Aces Basketball Is In My Blood

Leaving my TV job…never thought I would do that.  However, I never thought I would get an incredible opportunity at an institution I love.

By now I am sure everyone has heard that I have accepted a position at the University of Evansville as the Director of Development for Athletics and Voice of the Aces mens basketball team. (that is going to be one long business card!)

UE is a special place to me.  On February 27, 1982 my entire family attended senior night for what would be the first DI NCAA tournament Aces team.  I was 10 years old.  We sat at the top of the bleachers at Roberts Stadium for the game. 

The Aces played Butler that night and as I recall UE crushed them.  My dad bought me a program, and I got to meet Ace Purple.  Ace signed my program.  The stadium was jam packed.  I learned the Aces chant, and I just had a blast.

And I was hooked…

The following years I went to every home game.  We didn’t have a lot of money growing up.  However, my dad was friends with a guy that worked at WROZ radio and he got us press passes to the games.  We would use those at the gate and found a seat up top.

I attended Dick Walters basketball camp in sixth grade.  Meeting the players in person had such an impression on me.  I felt like I was big-time winning a trophy at camp.

As a kid I would scream and yell, and I would always lose my voice at games.  At school the next day I was hoarse and my teachers and friends always knew why.  I remember after we beat Purdue in ’84 I couldn’t talk for two days.

Then the Jim Crews era began.  In his second year, the Aces were back, and really that 1987 MCC co-champion team with Loyola really spring boarded UE to the national scene.

I remember going to the pre-season games and getting the posters autographed by the whole team.  Every year Aces fans knew they had a shot at a championship.  By now we finally broke down and got season tickets.  My dad, my uncle Eric and I went to every home game and several on the road. (St. Louis, Butler, Indiana State, Xavier, Dayton)

The Aces were lead by two transfer players:  Marty Simmons from IU and Scott Haffner from Illinois.

Marty was the master at the pump fake down below the basket.  When I would play basketball I would always copy that move.  No Aces fan would ever forget Marty’s senior night performance.  1988 was an election year and my aunt Hope on senior night made a sign that said “Marty Four More Years”.  As luck would have it, a newspaper photographer took a picture of me holding that sign and it was in the Courier.  Pretty ironic now huh?

With all due respect to Marty, my all-time favorite player was Scott Haffner.  His quick release three-point shot was a staple of the Aces championships.  I was there when Haf scored 65 points in a single game against Dayton.  I believe he had 30 at halftime and my uncle and I were just hoping he would get 10 more to make it to 40.  It was one of the greatest sporting events in Evansville history.  I remember the crowd not leaving after the game and chanting his name until he came back out of the locker-room and through the tunnel. 

A sidenote about that game:  it was a rare afternoon game.  My dad was and still is a mailman in Newburgh.  Because the game was in the day he couldn’t go and had to listen to the radio in his mail jeep.  He was so mad he wasn’t there.  Still to this day he gets mad at me if I bring it up.  Ironically, through my entire TV career I have never interviewed Scott Haffner.  I hope someday that Haffner and Simmons numbers 3 & 50 will be retired. 

When the Aces played Oregon State in the 1989 NCAA Tournament, it was an early afternoon game.  My parents signed a note to Castle High School letting me out of school that day to watch the game on TV.  It was such an unreal moment upsetting the Gary Payton led Beavers.  It’s still the only DI NCAA Tournament victory in Aces history.

During the 10-12 years, the Aces were among the national leaders in attendance.  I believe UE averaged over 10,000 fans per game in that run.  It was even more impressive because at that time UE had the second lowest enrollment of all Division-I schools.

UE was too expensive for me to attend, so I went to Ball State University.  I quickly fell in love with the Cardinals, but I still kept close tabs on my Aces.  Even in my dorm room I still had my Aces posters hanging up.  As a Ball State student I traveled to Dayton to see the Aces play the Flyers.  The Aces won that game, and I made sure to let every Dayton fan know as I left their arena.  I was an obnoxious fan like that.

Landing my job at NEWS 25 out of college was a big thrill.  It was rare to actually work in TV in your hometown.  I was a photographer and wasn’t on the air.  However, I would travel to Aces road games on my own time and not get paid.  Marc Robbins was the sports guy at the time, and he would let me do on-air stories recapping the Aces.  That is how I got my foot in the door.

I remember the first time I interviewed Coach Crews.  UE was going on a road trip, and Robbins sent me by myself to the airport to track him down before they left.  I was pretty nervous, but I was super prepared and I tried to ask questions that would impress him.

Coach Crews had a reputation of being tough with the media, but he was great to me.  He always treated me with respect, and I always admired his work.  When he left for Army I did all positive stories on him that night in my sportscasts and what he meant to the program.  I never thought Crews got the credit he deserved when he left.  I got a great phone call that night from Scott Shreffler.  He thanked me for doing positive stories on Crews and he said that our station was the only one who did so.  We talked on the phone on how much Crews did for UE and the city of Evansville.  Shreffler and I became good friends, and I am now thrilled I will be working with him in the broadcast booth.

The next year, I begged my bosses to go after the Aces coaches show.  Steve Merfeld had been hired, and we quickly worked out a TV deal with UE.  It was excited being the official station of the Aces for those seven years.

You could walk this earth for your whole life and not find a better human being than Merfeld.  I know that Aces fans were disappointed with his record, and rightfully so…that comes with the territory. 

Traveling with the team for seven years got me even closer to the program.  I became good friends with sports information director Bob Boxell and then radio play by play announcer Adam Alexander. Those road trips didn’t produce a lot of victories, but we made the best of them.  I don’t know how many of you have gotten to know Adam.  Do you have that one person that can make you laugh hysterically about anything?  Well that is Adam for me.  He had me in tears so many times on those trips.  I was so thrilled Adam got that huge job at TNT sports.

When Coach Merfeld left it was hard. I had never seen that brutal side of the profession so up close and personal.  Merfeld wanted to win as bad as anyone.  I wish it would have worked out for him here at UE. I am still very close to Steve.  I talk to him often, and I consulted with him before taking this new job.

Now it is the Marty Simmons era.  How about my life coming full circle?  I was so excited for him.  I covered his SIU-Edwardsville team when they advanced to the Elite Eight.  I rooted for Marty and I was thrilled he was back at UE.

Marty is Evansville Basketball.  No one embraces the tradition of UE like Simmons.  He has treated me unbelievable.  He and his staff are incredibly hard workers.  I am talking day and night trying to improve the team and preparing for the next opponent.

Coach Simmons always deflects attention from himself and onto the players and the program.  He always promotes the team, and puts the Aces first.

When Marty called me about this job, I knew I wanted to make it work.  I would run through a wall for the guy. 

The final piece for my job at UE was meeting with new UE President Dr. Thomas Kazee.  I did not know what to think when I climbed the stairs to go to his office.  He did not know me.  I was really unsure what to expect.  Dr. Kazee blew me away.  He was so down to earth and I felt completely myself around him.  I didn’t have to tell him what I thought he wanted to hear, I could just be honest with him.  He had the exact same vision of UE that I had previously stated to athletics director John Stanley and Vice President of Development Jack Barner.  Dr. Kazee wants UE and Aces Athletics to go to another level, and I could not wait to jump on board.

There are a lot of thank yous for this opportunity.  Thanks to athletics director John Stanley for being a great ally in the process.  Thanks to my new boss Jack Barner for offering me the job!  I cannot wait to learn under Jack and the entire development team.  Thanks to Brandon Gaudin for starting this whole process.  Brandon and I are best of friends. He and I have worked together a lot.  I have the utmost respect for Brandon and I wish him well at Butler, although I hope the Aces beat their brains out.

Thanks to Bob Boxell who I will be working with very closely…especially on the road.  Thanks to Aces fans Jim and Glenda Ralph, as well as, Tim and Liz Otte for their support. 

Thanks to my first boss Lloyd Winnecke for his guidance.  Also a big thanks to others I leaned on through this process:  Mike Goebel, Ryan Lemond, my friends at NEWS 25 and many others who I know I am forgetting.

Thanks to everyone at NEWS 25.  It was a job I loved for over 17+ years.  They are true pros and I wish them all the best.

Thanks to my wife Kim and my future Ace Cal!  They can’t wait to have me home at night for the first time in our life!

Also to the rest of my family, my mom and dad, grandma, aunt and uncle, and in-laws!

I grew up listening to Bob Buck describe Aces games.  It is now an honor I will be doing the same for Aces fans everywhere.  It may take me awhile to get into a groove and a style for radio, but I promise you I will work hard and I will be an unapologetic Aces homer!

Mater Dei's Mike Goebel Running for State Representative

Mater Dei football head coach Mike Goebel is officially running for office of Indiana State Representative.  He called me tonight to confirm that he filed his papers.  Coach was quick to point out that if he is fortunate to be elected that he will remain a teacher and football coach of the Wildcats.  Mater Dei High School’s staff has given Goebel their blessing.  There are 4 or 5 other teachers that have been State Reps.

Goebel told me this has always been an aspiration for him and that he really enjoys his time serving as a county council member.

As a member of the media I certainly never discuss politics EVER.  However, Coach Goebel is one of my favorite human beings on earth.  I wish him the best.  There is no questioning Goebel’s success on whatever he sets his mind.



Week 10 Home Team Friday Recap

I have had a pretty hectic week, so my apologies for getting this out later than normal.  Since it is already Thursday, I will make this both a recap, and a preview of tomorrow.

We set another record on Home Team Friday.  We had 17 games of highlights.  It was a lot of fun to see if we were up to the challenge of being able to pull it off.  It wasn’t easy! We went right up to the final seconds.  Overall, I thought it was a great show.

There were very few intriguing matchups in Week 10.  Nothing at all jumped off the page.  The favorite won every game, but one.  In 2A, North Posey avenged a regular season loss to Southridge.  The Vikings Cameron Calvert has really lifted his team.  He has been a huge spark on offense.  Quarterback Colton Motz continues to make the highlights.  For the second straight year North Posey is trying to get to the Sectional Championship.  That should happen. The Vikes have Tell City at home.  North Posey handled the Marksmen pretty well on the road just a few weeks ago.

The other 2A semifinal features Mater Dei at South Spencer.  This is a game I am really looking forward to.  I wish I was able to cover it.  Randall will have that honor in our Showdown game.  Wayne Hart says we will have heavy rain tomorrow night.  So does that favor the Rebels or the Cats?  Normally, I would say it would help South Spencer.  However, the Rebels passing game is pretty strong.  The Rebels only two losses came in sloppy muddy conditions against Boonville and Heritage Hills.  However, Mater Dei has played the majority of its games on the turf.  So it is hard to say what kind of advantage Mother Nature will play for either team. 

MD had its best win in throttling Forest Park.  I thought that game would be much closer.  Cats head coach Mike Goebel told us they caught the Rangers without their best player, and FP was battling the flu.  Goebel gave a lot of credit to Terry Wagner and Forest Park.

South Spencer advanced last week with a win at Sullivan.  We had some pretty good highlights from that game from our friends at WTHI.  That game was close all the way to the end when the Rebels pulled it out 30-20.  I am sure Mater Dei scouted that game Friday, and South Spencer scouted MD on Saturday.  Should be a great one in Reo tomorrow night!

Let’s move over to 4A.  Aaron Hancock covered the game for us at the Bowl.  Reitz hosted Seymour.  It was an early 6pm start time, and Aaron called me before I was going on the air for my 6pm sportscast.  He said, “I don’t know what Seymour was thinking.  The Owls stomped on the R in pre-game, and then Reitz promptly scored a touchdown in just 57 seconds!”  Just a few minutes later I got these texts on my phone:  “14-0 Reitz”  “21-0 Reitz, the beating is on”.  Ironically, Reitz only scored in the first and fourth quarters. 

The Panthers now have an interesting matchup with Central tomorrow night.  I say that because of how the first game between these two teams played out.  Reitz just blasted the Bears 55-7.  Obviously, Central is much better than that.  The Bears just had one of those nights.  You know Coach Andy Owen will have his team remembering that loss, and I can imagine the Bears have had some pretty lively practices all week getting ready for Reitz.  On the Panthers point of view, even though this is a playoff game, I am sure it is hard not to overlook the Bears a bit for the possible matchup with Jasper. 

Even though this has the markings of a letdown game for Reitz, I don’t think that will happen.  Coach Tony Lewis’ demeanor will really help in this game.  He and his team never get too high, or too low.  That even keel will keep the Panthers focused at the task at hand.  We were out at practice yesterday, and Lewis told us that exact thing.  The only thing Reitz is worried about this week is Central.  However, I cannot help but get a bit excited about the possibility of Reitz versus Jasper next week.

Speaking of Jasper, wow what a statement the Cats made in the opener!  Jasper had to play on the road at Northview (north of Terre Haute), and the Knights were 8-1.  Now if you read my recap last week, I predicted at least a 28 point win.  As a matter of fact I told photographer Blaine Jasper would win by 50.  Well, that is exactly what Tony Ahrens team did.  The Cats turned in a 50-0 shutout on the road.  Both Jasper and Reitz are just obliterating teams.  How can you not look ahead if you are a fan?  Tomorrow night Jasper hosts Boonville.  I am not slighting the Pioneers at all.  Boonville has had one of its best seasons in school history.  The Pioneers will have an uphill battle tomorrow night in Dubois County.

I was really happy for Doug Hurt and Castle.  They have the hardest draw of any of the 5A teams in that sectional.  I knew it would be tough to win at Jeffersonville.  Our old HTF photographer Greg now works at WHAS in Louisville.  Greg was nice enough to shoot some great highlights of both Castle at Jeff, and North at New Albany.  Knights’ tailback and HTF MVP Logan Hayford had some spectacular runs.  That game was close the entire way, but Castle pulled it out 21-14.  I think the Knights loss to Memorial the week before in the muddy slop helped Castle in this game.  Jeffersonville’s field was pretty beat up too, and the Knights seemed prepared.

Castle now hosts BNL in a mud bowl tomorrow night.  I was pretty confident the Knights would win, but with the prediction of heavy rains, it is hard to be confident in any pick.  I think for any teams playing in horribly muddy conditions, scoring first will be huge.  It will be much easier to play with the lead in a low scoring slop game.

No surprises in 3A.  Memorial is the clear favorite in Sectional 24, and Heritage Hills will win Sectional 23.  I thought Mt. Vernon would be able to score on the Tigers, but I did not see how they could stop Memorial’s offense.  That was pretty much the case.  Memorial won 44-21.  The Tigers offense is absolutely peaking right now.  During the Tigers 6-game winning streak, they are averaging 37 points a game.  I think the Memorial/Bosse game will be similar for the Tigers.  Bosse won’t be able to stop the Tigers, but I do think the Dogs will be able to put up some points.  I give the Bulldogs a puncher’s chance with that dynamic offense.  Weather could be a factor with quarterback Grant Gribbins passing game even on the turf if it is windy.

Bosse won at Pike Central.  The Dogs had a 31-7 lead, but the Chargers made a furious comeback.  I got an email from a viewer and a Pike Central Parent named Jennifer.  She said PC should have won.  Here is what she wrote me:

Just to let you know, Pike Central scored a touchdown in last few seconds of Bosse game and should have won.  Even the radio announcers said it was plain as day.  For some reason the refs refused to call it.  Game film clearly shows they were in with time to spare. If the refs would have called touchdown correctly we would have won and should be advancing to next round.  The team is absolutely devastated!  I have never seen anything like this and wow I'm still in shock.  It will be protested by Pike but what good will that do.  We should all be celebrating, instead there is pain and shock.  Our boys played the best game of the season and did in fact beat Bosse.  Please give Pike Central the credit they deserve and make it aware we had a clear victory taken away.  How awful for these boys.  Those refs should never be allowed to officiate another game, ever!

I don’t know anymore to that story than her email.  If anyone else can shed some light on this, please make a comment below.   

Gibson Southern is at Washington in the other 3A semifinal.  I will give the edge to the Hatchets in this one.

It is hard to write much about Heritage Hills.  The Patriots play in such a weak sectional.  Bob Clayton’s club has won every sectional this decade except one.  The Pats have Salem in The Jungle tomorrow night.  I’m going with a 35-0 prediction.

The best 1A game in the entire state will be in Leopold.  Perry Central hosts North Daviess.  Both teams have had great seasons.  It is another game that could be affected by the weather.  I picked the Cougars to win the Sectional, so I will stay with that.  However, I wouldn’t be surprised at all to see PC pull it out.

There is still one week left in the regular season in Kentucky.  Henderson County is at Owensboro tomorrow night.  Before the season, I think most of us would have expected the Devils to win in a blowout.  Not now!  The Colonels are playing so well.  Henderson has won six straight, and the Colonels have won the district.  The Devils have struggled scoring.  In their last four games Owensboro has posted scores of 10, 16, 16, and 16.  I still think Owensboro is the favorite, but not by much.

Henderson had a thrilling win at home against Apollo.  The Colonels erased a late six point deficit by scoring twice and rallying for a 27-20 win.  I talked to one Colonels fan this week that said it was one of the most thrilling games he had seen in years.  Randall talked with head coach Clay Clevenger this afternoon.  The staff was scouting their playoff opponent tonight.

Union County wins the district.  The Braves used another great defensive performance to win 19-2.  Union County is down at Hopkins Central this week.

Illinois playoffs start Saturday.  Mt. Carmel throttled Robinson last week.  Quarterback Alex Hale rushed for 285 yards in the win.  The Golden Aces have a tough opponent at the Snake Pit in the first round.  Mahomet will be the favorite.

As for the HTF show, it was more insane than I would like.  I was at Enlow Field for the Bosse/Harrison game.  Fewest fans I have ever seen there.  I got back and edited my game, plus the Reitz and Memorial games.  We had three different feeds.  2 games from WTHI in Terre Haute, 2 from WHAS in Louisville, and Ryan Jenkins shot some games and fed out of Newschannel 15 in Mt. Carmel.  It was a lot to organize.  We had all kinds of troubles getting our 2 games from WHAS.  We literally were able to pull them off the satellite about 5 minutes before the show.

We have a very short amount of time after the 10pm newscast ends and HTF begins.  My first mic didn’t work, so I tried a second, and it didn’t work!  That never happens.  So I had to use Brad Byrd’s mic.  So literally after Brad signed off, he ran over to me to give me his wireless mic.

The HTF open is playing, and I am try to run the mic under my shirt, by pants are undone, belt out(it was quite the site I’m sure!)  So I am tucking everything in, making sure that production is receiving good audio levels.  I am still getting together when BAM I’m on camera.  I needed just 10 extra seconds to take a breath and get my composure. 

However, time does not stand still.  I knew I had 17 straight games of highlights to get through, and I am thinking in the back of my mind, “God I hope I zipped my zipper!”  I wasn’t even sure what the first game was, and I looked at my scripts and saw Reitz.  That is why I said, “Let’s just get to the highlights as we start off with Reitz.”  After I got going, all was well, and as I said before, I thought it was a pretty good show.

Editor Erica had 27 pieces of video to keep straight with those three different feeds, and she made deadline for every single one of them.

Now that we are losing teams, our shows won’t be so jam packed.  I will miss that.  However, we will now go longer with our highlights as we go deeper into the playoffs.  We have 13 games tomorrow night on the schedule.

Thanks as always for reading.  It means a lot to me that you take the time.  If you ever want me to touch on anything else, let me know.  I will see everyone tomorrow night at 10:35 for NEWS 25 Home Team Friday Live!

 

2009 Sectional Predictions. Who ya got?!

I am hesitant to make playoff predictions for one major reason.  I feel like I almost have to be a politician so I don’t honk anyone off.  When I pick the winner out an 8 team bracket, 7 groups of fans are going to be upset. 

That’s okay.  I think the vast majority of people that have followed my site are smart enough to understand a prediction is nothing more than an educated guess.  If I don’t pick your team, I am not slighting your school or players or coaches in anyway. 

Enough sitting on the fence, let’s dive in.

Class 5A

This is the hardest one as far as knowledge of all of the teams.  Only North and Castle are in our viewing area.  The top three teams in the sectional are all 6-3:  Castle, BNL, and Floyd Central.  The Knights are the defending champs.  However, 2008 HTF MVP of the Year Graham Saiko was one of many great seniors they lost.  Floyd Central has only won one sectional in school history and that was in 1998.  Jeffersonville is always better in the playoffs than the regular season.  I think the winner of the opening round game between Jeff and Castle will win the sectional.  I will be a homer on this pick.

Champion: Castle

Class 4A

This sectional boils down to one question:  Reitz or Jasper?  Central has had a winning season, but the Bears lost to Reitz 55-7.  Boonville turned in its best regular season in years, but the Pioneers lost at home to Jasper 41-13.  If either Central or Boonville beat Jasper and Reitz in back to back weeks, I will throw them a parade on my neighborhood street.  Any team that pulls off that accomplishment would certainly deserve a celebration.

Northview is at home against Jasper tomorrow night.  The Knights are 8-1, and will have mother nature on their side to neutralize the Cats.  All of that said, no way Jasper loses.  No way.

So…Panthers or the Cats?  It is too bad they have to meet in the sectional.  Could you imagine a semistate game between these two titans with the winner going to Lucas Oil Stadium.  Jasper knocked off Reitz in a thriller a year ago at Alumni Stadium.  However, this year the game will be at the Bowl.  Reitz is playing on another level right now.  They are averaging 40 points a game.  I love both of these teams, but I think you have to make the Panthers the favorite…I think Tony Ahrens will like being 11-0 and being an underdog!  He will be able to use that respect card all week at practice.

Champion: Reitz

Class 3A

I hated when Heritage Hills was shipped out of the Evansville area sectional.  The Patriots have no competition year in and year out in Sectional 23.  This is not Bob Clayton’s best team, but they will definitely win the sectional.

That brings us to Sectional 24.  Memorial is the clear favorite.  The Tigers have won five straight, and are coming off a trip to the state finals.  I think Grant Gribbins is the best quarterback in the area(which is saying a lot with McIntosh, Ahrens, Prince, Welp).  Gribbins is ranked sixth in the state in passing.  He has over 2000 yards and 22 touchdowns.  Jon Wandling is third in the state in receiving.  The Tigers toughest two opponents will be Mt. Vernon and Bosse.  I give the Dogs a punchers chance with their offense.

Champion: Memorial

Class 2A

This one is by far the most difficult to choose a winner.  I could make a good argument for five of the teams in this sectional, including Forest Park.  After starting 7-0, South Spencer has lost two tough games.  The Rebels have a favorable draw.  They will more than likely host Mater Dei in the second round.  That will be a huge game.  On the top of the bracket, I will take Southridge.  The Raiders have won this sectional three straight years.

Who will win?  Mater Dei has lost four straight games. I think the Cats will go one of two directions.  They will mail it in, or they will rally and put it all together.  I think MD can put it together.  If the Cats can beat the Rebels (and that's a huge if!), they will likely have Southridge at the Bowl for the title game.  The Raiders have gotten the best of the Cats lately.  This is a really tough choice.  I will be accused of being an Evansville homer, but I’m the furthest from that.  I am going to take Mike Goebel in this one.  If I am wrong, I think South Spencer wins. 

Champion: Mater Dei

Class A

Tecumseh hasn’t had as strong of a season as the Braves did last year.  The Braves play the same team that gave them their only loss a year ago:  Linton.  The Miners are always a powerhouse.  North Daviess has played all 1A opponents but one.  That was 3A Washington.  The Hatchets knocked off the Cougars.  Perry Central has a lot of playoff experience.  The Commodores remember that stinging loss a year ago.  They also have my favorite player in Mikey Wilkerson(no relation).  I am going to say that North Daviess and Linton play for the championship.  The Cougars handled the Miners easily the first time, and will again.

Champion: North Daviess

Feel free to tell me your opinion.  I am sure 2A will be the most criticized.  For good reason…there are a lot of great teams there.   Thanks for reading, and leave your comment below.

 

A Glance at 4 SIAC High School Football Teams

The past four days at work, I have gone to four different practices of Evansville schools. What did I learn at each visit? I will start in the order that I saw the teams.

Mater Dei: It is hard to know what to expect from MD each year, because head coach Mike Goebel does a great job of keeping expectations low, and downplays any and all success. I completely buy into that philosophy, even though I always make fun of him about it. I have told him that I could find soundbytes from him 8 years ago, and play them on the air, and they would fit.

All of that being said, it does seem that the Wildcats will have to work hard to turn in another great season. The Cats lost 30 seniors, and have just 2 returning starters from last season. Their up and coming quarterback Andrew Martin was involved in a car wreck, and will miss some games. I hope Martin is ok. I have heard a lot of great things about his skill. He is just a sophomore. The Cats are always disciplined, tough nosed, and extremely well coached. Even with the lack of experience, I would never count out Coach Goebel.

Central: There is one reason that the Bears have really become a consistently strong team in the city: head coach Andy Owen. When Andy joined his father’s staff, he implemented a dynamic offense. Since then, the Bears have are 30-14 over the past four seasons. Owen is entering his third year as head coach. I love covering Central. The Owen family is so great, and they have some great kids at that school. Jaleel Fox will be one of the top tailbacks in the city. I enjoyed spending some time with him on Tuesday. He has a great combination of power and speed. He should get a lot of touches, and be tough on opposing defenses. Central has some great athletes. They should have another great season.

North: Mike Wilson is a dream coach for soundbytes. He is the opposite of Mike Goebel. Wilson never holds anything back, and always tells it like it is, without sugarcoating it. A quick story: back in the mid-90s, the Huskies were loaded, and they had expectations of going to the Dome. There were 3 tough teams in the 5A sectional that year, Reitz, Harrison, and Castle. So the blind sectional draw comes out, and North gets the worst draw possible. The Huskies would have to face all three of those opponents in a row. I go over to North to interview Coach Wilson, and he gives me a Hall of Fame soundbyte. “Good grief Lance, why don’t they put Notre Dame or Purdue in our sectional, heck, we might as well play the Colts too. That’s unbelievable. *sigh” It’s so rare for a coach to be so forthright, and I appreciate that about Wilson.

He was similar on Tuesday night when I asked about this year’s team. “Oh Lance, that’s a great question, I don’t know what to expect from this team. We have so many doggone new faces, but I love their work ethic.” North has the tallest quarterback that I can remember covering. 6”6” Matt Strohmeier will be under center. He grew 4 inches in the off-season!! He is a senior this year and will get his first shot at being the signal caller. I can’t wait to see how he does. Cameron Clements will be the tailback for North. Coach Wilson told me his number one priority is stopping the run.

Bosse: Out of the four practices, the Bulldogs definitely were the most upbeat about their season. They all had great attitudes. The dogs always fight to get enough numbers out to compete with the bigger city schools. Bosse has over 40 guys in pads right now. Joe Frazier is back at quarterback. He is a four year starter. Head Coach Andrew Weinzapfel told me how nice it is not to have to worry about the lack of experience at qb. Frazer was just a great kid to talk to. He really gave me some nice answers, and was genuinely excited about his teammates and the 2009 season. I will be rooting for him.

Behind Frazier is Josh Pendleton. He had 1800 yards as a tailback a year ago. He is a fast little guy that is hard to tackle. He is the younger brother of former North standout Dion Pendleton. I would love to see the Bulldogs have a great season! They are due for some success.

From The Jungle to the Bowl: Tri-State High School Football

I went out to Mater Dei’s football practice on Wednesday. It was great hearing the pads smack, and the whistle blowing again. I truly love high school football.

Way back in 1993, I was just a fledgling little sports fella. Then NEWS 25 sports director Marc Robbins would send me to games and places I had never been. I loved it. I have been hooked ever since.

In 1994, I worked at Channel 7. Mike Mallory was the sports director there. He would send me to Heritage Hill and Jasper, because no one else wanted to drive that far. It turned out, I LOVED going out there. The further out the better for me. There is no place like The Jungle. Patriot fans are passionate, knowledgeable, and loyal! How great it was to cover Jay Cutler when he was just a sophomore for the Pats.

In 1995, I was back at NEWS 25, and I made sure that we covered the heck out of teams like HH, Jasper, Southridge, South Spencer, Tecumseh, etc. etc. When I became sports director in 1998, I personally wanted to continue covering those teams. That’s the time period that we started doing our entire Home Team Friday show live on location. That was the best. Tons of kids yelling during my show, free pizza, shirts, hats, helicopter. The glory days for sure!

Then we expanded our show to an entire half hour. That meant that I had to stay back in the studio. I miss the days of heading out to the far stadiums. Now Randall gets that privilege.

I have since become really close with the Evansville schools. Cover Mater Dei during the Adam and Jake Schiff years were awesome. Those Reitz vs. MD games were off the charts with energy. There would be 12,000 fans at the best high school venue of the Reitz Bowl. The John Hart and Tony Lewis era at Reitz has been a blast too. So many great peeps on the Westside.

I cannot believe I am about to start covering my 17^th year of high school football in the Tri-State. I still get the same excited feelings as soon as I step out on to the field. It’s awesome being on the sidelines, seeing the coaches come up with schemes, players pumping each other up, being just a few feet from some amazing catch or big hit.

In the pros and even in college, football has become a big business with a lot of money on the line. High School football is still the purest form of sport. The raw emotion of players, coaches, and fans is unmatched. We are blessed to have such great players, stadiums, fans, and tradition here in the Tri-State. We don’t have a big-time college program, and of course we don’t have a pro team...so high school football is IT, and do we ever make the most of it!

As I walked across the practice field at Mater Dei, I had a short daydream of my 1-year old son Cal in uniform. I can’t even imagine how incredible that day will be.

The countdown is on to August 21^st!

Best High School Football Coaches in SW Indiana

Evansville ESPN Radio Sports Director Dan Egierski is doing a special show on All About Sports on 106.7 this Wednesday.  The topic is who are the best of the best among high school football coaches in Southwestern Indiana.  Dan's criteria:  "These would be coaches selected based on consistency in winning and having their teams prepared, not necessarily the coach with the most wins."

Egierski asked for the local sports media's feedback.  Here is what I submitted. 

Bob Clayton - His record speaks for himself. I think he is great because he doesn't just have one system. Each year he changes his offense and defense around his players.  

Mike Goebel - There is no better motivator. He has a great offensive playbook, and a great staff. Very disciplined.  

Andy Owen - There's no coincidence that when Owen came over as offensive coordinator for his dad Mike, Central immediately started winning. He has coaching in his blood, and the Bears football program has really improved under his guidance.

Kelly Murphy - He has done a tremendous job in just five years at Southridge.3 sectional, 2 regional, and 1 semistate championships.

Joe Gengelbach - 40 years and 224 wins all at North Posey. A member of the Indiana High School Football Hall of Fame, and the classiest coach in the Tri-State.

Honorable Mention to Mike Wilson, Tony Ahrens, Paul Maier, Bruce Green,and Darren Peach.

There has been so much turnover lately, it is hard to know where to put in the newer coaches. Doug Hurt, Tony Lewis, and John Hurley have gotten off to great starts, and definitely will be great.