By Bubba Harnist
Staff Writer
When I got
tickets for myself and Managing Editor Shawn Aylsworth to the Cincinnati Reds
game July 19 against the National League-leading New York Mets, we figured that
was the perfect opportunity to leave early and stop off at high schools along
Interstate 74 for my first Road
Trip Journal visits with Indiana
athletic directors.
After
breakfast at McDonaldâ??s, our first stop was Triton Central, home of the 2003 Class
2A baseball state champions. (Well, the next stop was actually at the Post Road
Shell, where 32-ounce Polar Pop sodas can be had for a mere 59 cents!) Immediately
after rolling into Fairland, we found that Triton Central has a new AD, Ryan Holmes.
It was
only Holmesâ?? third day on the job. Did we mention that he is also the assistant
principal and head of the Tigersâ?? booster
club? All that made him a busy man, but one who was eager to listen to what we
had to say. Holmes seemed happy to be back in athletics after spending the last
twp years in sales, with previous coaching stops at Center Grove and Westfield before that.
After
a nice 10-minute conversation, we were on our way to the next stop â??? but not
before greeting the large stuffed tiger that sits in the Triton Central office.
Once we
got back on I-74, it was off to Shelbyville to see Harry Larrabee. Larrabee, of
course, led the Golden Bears to a perfect regular season on boys basketball this
year, something I was really looking forward to asking him about. That, and
inquiring about his resignation of the boys post once the season ended to focus
on the girls job.
When
pulling up to the high school, the first thing you notice is the major amount
of work being done to the facility. Unlike at Triton Central, though, we were
unable to get in contact with Larrabee because he was out of the office. We
were lucky enough, however, to run into a nice man who said he would pass on an
informational flier and business card.
The visit
wasnâ??t a total wash, though, seeing as we took a look at the Shelbyville domed gymnasium,
one of the finest in the state (in my humble opinion).
Back to I-74
again once we left Shelbyville. This time we were off to Greensburg to visit with Bill Edwards. Like at
Shelbyville, darn it, we were unable to talk with Edwards as he, too, was out
of the office. Again, we left our information sheet and a business card for the
Piratesâ?? AD.
Before
leaving, we heard the gorgeous sound of basketball shoes squeaking in the gym,
so we took a look and found the Greensburg and Hamilton Heights boys teams scrimmaging. We
stayed only for a minute, watching new coach and Greensburg alum Stacy Meyer lead the Pirates.
With Greensburg done, it was off to Oldenburg to visit their new AD and my good
friend from college, Matt Maple. It took us awhile to get there after stopping
at Ponderosa in Greensburg
for the lunch buffet, where grizzled (grissled?) buffet veteran Shawn managed
to down five plates of â??troff.â? YUMMEEEEEEEEEEE.
After
departing Decatur County with our stomachs full, we finally headed to Oldenburg. On the way I
called Maple, who informed me that he, too, was heading out of the office for
the day (strike three!). So we cancelled the trip to Oldenburg, but rest assured: Maple is one AD
who will help us out any way he can. Iâ??ve got the incriminating pictures from Franklin College to prove it!
With
Batesville AD Mark Ferguson already well aware
of our efforts to promote Hoosier high school sports (Ferguson
is a longtime colleague of Mike McGraw,
our executive director), it was off to Milan
to visit a tiny school made famous a long time ago. Upon arrival, the first
thing that came to mind was how a school that small could win a state
basketball title, even if it was all those 50-plus years ago.
You can say times
have changed, but to think of a school that small winning the whole thing is
truly amazing; it sent chills down my spine just thinking about it.
Once we
entered the school, we were greeted by the Indiansâ?? new AD, Marty Layden. After
our lengthy chat, we walked away with smiles on our faces (and sweat as well â???
the sign in front of the school said it was 95 degrees) knowing we had just
made a friend. We talked about everything from schedules and stats on the
Internet to playing the game â??You Know Whoâ? to talking about his love for the Pittsburgh
Steelers (Marty proudly showed us the chunk of Astroturf he has framed from the
old Three Rivers Stadium).
Finally,
it was off to East Central â?¦ or so we thought. We made the wrong turn somewhere
and just followed the road we were on, hoping weâ??d end up somewhere familiar. (I
went to high school at Harrison, just across the Ohio border on the way to Cincy, so I was
pretty familiar with this section of the state from my days as a Wildcat.) To
that end, I finally ended up on U.S. 50 in Lawrenceburg.
So, we changed plans
and headed to Lawrenceburg to see Glenn Crocker.
Upon
entering the school, we were told Crocker would be down to meet with us soon,
but that he didnâ??t have much time because he was about to start driverâ??s
education with a student. With time to **** before he came down, I went to the
gym, where a flood of memories came back from the times I played there in high
school.
Meanwhile, Shawn took the opportunity to make a pit stop in the tiny
Tigersâ?? Den locker room.
Once
Crocker arrived, I spoke with him for a few minutes about Hoosier Authority. He
was very interested, but also in a hurry. As the conversation ended and he
headed away, I told him how much I loved the gym and playing there, at which
point he asked, â??Where did you go to high school?â? I told him Harrison
â??? which is the same place he went!
I think we
made a friend down in Lawrenceburg.
That was
it for the day, but I will again head down I-74 in the near future for more AD
visits at schools such as Franklin County, East Central, South
Dearborn, and all the others over that way.
As for the
Reds game, we rolled into the Great American Ballpark just as the first inning
ended â??? with the Reds down 2-zip, of course. We got to see two-thirds of an
inning â??? and two more Mets runs â??? before it rained. HARD. The subsequent rain delay
would last well over two hours, so we finally took off after getting absolutely
drenched.
We drove
all the way from Indianapolis, zig-zagging across
beautiful Southeastern Indiana, only to see
four outs. But at least we got to visit with some athletic directors along the
way, making the trip a success.
And in
case you were wondering, my beloved Reds did win the game started once it
started back up, coming back from that 4-0 deficit to win, 7-4.
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