By Greg Seiter
Contributing Writer
Thereâ??s
certainly nothing unusual about the fact that Huntington North senior Chris
Kramer is hoping to cap off his high school athletic career by earning All-State
honors in baseball. In fact, if the truth were to be known, there are most
likely dozens of Indiana
student-athletes who are aiming for the same designation.
But what
separates the personal ambitions of Kramer from those of other high school
baseball players in the state is the fact that if he is successful, Kramer will
earn his third All-State title â?¦ this year.
â??Honestly,
I didnâ??t even think about the possibility of being All-State in three sports
until just recently, when somebody mentioned the idea to me and how rare it
would be,â? said Kramer, who has already earned All-State recognition in both
football and basketball during this academic school year. â??But now, itâ??s become
a goal of mine. I want to be one of the very few, if not the first, in school
history to do it.â?
Kramer set
the stage for a remarkable senior year last fall when, as Huntington Northâ??s
starting quarterback, he broke 12 school records, including most touchdowns
scored in a season and most touchdowns scored in a career. He also became the
schoolâ??s all-time leading rusher.
In
basketball, the four-year starting point guard who earned All-North Central Conference
honors as a sophomore, junior, and senior received his second All-State
recognition of the 2005-06 campaign after guiding the Vikings to an 18-3 record.
Kramer averaged 19 points, four assists, and four rebounds per game.
â??Chris is
a phenomenal athlete,â? said Huntington North boys basketball coach Eric
Foister. â??As a coach, you dream of having a player that is athletic, coachable,
tough, hard-nosed, and a team player.
â??He
defines what a multi-sport athlete is.â?
While
excelling in a variety of sports, Kramer acknowledges that basketball is, by
far, his favorite.
â??Even when
I was around 7 or 8 years old, I can remember going to the YMCA to play
basketball every day after school,â? said Kramer, who has accepted a scholarship
offer to play basketball at Purdue
University. â??After a
while, I would go home for dinner, but then I would always try to go back out
and play more basketball.
â??I just
loved it.â?
Although
Kramer missed three weeks of baseball competition early this season because of
an ankle injury suffered during the Vikingsâ?? spring trip to Kentucky and
Tennessee, Huntington North baseball coach Russ Degitz hopes that Kramer, who
splits time as a pitcher and shortstop, will receive due consideration for
All-State recognition.
â??His first
game back, he pitched a complete game and earned the win against the then-ranked
No. 5 Homestead Spartans,â? Degitz said. â??And when heâ??s not on the mound, I
would not trade him for any other shortstop in the state of Indiana because of his leadership, work
ethic, and ability.â?
Unfortunately
for Degitz and Kramer, Homestead
gained a large measure of revenge on Memorial Day with a 2-1 victory in the
opening round of the Class 4A Fort Wayne Snider Sectional. Still, Kramer
remains upbeat about his future.
â??I know
that Iâ??m very fortunate because Iâ??ve been blessed with some natural talent, but
Iâ??ve also worked very hard,â? Kramer said. â??I just like to be competitive,
whether itâ??s in sports or in school.
â??Being
competitive makes you work harder. It brings out the best in you.â?
So
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