Local residents attend Fiesta Bowl
Several people from the Marion area traveled to Tempe, Ariz., the past weekend to attend the football game between Kansas State University and Ohio State University.
Casey and Nicki Case, sons Wil, 11, and Grif, 7, along with Casey's mother Jean Case were among those who went by plane. They flew out of Salina Thursday and came back Saturday. Casey said it took about threes hours from arrival at the airport to departure, both ways.
While at Tempe, a suburb of Phoenix, they stayed at a resort and did some hiking Friday morning.
Being at the bowl game was "really awesome," Casey said. The number of K-State fans who traveled to the game was estimated at 35,000.
Casey said everyone was fired-up at the Thursday night pep rally until word spread among the 14,000 in attendance that quarterback Ell Roberson had been arrested.
"The whole mood changed," he said. "At the end of the rally, it was like we had already lost."
Although it turned out that Roberson had not been arrested, Casey felt the issue affected the game but might not have determined the outcome. A K-State radio announcer, Tim Allison, who traveled with them, later told them that after the pep rally, the football team was locked down in their motel until the game the next day.
The Hannafords also attended the game. Bud and Lavonne traveled by car. Roger, his son Scott, and Roger's two nephews, Adam and Ryan Thomas, were among the three busloads of K-State fans who went.
They left Wednesday and spent New Year's Eve at a large casino at Albuquerque, N.M. Roger said there were bands and all kinds of festivities.
He said the pep rally was "an awesome event." It was held in the Wells Fargo basketball arena at Arizona State University. "It was packed with purple," Roger said.
Many dignitaries addressed the large crowd, including Kansas Governor Kathleen Sebelius, Senator Pat Roberts, and Representative Jerry Moran.
On Friday, the Hannafords toured Scottsdale, Tempe, and the ASU campus. Roger said there were many palm trees and the temperature was above 70 degrees. They swam in an outdoor pool at their motel.
The Fiesta Bowl was played at Sun Devil Stadium on the university campus. Roger said the sold-out crowd numbered 75,000.
"It was entertaining," he said. "K-State didn't play very well at first, but they came back to make it a good game."
On the way home the next day, they encountered a blizzard in the mountainous area around Flagstaff, Ariz. They drove out of it and spent the night at Tucumcari, N.M. They arrived home Sunday night.
Megan Moore of Florence, a freshman at KSU, along with her parents, Mike and Gail Moore, and several other family members and friends, left Marion Dec. 26 in a van for a week-long vacation which included attending the Fiesta Bowl.
They stayed at the Arizona Golf Resort in Mesa, just outside of Tempe, where they relaxed and golfed.
On New Year's Eve, they attended a big block party on Mill Avenue near the football stadium. It included bands and a carnival.
They attended the pep rally Thursday night and the game the next day. They were seated on the 50-yard line, 14 rows up, so had an excellent view of the game.
"The beginning ceremonies were awesome," Megan said. Skydivers and fireworks provided an exciting atmosphere.
"I was a little disappointed about the game and the news about Roberson," she said. "They did too much, too late. The blocked punt was our downfall."
She said the team didn't seem ready to play the first half and some people felt Roberson should have been kept out of the game for a while.
Megan said spectators stood most of the time.
On the way home, they, too, encountered a snow storm. They had to wait an hour or so for highways to be cleared before continuing on.
Bill Harmon of Lincolnville, a 25-year KSU alumnus, traveled to the Fiesta Bowl with friends. They flew from Wichita to Minneapolis, then to Phoenix.
They visited Old Scottsdale Town and walked through the many bars and gift shops.
Bill said KSU did a good job of organizing the pep rally and the pre-game tail-gate party.
He said the game had an exciting ending as the KSU team had several opportunities to win.
It was Harmon's sixth or seventh trip to a KSU bowl game.
Kevin and Lori Fruechting traveled by car to Littleton, Colo., on New Year's Eve day, where they met Lori's sister, Kathy and her husband, Mark Rathert. They traveled to the Fiesta Bowl together on New Year's Day.
At Phoenix, they inspected Gainey Ranch, a golf course designed by Mark. They also ate at a restaurant well-known for its huge collection of sports memorabilia.
When they checked into their motel, they were met by a man with a "horrible" expression on his face who told them the news about Roberson.
Kevin said they were disappointed and discouraged but, later, when they heard more of the story, the question was how long Roberson would be kept out of the game.
He said the entire crowd of K-State fans gasped when they saw Roberson run onto the field at the beginning of the game.
Kevin's group was seated on the 45- yard line, 19 rows up.
"We were disappointed they lost, but they played a good game, especially in the second half. The Roberson matter probably didn't help, but how much it hurt, I don't know."
They took a scenic route back to Denver the next day and encountered three snowstorms along the way. A trip which would normally take 12 hours took 15 hours, but they made it back safely.
Kevin said he felt pretty tired after he and Lori got home.
"It was an incredible experience," he said. "I've never been around that many people at one time. Besides, it was one of the four top games in college football. It was a lot of fun, but I don't think I'll do that again for a while."
