Happy Home Team Friday!

There is always a lot of excitment and a fair share of anxiety on the first Home Team Friday of the year.  This year even moreso with the live game broadcasts.  I have spent all morning prepping more for the Reitz/Henderson game.  The first week will be difficult with nothing to go off from the season.  Both the Panthers and Cols lost a lot of players from 2009.

I am really looking forward to a great atmosphere at Colonel Stadium.  It's Henderson's Hall of Fame game, and their fans are going for a "Maroon Out" wearing all maroon clothes.  You know Reitz will bring thousands across the river.  I can only imagine Mr. B's is going to be hopping on the strip.

On our end, the NEWS 25 crew has worked really hard for 8 months for this night.  Our engineering staff has been awesome.  They bought a lot of new equipment including a high end instant replay machine, new head sets, wireless mics, and other technical stuff.  We hired a 10 person production crew to work every Friday night.  You will see them all in grey NEWS 25 Sports Channel shirts.  The production staff as a whole has been awesome.  They are really sprucing up the graphics for tonight's game as well. 

Jody White and everyone at Henderson has been great in helping us out with our needs and making us feel at home.  Also, a big thanks to Hawk Guinn for helping me with Reitz information.

Also, if you know folks outside the viewing area that would like to watch tonight's game it will be streamed online.  This should be the link:  http://www.news25.us/Global/story.asp?S=12883945  It is not up right now, but that page will have the video player on it when our broadcasts starts at 7:30pm.

On the actual 30-minute Home Team Friday show we are attempting to tie our record for most games ever.  We have 17 games of highlights slated.  We have 8 photographers, including three rookies!  That's a lot for week one!  I hope it all comes together.  If nothing else you can tune in at 10:35pm to see if my hair is on fire when the show starts!

There are a lot of great games tonight.  Union County at Mater Dei is a real toss-up to me.  So is Jasper at Memorial.  Both the Tigers and Cats lost a lot from '09. 

Well if i ramble on previewing every game, I will never get anything done!!  I'm going back to prep work for tonight. 

If you have any questions or feedback, please leave it below or email me using the link on the leftside of the page.

Have a very happy Home Team Friday!

Grant Gribbins Chooses Franklin College

EVANSVILLE - There have been few high school quarterbacks in the history of the state of Indiana that have been more proficient than Memorial's Grant Gribbins.  This afternoon, the Tigers senior told NEWS 25 Sports Director Lance Wilkerson that he will take his skills to Franklin College.

Gribbins set nearly every passing record at Memorial.  The strong armed quarterback can make every pass on the field.  While running the spread offense, Gribbins can throw deep, and run the screen game.  Some of his best highlights have been when he scrambles out of the pocket.

Gribbins says he will be given the chance to compete with a stable of Franklin quarterbacks right away.  He thanked the Tigers coaching staff for his development over the years, especially reading defenses. 

Gribbins led the Tigers to back to back state championship appearances in Class 3A.  His senior season he was 211-338 for 3363 passing yards and 35 touchdowns.  He also rushed for 412 yards and 11 more scores.

Another former Memorial standout quarterback Chad Rupp also starred at Franklin.  Gribbins is also a member of the Memorial baseball team.

Gribbins won the 2009 NEWS 25 Home Team Friday MVP of the Year.

Sectional Semifinals Highlights From Friday

It was upset Friday.  Princeton, Castle, and Memorial all go down.  I love sportscast like this.  Lots of action.