Star power and unique clashes dominated the Tri-State's sports calendar throughout 2007. Must-see events dotted the schedule, making tickets tough to land both on the college and high school landscapes.

Huntington High School enjoyed the national spotlight during its Class AAA boys basketball state title three-peat run. O.J. Mayo and Patrick Patterson led an abundantly talented squad that left no doubters before graduating to the University of Southern California and the University of Kentucky respectively.

Marshall University football slumped to a third straight losing season, but '07 didn't lack highlights. Most notable was West Virginia University's visit to Huntington, the first since 1915. A record crowd of more than 40,000 packed Joan C. Edwards Stadium for an entertaining clash of the Mountain State's NCAA Division I-A programs.

Thundering Herd basketball again was a top topic around town with the hiring and immediate impact of new men's coach Donnie Jones. The former Marshall assistant returned to Huntington following more than a decade's tutelage under former MU head coach and two-time national champion Billy Donovan at the University of Florida.

Along the way, additional state high school titles were celebrated and Huntington continued to serve as a stage for prep and college championship events.

Here is a look at some of the most memorable sports stories from the Tri-State for 2007:

HHS BASKETBALL: The Huntington High boys basketball team, anchored by two of the nation's top-recruited players in Mayo and Patterson, won a third consecutive Class AAA state title in 2007 and made an adventurous run toward a mythical national championship.

The electric atmosphere that followed the Highlanders through 27 games was marked by nationally-televised games at sold-out college arenas, an on-court bumping incident between Mayo and a referee and a financial windfall that Huntington High officials say will have an impact on the school for the next decade.

Mayo moved on to USC, while Patterson signed to play at Kentucky, where's he's already emerging as a leader. Ex-teammates Jamaal Williams (University of Charleston) and Michael Taylor (West Virginia State) are playing in the NCAA Division II West Virginia Conference, while Bruce Senior is a walk-on at Marshall.

The Associated Press reported former Highlander Chris Early plans to enroll at Chattanooga for the second semester after being dismissed from the basketball program at the University of Oklahoma.

DONNIE JONES: Men's basketball at Marshall University hasn't seen a winning season since 2001.

But expectations shot up when the Herd signed Donnie Jones to be the program's 27th head coach in April. A flip in attitude and perception toward the program has continued since Jones' insightful, moving introductory speech at Cam Henderson Center.

Jones was an assistant on Billy Donovan's Florida teams that won back-to-back national championships in '06 and '07. Since taking over the Marshall program, he has landed transfers from traditional basketball powers Georgetown, Purdue, Gonzaga and Florida.

The Herd got the '07-'08 season off to a good start and home game attendance is up.

FRIENDS OF COAL BOWL: West Virginia University hadn't played a football game in Huntington in the modern era, so perhaps the hype surrounding the 2007 "Friends of Coal Bowl" was understandable.

Marshall University was a 24-point underdog in the game, but came out fighting. The Thundering Herd led the Mountaineers, then ranked No. 3 in the country, 13-6 at halftime, and only trailed by four points going into the fourth quarter.

But WVU eventually wore Marshall down, pulling away to a 48-23 victory.

Still, with the governor at the game, a record crowd of 40,383 at Joan C. Edwards Stadium, a nationally-televised contest and a weekend where Marshall and WVU fans behaved in close proximity, it could be argued that Huntington and the state as a whole came out the winners.

A DISAPPOINTING SEASON : While the "Friends of Coal Bowl" had Herd fans daring to hope, it ended with Marshall 0-2 on the season. A loss the following week to lower-division New Hampshire, and suddenly the 2007 season had fans searching for answers.

Concerns actually reared a month earlier when the team's top playmaker, defensive end Albert McClellan, was lost for the season with a knee injury. McClellan earned Conference USA Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2006.

The Herd was 0-7 before earning its first win at Homecoming over the equally-beleaguered Rice Owls.

Marshall did pull a surprising win over Conference USA East Division leader East Carolina (which knocked off Boise State in the Hawaii Bowl) and ended the season on a winning note, beating UAB 46-39.

Overall, Marshall finished 3-9, marking a third-consecutive losing season. Senior center Doug Legursky and sophomore tight end Cody Slate earned first team all-C-USA honors. Legursky, senior quarterback Bernard Morris and senior wide receiver Marcus Fitzgerald were selected to participate in the Hula Bowl all-star game.

HHS SOFTBALL: Behind the pitching brilliance of Kayla Stinson, Huntington High School earned the program's first state softball championship.

Stinson, a first team all-state selection, posted a 15-4 record with a 0.42 ERA, lowering her career ERA to 0.71. She struck out 401 batters during her Highlanders career and won 46 games overall.

Huntington teammate Samantha Spurlock, a fellow all-state honoree, joined Stinson in Marshall's recruiting class. An outstanding senior class also included Katie Britt, who signed with West Virginia State.

The Highlanders made their first state tournament appearance eventful, rallying for an opening round win and then establishing their standing as the state's best.

WELCOME TO HUNTINGTON: Marshall's ascending volleyball program has wasted no time joining Conference USA's elite. That standing was furthered in November when Marshall hosted C-USA's postseason tournament.

Both fans and conference rivals delivered. Huntington proved more than an appropriate host with impressive crowds; they were treated to repeated displays of high-level competition, although the home team fell just short.

In arguably the most dramatic match in Marshall volleyball history, the Herd dropped a 19-30, 34-32, 24-30, 32-30, 21-19 semifinal thriller to Tulsa.

In a more familiar storyline, Huntington again served as popular host of the state high school wrestling tournament. There's no questioning Parkersburg and Oak Glen as the West Virginia's wrestling hotbeds, but every winter an entire sporting community descends on Huntington to decide the state's best.

INDIVIDUAL EXCELLENCE: High school state championships were earned throughout the Tri-State in numerous sports. They include:

• Huntington's Sarah Ahmed, winning the Class AAA No. 2 seed girls singles tennis title.
• Huntington's Maggie Gleason, winner of the No. 4 seed girls singles tennis tournament.
• Huntington Darius Hadi, who captured the boys No. 3 singles tennis title.
• Cabell Midland's Bethany Law fell one victory short, but the freshman offered a glimpse at the future, advancing to the No. 1 singles title match.
• Ironton's John Pemberton and Mandi Boykin earned Division 2 track and field championships. Pemberton's throw of 56-6.25 won the shot put, and Boykin outsprinted 100-meter competitors with a time of 12.33.
• Tyler Branch of Coal Grove won Division 3's shot put title with a best of 57-4.25.
• South Point's Quay Logan cleared 6-5 to win the Division 2 high jump championship.
• Cabell Midland's Chris Miles advanced through the 145-pound bracket to earn a state wrestling title before family and friends at the Big Sandy Superstore Arena.
• Anthony Jeffers of Point Pleasant won the Class AA-A 160-pound state wrestling championship.

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