News

Ray Cooney to Receive IHSAA Media Service Award
A native Ohioan who has made an undeniable mark on Indiana high school sports in east central Indiana, Ray Cooney of The Commercial Review in Portland has been selected to receive the IHSAA Distinguished Media Service Award in District II.

Cooney’s contributions will be recognized during the Jay County-Centerville boys basketball game in Portland on Saturday. IHSAA Commissioner Bobby Cox and Sports Information Director Jason Wille will make the presentation.

The 33-year-old Cooney became the sports editor at The Commercial Review in March of 2001 and later added the position of assistant managing editor in 2005. He is the paper’s one-man sports department, and as such his duties include sports writing and reporting, photography and layout and design. The paper focuses its coverage on Jay County and South Adams high schools in Indiana, and Fort Recovery High School in Ohio.

Over the last decade, Cooney has earned Hoosier State Press Association awards for sports event coverage, sports feature writing, sports feature photo, sports action photo, news writing under deadline pressure, headline writing and multiple picture group. He earned five HSPA awards in 2011, helping The Commercial Review to a third-place honor for general excellence. He also was honored in 2009 with the Outstanding Baseball Media Award from the Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association.

Prior to joining The Commercial Review, Cooney worked as a news and sports writer at The Chronicle-Telegram in Elyria, Ohio, from 2000 through 2001 and also was a sports writer at The Morning Journal in Lorain, Ohio, while attending Cleveland State University. He graduated from the school with a B.A. degree in Communications in 2000 and was the inaugural editor of the campus newspaper, The Cleveland Stater.

Cooney is a native of Avon, Ohio, and graduated from St. Edward High School in Lakewood, Ohio, in 1996. While at St. Edward he was a member of the marching, concert, jazz and pep bands as well as the pit orchestra. He was also a member of the National Honor Society and was involved with student council, including as class president during his junior year.

This is the 27th year the IHSAA has recognized outstanding members of the Indiana news media from each of its three legislative districts for excellence in the coverage of high school sports. Cooney is the second individual to be honored this school year joining Mark Brochin of The Original Company and WWBL in Washington in District III.

About the Indiana High School Athletic Association, Inc. (IHSAA)
Founded in 1903, the purpose of the Indiana High School Athletic Association, Inc. (IHSAA) is to encourage, regulate and give direction to wholesome amateur interschool athletic competition between its 408 member schools. The Association provides state championship tournament series in 20 sports, 10 for girls and 10 for boys. Approximately 160,000 student athletes participate in IHSAA sports on an annual basis.

Media Contacts
Jason Wille, Sports Information Director or Chris Kaufman, Communications Director
Indiana High School Athletic Association, Inc.
PO Box 40650, Indianapolis, Indiana 46240-0650
317-846-6601
jwille@ihsaa.org or ckaufman@ihsaa.org