Beyond the Arc
Now that the winter sports season has come to a screeching end, I'd like to take this opportunity to congratulate all the teams on their successful seasons.
Granted both the girls' and boys' basketball teams, and those who went to the state wrestling tournament hoped for greater things — your seasons are nonetheless impressive.
First, I'd like to take this opportunity to thank athletic director Tod Gordon, the Marion-Florence board of education, and head coach Rex Ostmeyer for giving me the opportunity to coach at MHS (for those who didn't know, I was the Warrior C-team coach in conjunction with my job here at the newspaper). And I'd like to thank Donna, here at the paper for allowing me to fulfill a real passion of mine. It truly has been a pleasure to work alongside such great young men — and two great coaches, who you may or may not consider young.
The boys' basketball team garnished a winning record overall, claiming co-ownership to the final Cottonwood Valley League title. For those who don't follow Marion boys' basketball closely, it may be a good time get out your magnifying glasses for next season. Coach Ostmeyer and his crew of freshmen, sophomores, and seniors bring a lot excitement and energy for next season. The junior varsity team, under the tutelage of assistant coach Terry Edwards, finished undefeated — a perfect 19-0. If my instincts prove me correct, Ostmeyer and his bunch will be in the middle of the hunt when play begins in the new league. Not only do they have talent, they have one of the upcoming coaches in the area in Ostmeyer.
As for the girls' team, the Warriors also can hang their hat on a successful season with a second-place finish in the CVL. For the past two seasons, head coach Darryl Enos has brought excitement and belief back to the MHS girls' basketball program. In the new league next season, Marion will not only compete, expect them to be fighting for a spot as one of the league's top teams.
Wrestlers Drew Looper, Chelsea Arnhold, and Steven Boone made appearances in the state wrestling meet at Hays a couple of weeks ago. While Looper and Arnhold failed to win a match at the meet, their accomplishment for making the tournament certainly should not be overlooked. Arnhold attended the meet for the third straight season, while Looper made his first appearance at the meet. Boone enjoyed his fourth and final state tournament appearance and won his first match. Here's the exciting part. With several young wrestlers on the prowl who were barely edged out of state competition, head coach Chad Adkins and Co. have a lot to look forward to in the next year. With Arnhold and Looper anchoring the team next season, and a slew of extremely talented underclassmen, MHS wrestling could be at the top of their game at just the right time.
I write columns like this, not only to pay homage to the athletes and the coaches who make it so we can enjoy sports, but also to remind us that sports often can be a wonderful place to find our students excelling and accomplishing goals.
So congratulations to all of the teams for entertaining and inspiring us. And to the seniors, I wish you the best of luck in the future.
