East of the Bend

Gregg Shaffer & Shae Mummey are back on the mic for the final EoB podcast of the year! On this episode the guys give their final thoughts on covering high school football this year, discuss the relevance of bowl games, covid cancellations, preview the CFP, and breakdown the Fiesta Bowl matchup between Notre Dame & Oklahoma St!

The Newark Catholic Green Wave are headed to the state title for the first time since 2012! Coach Aiello joins us to talk about his victory over JFK in the snow, coming up with turnovers, passing success, records being set, a preview of the state title game against Maria Stein, and much more!Gregg and Shae also dive into the departure of Brain Kelly from Notre Dame and their thoughts on who the next coach will be!

Special Thanksgiving and Regional title edition of the postgame show! This week we discuss overcoming a slow start, secondary play, two way players, first drive success, wearing teams down, capturing a 2nd regional title, and a preview of the rematch with Warren JFK!!

The Newark Catholic Green Wave are moving on to the regional finals for the 3rd straight season! Head Coach Ryan Aiello joins us to discuss weathering the grind 14 games, importance of scoring on the first drive, defensive effort, team depth, key stops, dominant rush defense, and a preview of the 2021 Shadyside Tigers!

The Newark Catholic Green Wave are rolling into the region 27 semifinals! Coach Aiello Joins us to discuss preparing for unfamiliar teams, efficiency of the offense, new players stepping up each week, improving secondary, a preview of East Knox, and much more!

Week one of the OHSAA Division VII playoffs are here! Coach Aiello joins us to discuss the victory over Danville, the return of some key players, Mason Hackett's high level play, what it will take to get to a state title, a short preview of Caldwell, and much more!

Gregg and Shae breakdown the Newark Catholic victory over Northridge, preview all EoB football teams playoff brackets, discuss the Green Wave first round opponent Danville, Shae's trip to Notre Dame, Epic Mike Leach interview, college football discussion, and much more!

The Newark Catholic Green Wave have had an incredible season to this point but dropped their first game of the year against Heath 28-21. Coach Aiello joins us to talk about  handling the emotions of the week, key points of improvement, the team never giving up, players returning from injury, a preview of Northridge, and much more!Stick around after our call with Coach Aiello as Gregg and Shae preview the EoB podcast reboot, share thoughts on the passing of Alex Gray, breakdown division 7, and discuss Halloween movies!

The Newark Catholic Green Wave have not given up a point in the last 11 quarters and are now sitting at 8-0! Coach Aiello joins us this week to discuss his thoughts on the season to this point, the 42-0 victory over Lakewood, consistency on offense, energy level on defense, momentum plays, preparing for Heath, and much more!

The Newark Catholic Green Wave just keep on rolling with a 41-0 shutout victory  over Johnstown in week 7 ! Head Coach Ryan Aiello joins us to discuss the boost a shutout gives a team, special teams making plays, Tristan Gorius 5 touchdown performance, progress of the program since 2018, and much more!Also this week Gregg & Shae take a look at the overall landscape of Division VII high school football here in Ohio and give a preview of the latest podcast from "East of the Bend Productions" with some college football discussion!

Another week, another Newark Catholic victory! Head Coach Ryan Aiello joins us to discuss the Green Wave dominant victory over Utica. We also dive into the sustained success of the JV team, evolving pass coverage, explosive offense, what to expect from a struggling Johnstown, and much more!!

The postgame show returns after a week off and coach joins us to discuss a very successful last 2 weeks as his Green Wave hit the midway point of the regular season 5-0! In this weeks show we discuss the grind that was Fort Loramie, rising up to the challenge to win in dramatic fashion, preparing for a multi-talented quarterback, the mentality of this team, what needs improved on to make a championship run, and much more! 

The football season keeps moving right along as Newark Catholic head coach Ryan Aiello joins us for his week 3 postgame show after the win over Columbus Academy! This week we discuss seeing his players thrive at the next level, trust in his players, scheming against physically gifted athletes, toughness of the team after trailing 3 different times, and much more!

Michele Tafoya joins us to discuss being in sports media during a pandemic, covering games in empty stadiums, Olympics in Tokyo, offseason preparation, an outlook on the 2021 NFL season, and much more!

Newark Catholic has opened the season 2-0 for the first time since 2016! Fresh off a week 2 victory 38-14 over Nelsonville-York Coach Aiello joins us to discuss what his team needs to improve on to sustain this success, expecting to win, injuries, how the team has embraced the next man up mentality, and much more!

Thrilled to bring in Coach Aiello this week to breakdown his teams statement victory over Bishop Ready 34-8! Coach discusses how quarterback Cole Canter bounced back after a rough start, the evolution of the offensive line, the impact of RB Mason Hackett, and much more!

Football season is here! Year 4 of the Ryan Aiello Postgame Show and covering Newark Catholic football. Gregg Shaffer and new co-host Shae Mummey discuss with Coach offseason preparation, players fighting back from injuries, the impact of an experienced starting QB, meeting the lofty expectations of the season, and much more!

Last week Miesha Tate made her long awaited UFC return against Marion Reneau! Host Gregg Shaffer and special guest Jerry Caylor broke it all down as it happened in this latest EoB companion show!!

A return to the mic with Gregg Shaffer and  one of the OG co-hosts Jerry Caylor! We discuss 2021 college football preseason rankings, the mma return of Miesha Tate, sports we found interest in during the pandemic, and much more! Check it out!!

The podcast is back with Gregg Shaffer and Mark Hissom for our last show in the original studio! This weeks show includes...-Covering high school sports during a pandemic-New Lacrosse league model-Transfer portal-First Notre Dame football preview of 2021and much more don't miss it!!

The podcast is back!!Gregg & Mark bring the show back with 2 special guests! Bishop Hartley senior, Muskingum commit Milayna Williams & Brandon Buchanan drop into the studio to discuss sports injuries, enduring the rehab, the mental side of coming back, playing sports through a pandemic, and much more!

Today Gregg is joined by special guest Killian Sweeney! Killian was a 3 sport athlete in high school at Bishop Hartley and now current member of the Xavier University women's lacrosse team. She gives us some great perspective on multisport athletes, involvement in upstart programs, being a part of elite teams, how to continue to grow women's athletics, club level opportunities for athletes, and much more!!

After wrapping up the final Ryan Aiello Postgame show of the year we return to our original podcast with none other than Bishop Hartley senior and EoB intern Kami Kortokrax! Kami is a multisport athlete that is not only a top 40 softball player and Ohio State commit but also a captain on the Bishop Hartley basketball team. We discuss being a lifetime athlete and the benefits of playing multiple sports. Kami offers some great perspective on the recruiting process, balancing sports & academics, offseason training, what to expect from the Hartley basketball team, and much more!

It's the Ryan Aiello Postgame Show season finale! An incredible season filled with ups, downs, and much uncertainty for the Newark Catholic Green Wave ended against JFK in the state semifinal. Coach Aiello joins us to discuss the success his team obtained in 2020, the tough loss to JFK, the fight his team displayed, offseason preparation, and a look forward to what is set to be a huge 2021 season!

What could be the biggest postgame show we have ever done! Honored to be joined by Coach Aiello after his teams 10-7 regional title victory over Shadyside. This is the schools first regional title since 2016. In this episode we discuss the challenges of facing Shadyside in 2020, coaching in a defensive slugfest, Kyle Langenbrunner's breakout day, the secondary play, preview the state semifinals against Warren JFK, and much more!!

After possibly the biggest win of his young coaching career, 35-19 over Region 27 #1 seed Glouster Trimble, Coach Aiello joins us to break it all down. We discuss the atmosphere of the evening, battling adversity, winning close games, impact plays, and a preview of what we will see against Shadyside in the regional finals!

The Newark Catholic Green Wave are moving on to the regional semifinals to take on Trimble after a dominant win over Danville 42-7. Head Coach Ryan Aiello joins us to talk about the teams focus and preparation going into the game on Friday. We also discuss the evolution of the offense, special teams points, which position groups are making the biggest strides, and the challenges that Trimble presents this Friday night!

After a first round BYE and a dominant 42-6 second round playoff victory over Conotton Valley Green Wave Coach Ryan Aiello joins me to discuss handling the BYE week, the teams fast start, getting key players back, ball distribution, a look ahead to Danville, and much more!

Newark Catholic Head Coach Ryan Aiello joins us for his weekly postgame show fresh off a whistle to whistle dominant 48-6 performance over Utica. This week we discuss changes in personnel, depth of the team, balancing a bye week in a unusual year, the defenses dominance, and much more in this jam packed regular season finale of the show!

After a tough loss to Licking Heights 23-14 Friday night, Newark Catholic head coach Ryan Aiello joins us to discuss and breakdown the game. We analyze the rushing attack and athleticism of the Hornets offense. We also discuss momentum swings of the game, coaching decisions, area of emphasis this week during practice, and several reasons to be optimistic as the playoffs approach! All that and much more. Check it out!!

The Newark Catholic Green Wave bounced back in a big way with a 35-0 victory over Northridge. This was their 2nd shutout of the season. Head Coach Ryan Aiello joins us to breakdown all the action from this week. We also discuss the release of the playoff regions, the progression of the offense, continued dominance on the defensive side of the ball, what to expect this week against Licking Heights, and much more!

Tough loss on Friday night for the Green Wave in their rivalry game against Heath 20-14. Despite falling to 1-2 on the season there were several bright spots. Coach Aiello joins us to talk about what can be built on after facing a very talented opponent. We also discuss the use of technology on the sideline, execution improvements going into week 4, personnel & scheme changes, the upcoming match up with Northridge, and much more!

Fresh off a 42-0 home opening win over Lakewood, Coach Aiello joins us to discuss getting this first win of the season sparked by a 21 point over 18 second outburst. We breakdown the continued strong play of the defense and what the offense needs to do in order to really take off this year. We also preview the upcoming game on the road at a very talented Heath team that has scored 115 points in 2 weeks and much more. 

Gregg and Mark welcome in 3 time state champion head coach of the Bishop Hartley Hawks Brad Burchfield. Coach Burchfield gives us some insight into a very unique offseason, how the match-up with Moeller came together, what he learned about his team, a preview of the upcoming game against Bishop Watterson, and much more!

As a football Friday night turned into football Saturday night due to weather conditions, the Newark Catholic Green Wave fell to Johnstown in a hard fought defensive battle 13-10 in overtime. Coach Aiello joins us to discuss the challenges of having a team ready on back to back nights, the defensive effort, areas for the team to build on, how they can bounce back this week against Lakewood, and much more! 

The longest running high school football coaches postgame show in the country is back! East of the Bend founder Gregg Shaffer and Newark Catholic Head Coach Ryan Aiello preview the upcoming year after what has been the craziest off-season the sport has ever seen. In this episode they discuss the confidence level of the team going into this year, how young players are becoming foundations of the program, new coaches, new quarterback, a preview of Johnstown, and much more! 

As high school football season approaches quickly here in Ohio, Gregg, Mark, Will, and Amelia are all together for another podcast waiting impatiently for the governors decision on fall sports. In this episode the team discusses their final off-season look at the 2020 Newark Catholic Green Wave. A team that EoB has covered in the past, the St. Charles Cardinals Soccer team has canceled their fall season. Bishop Hartley has scheduled a monster opponent for week 1 of the football season.The Big 10 officially canceled. Daniel Cormier finishes his career with a hard fought decision loss to Stipe Miocic. And of course you know there is plenty of food talk!

Gregg, Mark, Will, and Amelia are back for another big show! The OHSAA has reduced the regular season to 6 games. Will that be enough to convince the governor to allow contact sports? The Big 10 started the day ready to cancel the season. Will they go through with it and will we have any college football this fall? A huge fight this weekend as Stipe Miocic and Daniel Cormier complete their trilogy. Gregg has followed Daniel Cormier's career since his days at Oklahoma St. This leads the crew to discuss their favorite athletes of all time!

This week Will Havanas makes his triumphant return to the show as he joins Gregg Shaffer and Mark Hissom to discuss the latest on high school sports here in Ohio. The OHSAA says the plan is to move forward as planned but the ODH and several counties are saying otherwise. We discuss the restrictions currently placed on contact sports and the difficulties flipping sports seasons. Later this week we will be out at Newark Catholic youth camp. We discuss our memories of youth camp and the benefits in developing a program. Notre Dame has finally joined a conference for the first time ever. What does the new schedule look like and how many games will the Irish be favored? A lot of controversy in the PAC-12 in relation to players opting out. What are their demands and are they realistic?

Gregg Shaffer is joined by his partners in crime Mark Hissom and Amelia Hitchens to discuss the latest in the return to sports. Big news broke this morning as 14 Marlins players test positive for Covid-19. What do those positive tests mean for other sports? Can College Football ever get kicked off? Ohio High School fall sports still in limbo. When will a decision be made? Despite the uncertainty the Newark Catholic Green Wave are primed for their best season yet in the Aiello era. The new interns started last week. How did they do? Finally they wrap up with a Disney movie and food discussion. Would you expect anything else?

Gregg Shaffer, Mark Hissom, & Amelia Hitchens come at you this week with a loaded show to discuss the latest with fall high school sports here in Ohio. Our first impressions of Newark Catholic & Bishop Hartley Football. Where does Notre Dame football go if the other conferences drop non-conference opponents? Why did Stanford drop so many sports so early?  Did the Big 10 & Pac-12 jump the gun on canceling non-conference games? We also run through the latest football conferences to cancel fall seasons. All that and much more! Don't miss it!!

This week we welcome to the show Derryl Trujillo Senior Writer for Inland Sports out of southern California. Derryl and I discuss his path to being involved in the media, the current status of sports, restrictions schools are dealing with in California & Ohio, what it will take to get sports back, the possibility to flipping sports seasons, and much more! 

After a couple week hiatus we are back with a jam packed show! Gregg & Mark take you through this one as they discuss starting the LLC, putting together highlight videos, optimism for the 2020 Notre Dame season, covering Newark Catholic & Hartley in 2020, College players testing positive for Covid, leagues finally returning, and much more!

In an exclusive offseason interview with Newark Catholic Head Coach Ryan Aiello we discuss the way COVID-19 has effected the offseason, changes in approach to the classroom, safety measures in place at NC, work they are able to get in on the field, and much more! 

Gregg Shaffer, Amelia Hitchens, and Mark Hissom complete the deepest dive you will ever hear into the 2006 Amanda Bynes soccer feature "She's the man"!

The whole EoB crew is back for this one!  We discuss Notre Dame football going all in on recruiting Will Shipley and missing. What are the dangers in the recruiting of targeting one guy so intensely? ND AD Jack Swarbrick says ND Stadium will not be at full capacity. The Bundesliga & UFC are back! Dana White is knocking it out of the park. The MLB has their proposal to return but is it even worth it with all the crazy restrictions? Can any of these are leagues hold a candle to what the NFL and UFC are doing? We tackle all of this and much more! Check it out!!

Very special episode of the podcast today as we welcome in Senior DB at Alderson Broaddus University Ryan Smith! We discuss some of his biggest moments on the field, his offseason training during the pandemic, recruiting, his time at Pickerington North, being a part of the Pick North-Pick Central rivalry, his progression from a freshman to a senior, what we can expect from the Battlers in 2020, and much more!Also on todays show....-Bundesliga is back!-MLB and NBA finally have a "plan" but not everyone on board?-Notre Dame Stadium half capacity-Should we be getting a discount on our TV services?

For the first time ever we welcome to the show Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu Black Belt Robin Gieseler! He gives us an incredible perspective of a life in martial arts, how Jiu-Jitsu can benefit other sports, his Gracie Ohio BJJ academy, the return of the UFC, the impact BJJ can have on other peoples life, and the unique challenges he is facing as a small business owner during these uncertain times!

We have LIVE sports!! (Kinda) It's that magical time of year again as we return with our 2020 NFL Draft Special!! The NFL is going full steam ahead with their schedule and we give you our thoughts on the selections, check in on where Notre Dame players were selected, and discuss what we are hearing about the return of sports amidst the Coronavirus crisis!

Our "Rewatchables Tribute" show is finally here! Bill Simmons and his team have been such an inspiration to us so we had to try our hand at a movie podcast!!Co-Host Robert "RPT" Thitoff makes his return to the show to breakdown and discuss the "Rocky" movies, Notre Dame basketball, the Coronavirus lockdown and much more!!

We are thrilled to be joined this week by Bishop Hartley Senior and University of Findlay commit Jalan January! Jalan gives us some insight in to his evolution as a running back, his recruiting process, the special moments of his high school career, how he is preparing for football at the next level, and much more!!