Tonight was a wild and hairy night for Valpo Boys Basketball, in so many different ways. Heading into the game in Michigan City against Merrillville, each team had beat the other at home during the season, though both by tight margins. The trip up to Michigan City was weird and mysterious as fog enveloped the roads. At least they knew that Merrillville was driving through the same kind of doom and gloom fog on the way to the big sectional shooting match.
In a game where Valpo led at the half, the game was going back and forth throughout the night, and then were leading with just a few minutes to go, only to have Merrillville go on a late 10-2 run, with the 3 point shot that was made, sealing the deal with 3.5 seconds left.
No doubt that is a tough loss to take, particularly with the kind of team they have played like for most of the season, and the kind of Coach Otis is for his boys, and the kind of boys these guys are for Coach Otis.
As they leave the gym though, the can keep their eyes looking up. Up to the Viking Nation who so consistently was there for you throughout the year, Up to your parents and families that have been watching this seasons games, and likely hundreds more just like them for the past many many years. Up to the whole rest of the community of other coaches, teachers, alumni, and the general sports fan in Valpo who loves to come and watch the boys throw up the rock.
We have had the fortune to watch you dive, hustle, jump, bump, pump, whip, and shoot that ball and each other around all night long each game night, and our viewing benefitted by the talents that you developed within all the non-game time you put into this game starting at the first light of the season. I see good kids playing, cheering coming from good kids, leading a Viking Nation of good kids that welcome the geek, jock, quiet, artist,or popular kid just the same, as they all have one mission. The Nation. Watching a bunch of young kids doing good things with their god given talents and coach refined skills. Hearing the crowd create the energy that helps our guys get on a roll, or pick themselves up from one.
We are your moms and dads who took you to 317 games at the Boys and Girls Clubs or the YMCA for open gym, or kept an eye on you when you went to one of the parks or schools to shoot. The ones who bought the backbaord and rim and bolted it to the garage, or put a pole in the ground, or railed on you to take good care of the portable one.
We are your classmates that you see in the hall every day, and maybe now there are a few more of us that you will see with a bit more time in your schedule without the pre-game face of focus on. The folks that share all the wonderful things about being a teenager with like annoying parents, sisters who steal your ipod, brothers that leave empty cereal boxes in the cabinet all the time, and anyone else that may have gotten in the way of you working on your game, but you would be seriously bummed, if they were not here.
We are all those little kids up past their bedtime because they wanted to see Valpo in the sectionals as all of you guys are the life size heroes that they can relate to when they play in their driveway or on the playground. One of them thinks he plays just like Suiter. Another one Karp, and others too. We want to watch you because you are good, you seem cool, and you are nice to us little kids when you talk to us before or after the game, or when any of you bigs visit our school. You are just so big - sometimes it is hard to believe we will get there.
Thanks to Bob Phelps for the Tip-off photo- it's cool how technology can help us share these exciting times.
We are Uncle Jason, Teacher Bob, Principal Groth, Cousin Sue, Grandpa Tim, and all of those families and friends that showed up tonight next to the court in reality of spirit through the radio, live web feed, or the bloggers and folks on Twitter.
On behalf of all of those folks, I thank you. I know losing this game is tough, expectially for those seniors who have been leading the way in practice, in the locker room, the weight rooms, and the class rooms. You will have many other chances in your life of demonstrating those same skills and those same principles that you learned to get to the Sectional Championship.
We got to watch a group of kids working hard, together with a group of coaches and trainers, under the guidance of wise teachers, all working to show integrity off and on the court, and leave your best on the court every time you can.
Good Season Boys. Look Up.