I can now officially join the ranks of Jeff Nelson, as I come to you from over 30,000 feet. Although I’m not flying back from a NFL game …
My wife Chase and I successfully pulled off a pandemic wedding this past weekend right in the middle of the height of the fall sports postseason. I think some special thank you’s are due for helping make this all possible and keeping our sports coverage at a high level.
First off I want to give thanks to our local athletic directors, athletic trainers, coaches, and athletes for helping make this fall season such a success. Even in early August it look as if high school sports were in doubt, but here we are two and a half months later and we’ve been able to get almost 100% of our contests played, fans have been in the stands, and I’ve had great access to the athletes and coaches. A special congratulations goes out to Fountain Central and Southmont boys’ tennis teams for winning sectional titles, along with Southmont girls’ soccer as well. Good luck to our football teams in the sectional and cross country runners Hunter Hutchison, Elijah McCartney and Faith Allen — who will compete in the semi-state on Saturday. Your accomplishments have not gone unnoticed and I’m thrilled that we have been able to cover you this far.
Like I said, this fall’s successes come down to the work of our athletic directors, trainers, coaches, parents, and most importantly the athletes who have done their due diligence in staying healthy and staying active. We got surprise strong seasons from teams like Crawfordsville volleyball and North Montgomery football, whose athletes went above and beyond during their time away to assure winning seasons once they returned in early July.
I had my doubts about the fall sports season, and even more about how things would return to normal. I feel like this fall has been as normal as possible given the circumstances, and I think that’s a direct result of Bryce Barton, Aaron Charles, Jason Good, and Matt Merica’s work to give our local athletes a season they’ll never forget even with the restrictions in place.
On a more lighter note, I know our coverage has looked different this fall, but I want to give a special shoutout to Bob Cox, Codey Emerson, Jeff Nelson and Lori Poteet for continuing their dedication to high school athletics.
I’m now a married man to my beautiful bride Chase, and as we enter the winter sports season in just a few short weeks, I’m refreshed and dedicated now more than ever to bring the absolute best coverage of high school sports.
Jared McMurry is the sports editor. Reach him by email at jmcmurry@jrpress.com
