that momentum going against No. 13 Iowa in the Big Ten Football championship on Saturday as the Wolverines seek their first conference title since 2004, when they were co-champions with the Hawkeyes, and first win in the Big Ten title game.

For many, Haskins' game against Ohio State was an eye-opening performance that put the running back in the national spotlight.

Before he plays for the Big Ten title, Sporting News breaks all you need to know about Haskins.

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Moving up the record books

Haskins' game against Ohio State will forever place him in the record books at Michigan.

In rushing for five touchdowns against the Buckeyes, he not only set the record for the most individual touchdowns in "The Game," but it tied him with Ron Johnson for the most rushing touchdowns in a single game. Johnson set his record back on Nov. 16, 1968, against Wisconsin.

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This has been the latest stellar game for Haskins in a season in which he has been the lead back for the Wolverines and further cemented his status as one of the best running backs in program history. This season, he has rushed for 150-plus yards in four games, tying himself for the fifth-most such games all time (the record is six). He's also tied for the second-most rushing touchdowns in a season at 18. The record is set at 19 by Johnson, who tallied 19 in 1968. His 1,232 total rushing yards this season have placed him 20th, and another game with at least 150 yards would move him up to at least 14th all-time.

The season has also helped him move up the career charts. He currently is tied for 11th with 28 career rushing touchdowns (the all-time record is 55) and moved him into 19th in rushing yards at 2,333.

Low profile

It is safe to say that Haskins has vastly exceeded expectations in his career with the Wolverines. Coming out of high school, Haskins was listed as a three-star recruit by 247Sports' Composite Rankings in the 2018 class. He was listed as the No. 975 national prospect, No. 49 running back and No. 11 prospect in the state of Missouri.

Between ESPN, 247Sports and Rivals, all three recruiting services listed him as a three-star prospect.

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That's not to say that Haskins didn't have a standout high school career. During his time with Eureka High School, he helped his team reach the state semifinals in 2017, and that year was named the Missouri Football Coaches Association Class 6A Offensive Player of the Year and was named to the Class 6A first-team all-state team, among other accolades, according to his Michigan bio.

His senior year, he rushed for 2,197 yards and 31 touchdowns on 255 carries, and had five games where he had at least 200 rushing yards.

Progressive progression

Upon arriving at Michigan, his rise to starting running back status was progressive. He appeared in just three games on special teams in his first season with the Wolverines in 2018.

In 2019, Haskins was quiet over his first two games, but showed promise in a 52-0 win against Rutgers, carrying the ball nine times for 45 yards. He had his breakout performance two weeks later against Illinois, however, as he took 12 carries 125 yards for a touchdown. In the team's huge 48-14 win against No. 8 Notre Dame, he gashed the Fighting Irish for 149 yards on 20 carries. He finished the season with 622 rushing yards on 121 carries with four touchdowns.

Haskins became the feature running back in 2020, surpassing Zach Charbonnet in carries with 61, rushing yards at 375 and rushing touchdowns with six.

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For the 2021 season, Haskins has again been the lead ball-carrier, but he has also split time with Blake Corum. Corum rushed for more than 100 yards in each of the first three games of the season, while Haskins only surpassed the century mark in the team's Week 2 game against Washington with 155 rushing yards on 27 carries. Haskins began to go on a tear on Oct. 9, when he rushed for two touchdowns and 123 yards on 21 carries against Nebraska. Since then, he has rushed for at least 100 yards in all but two games, gashing Indiana and Penn State for 168 and 156 rushing yards, respectively.

Overall, the two-headed rushing attack of Haskins and Corum has helped Michigan rank ninth among FBS teams with 224.2 rushing yards per game and the third-most rushing touchdowns in the country at 35. Haskins has rushed for 1,232 yards on 244 carries with 18 touchdowns, while Corum has rushed for 865 yards on 136 carries with 10 touchdowns.

CHICAGO - Urban Meyer admitted at Big Ten Media Days he'll miss having ol' what's-his-name in an Ohio State football uniform.

How much will be largely determined by Ohio State's new starting quarterback, third-year sophomore Dwayne Haskins.

"(That) position will never change," Meyer, in his seventh year at the helm, said. "The expectation is to be the best quarterback in the Big Ten, which is very hard because we've had some excellent quarterbacks.

"The void is going to be the leadership component that that guy ... I can't remember his name .. (provided) for four years prior."

He was jokingly drawing a blank when it came to J.T. Barrett, one of the most decorated quarterbacks — a veritable record-setting machine — in OSU history.

"I love that guy, always will," Meyer said of Barrett, now with the New Orleans Saints. "And what he did for our team inside, not many people were aware of. I'll forever be indebted to (him), that's how good a person, leader he was.

"(Haskins) is very skilled. The guy behind him (redshirt freshman Tate Martell) is very skilled. (If) we took a snap today, I made it clear that Dwayne would be the quarterback, but 30 days from now ,,, a lot happens in 30 days."

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The third team quarterback, true freshman Matt Baldwin, is coming off a knee injury suffered on the first play of his 2017 state championship game in Texas.

With Joe Burrow transferring to LSU, this is probably the thinnest Ohio State has been at quarterback since 2011, when Joe Bauserman started the season No. 1 and gave way to true freshman Braxton Miller after three games. Kenny Guiton was on the roster, but attempted only two passes that season and was two years away from becoming a cult hero for the Buckeyes.

"(Baldwin) had a tough injury, but I watched him work, watched him throw," Meyer said. "I wish we had one more (quarterback), because you like to have four.

"Dwayne is very talented throwing the ball. But that's one-third of what a quarterback has to do. And (leadership) and toughness are the other two."

Meyer saw some of that leadership from Haskins when he replaced an injured Barrett and directed last year's second half comeback victory at Michigan. Haskins has continued to develop in that area since Burrow ended the quarterback battle by departing with two years of eligibility remaining.

"The big word is respect and earned trust," Meyer said. "It's the job of a leader. Earn trust. All due respect to other sports, this is the most unique position of all of sport. You have to understand the entire defense, have to understand the other 10 players, what they're doing on offense. He has to make decisions in split seconds. And, by the way, he's got people like (Nick) Bosa trying to tear his throat out (in practice). So it's a very unique position. But he's done very well. And Tate has done very well, too."

H-back Parris Campbell and tackle Isaiah Prince, the two offensive players representing OSU at Big Ten Media Days, have already seen a noticeable difference in Haskins now that he knows he's in charge.

"You can see it in his work," Campbell said. "The funny times in the locker room, you don't see it as much anymore. You see him coming out of his shell, trying to be a leader.

"I'm extremely excited. He's like a little brother. The talent he has, the gifts he has, I'm excited for him to showcase it for the world."

If there's pressure on a veteran up front like Prince to help in the transition to a new quarterback, he's not feeling it.

"I try not to let any pressure get to me," he said. "Once you feel pressure, you get flustered. I try to control what I can control. Everything else will take care of itself."

Prince expects to see the same quarterback he saw in the huddle at Michigan as Haskins rallied the Buckeyes from a 20-14 deficit for a 31-20 victory.

"He was calm, didn't panic, understood his job and he executed," Prince said.

Still, in an ideal world, it would have been nice for OSU to at least have Burrow as a fallback. He was the backup to Barrett in 2016, but then broke his hand in preseason camp last season and fell to third on the depth chart behind Barrett and Haskins.

In this year's spring game, Burrow played better, at least statistically, than Haskins.

"Joe Burrow, the last two weeks of spring practice, did about everything he could to win that spot," Meyer said. "I really haven't talked much about this, but it was right there.

"Joe and his family and I had open conversation all the way throughout, including conversations after the season about how we're going to handle the spring. (Co-offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach) Ryan Day did a phenomenal job.

"Do I wish he was still with us? I do. I love Joe Burrow. I love his family and have great respect for him. And that's not going to stop. That relationship will continue for many years."

Ohio State senior wide receiver Johnnie Dixon (1) catches a pass during the second half of the game against Rutgers on Sept. 8. Ohio State won 52-3. Credit: Amal Saeed | Assistant Photo Editor

Ohio State redshirt senior wide receiver Johnnie Dixon lined up close to the left sideline two minutes into the second half of his team’s game against Rutgers.

The ball was snapped and Dixon took off down the sideline. The corner kept up with him nearly every step of the way. Then, Dixon cut in, giving him an extra step on his defender.

Before he even made that cut, redshirt sophomore quarterback Dwayne Haskins anticipated the post route and began the throw. Just moments after Dixon gained that separation, the ball was in his hands and he was in the end zone for his second long touchdown reception of the game.

“I know we have a pretty good connection, so I know most of the time he’s going to see it before I see it,” Dixon said after the game. “I mean, he’s seen [the post route] enough to know where we’re going to be and at what time.”

Saturday, it was Dixon’s time to have a big game. He finished Ohio State’s 52-3 blowout of Rutgers with 89 receiving yards on four catches, including two touchdowns.

That was a drastic change from his first game of the season, when he had just one catch for 10 yards as Ohio State won 77-31 against Oregon State. That game was redshirt senior Terry McLaurin’s time to shine. McLaurin finished with four receptions — two for touchdowns — and 121 receiving yards.

“It’s really easy to not get the ball,” Dixon said. “But we do a pretty good job of keeping each other up and telling them it’s going to come. Like last week, Terry had a really big day and he told me this week was going to be my week. I mean it just keeps rotating throughout the guys.”

The one thing that has remained consistent with Ohio State’s receiving corps has been the variation of targets. No receiver has been targeted more than seven times in a single game, and only junior K.J. Hill has recorded more than five catches — he had six against Oregon State.

Ohio State players and coaches maintained last season that having six receivers listed as starters was a positive, that the variety meant everyone would have a chance to shine and would create havoc for defenders trying to decide who to cover. At least, that’s how the team viewed the situation.

The problem for the Buckeyes then wound up being that there was never a go-to option. No one then-quarterback J.T. Barrett could reliably count on to be targeted when Ohio State desperately needed a reception. And often, part of the reason the wideouts were rotating so much was because one receiver would have an off-night.

Still, Ohio State has again placed its trust in the exact same group of six wide receivers, hoping that with someone new under center, the team can find more success in the passing game.

Haskins has impressed throwing the football with a more pro-style look that has led to more success with deeper passes. Against Rutgers, he hit Dixon in stride with two touchdown passes that the veteran wide receiver described as “mom’s home cooking just falling in your lap.”

Though both games have come against porous defenses, Ohio State’s quarterbacks — Haskins and redshirt freshman Tate Martell — have been successful connecting with receivers on 82 percent of pass attempts, a number that jumps out even considering the weaker opponents.

Maybe Ohio State can survive this season without that top guy. Or maybe, Ohio State’s coaches and players are right that each one has the potential to be an explosive playmaker for the team.

“Last week Terry McLaurin has a big game. Then we turn around and now Johnnie Dixon hits two home runs,” acting head coach Ryan Day said. “And so you don’t know who is going to get the action. But when you’re team players and you don’t care who gets the attention, that’s when you can be a special group.”