From the sidelines
I'm big on not jinxing things, but I'm going to say it anyway.
I really feel there could be some good things happening this winter post-season for Marion High School.
It's already begun with five wrestlers, senior Charlie Holub, sophomores Dillon and Cody Wildin and Tylor Neil, and freshman Andy Shipman, qualifying for the 3-2-1A wrestling championship this weekend in Hays.
While I saw some success when Adam Depler captured a medal in the 2005 state meet, this is the highest number of team qualifiers since the first one I covered that year.
There are no guarantees at the state meet, but if the regular season is any indication, the group should have at least some success in Hays.
The basketball season has been strange in a way.
The girls' team started off 1-5, improved to 10-7, and has now lost two in a row.
But the single-digit loss to powerhouse Wichita Collegiate and the 13-point loss to Haven still were good performances by the Warriors.
The team has shown it can compete, and each girl has improved vastly from the start of the season.
The boys' season has been puzzling in a word.
There is talent on the roster no doubt, and talking with and watching head coach Rex Ostmeyer, I realized he knows the strengths and weaknesses of his team.
There have been plenty of games where MHS was right there in the end, but either couldn't finish it off, or a comeback fell just short.
Some of the losses included a buzzer-beater against Ellinwood, seven-point lead against Halstead disappearing in what seemed like seconds, and a close loss to Smoky Valley where the Warriors came back from down 10 in the fourth quarter to actually tie the game.
Ostmeyer would be the last person to make excuses, a loss is a loss, but there is no doubt the team could easily be sitting at 9-10 instead of 6-13.
I wrote in 2004 the move to the talented Mid-Central Activities Association would benefit MHS down the road.
This is the season that could prove true.
The 2-4A competition the Warriors have played this season included the 2 and 3A boys' defending champions, 3A girls' defending champion, and the number one ranked boys' team in 4A, to mention just a few.
When the whistles are blown, team and individual records won't mean a thing on the court or mat.
Whoever wants it more will win.
The question is, who will that be?
