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Sectional 40 Final: (7-4) Mater Dei @ (8-3) Linton


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MD feeder school number is miss represented.  If MD received all of the students in their feeder, they would/could be larger.  But the enrollment in the MD feeder school are drastically down compare to past numbers.  

From my own experience, my oldest son's class at had 44 8th grade students.  They had 21 boys.  6 went to Memorial, 1 to North, 4 to Central, 2 to Signature, and 8 went to MD.  My youngest son class had 11 8th graders and 4 boys in the class.  2 went to MD, 1 went to Reitz, and one went to Signature.  On the other hand my daughter's 8th grade class had 12 students and 8 were boys.  Once again, 5 went to MD, 2 went to Reitz, and 1 to Signature.  Typically, all 8 feeder school feed about a total of 110-125 students into MD.  For this purpose, we will say it is a 50/50 split.  MD gets about 55-75 boys per year.  MD gets if share, but it loses boys to other schools.  

You can see when to you drop from a class of 44 students to a feeder school to classes of 12 in ten years, MD does not get as many athletes as they used to.  MD must battle cost and Public HS that have great academic (Reitz, Central, North Posey, Gibson Southern, Mt Vernon, and North)

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26 minutes ago, itiswhatitis said:

Hardly.  Linton and Eastern Greene both have football programs.  White River Valley, Bloomfield ,and Shakamak do not.   They are the other 3 schools in Greene county.   A VERY few kids who play youth football will transfer to Linton to play high school ball.  VERY few.  I have known of only a handful in the past 25 years.   There were a few kids from Dugger (Sullivan county) who transferred to Linton after Dugger closed down and that is one of the reasons Linton had to stay in 2A (enrollment).  It wasn't from the success factor.

I just asked a buddy of mine that teaches at WRV how many kids do you guys lose to Linton for football? He said 2or 3 out of every class. WRV has looked into adding football to help in keeping their kids.

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5 minutes ago, JQWL said:

I just asked a buddy of mine that teaches at WRV how many kids do you guys lose to Linton for football? He said 2or 3 out of every class. WRV has looked into adding football to help in keeping their kids.

Parents at WRV have been wanting to add football for years as far back as the early 2000's that I know of.   Bloomfield tried recently.  They keep getting shot down.   Apparently too many people still have a basketball only mentality or something like that. Or they don't want to spend the money.   You know they should just consolidate all 5 schools and just called it Greene County.  Of course that would put them in 3A or 4A for enrollment.   But 5 schools into one would really boost ALL sports in Greene County and no more kids  would have to leave one school to go to another for just one sport.

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52 minutes ago, itiswhatitis said:

Holy smokes!  8 different feeder schools?!?  The majority of other 2A schools have ONE grade school.  I noticed you put on there that some go to other schools.  However "some" go to Mater Dei.   Let's just say 3 kids in every class go to Mater Dei every year and play football.   That is 24 more players they get than your average 2A school gets.  They have the numbers every year over other schools especially in their sectional.   I would think that is a main reason why they can stay so dominant.  I thought I I read a comment that MD had 64  players on the roster this year.   Most other 3A schools have half to two thirds that many.   Don't take this wrong.  I am NOT bashing MD for their success.  I am just a bit taken back by their numbers and how they can stay 2A with enrollment and draw from 8 different feeder schools.  Maybe my 3 is a high guess but I felt it was rather low.  Only bringing this up for discussion and not wanting to start a fight.  And thanks for the reply Wildcat1992.

Many of those schools only have 12-15 kids per class, some have more but likely not more than 25-30 and as stated not all of those attend Mater Dei. Trust me, the school is trying to increase the enrollment, not keep it down for athletics. 

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1 hour ago, Wildcat1992 said:

Holy Redeemer - some go to Memorial, some end up at Central

Corpus Christi - have had kids end up at Reitz

Resurrection - have had kids end up at Reitz

St. Joe - I know some kids ended up at North

St. Wendel - some end up at North Posey

West Side Catholic - have had kids end up at Reitz

St. Phillip (in Posey county) - some of these kids end up at North Posey or Mt. Vernon

St. James (in Gibson county) - many of these kids end up at Gibson Southern

I would add that sometimes it gets divided within families, for example a North Posey Football player (WR, DB) has a brother who is the starting QB at MD.

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20 minutes ago, itiswhatitis said:

Parents at WRV have been wanting to add football for years as far back as the early 2000's that I know of.   Bloomfield tried recently.  They keep getting shot down.   Apparently too many people still have a basketball only mentality or something like that. Or they don't want to spend the money.   You know they should just consolidate all 5 schools and just called it Greene County.  Of course that would put them in 3A or 4A for enrollment.   But 5 schools into one would really boost ALL sports in Greene County and no more kids  would have to leave one school to go to another for just one sport.

Curses Curses and More Curses....!

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9 minutes ago, Spitting Llamas said:

Many of those schools only have 12-15 kids per class, some have more but likely not more than 25-30 and as stated not all of those attend Mater Dei. Trust me, the school is trying to increase the enrollment, not keep it down for athletics. 

Yeah I got the part about not all of them attend Mater Dei.  Is that kind of a "political" thing?   "Attend our school because it is better than the other guys?"  Just wondered.  Even still a portion of those go to Mater Dei and multiply that by 8 feeders and that still gives additional players to Mater Dei.   Maybe I should say there is the "opportunity" to get more.   At other 2A programs, they have only one grade school.   Maybe that one grade school has 80 kids per class.   Mater Dei with 8 schools and 25 - 30 kids per class is looking at the possibility of 200 - 240 more potential students.   Yeah, yeah not all of them go to Mater Dei, but the "potential" is there and you know they get some of them.   Other schools get what they get.  No chance to pick up any extra players only from one grade school.

2 minutes ago, Miner_Pride said:

Curses Curses and More Curses....!

I take it you don't like that suggestion?  LOL

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36 minutes ago, JQWL said:

I just asked a buddy of mine that teaches at WRV how many kids do you guys lose to Linton for football? He said 2or 3 out of every class. WRV has looked into adding football to help in keeping their kids.

I know there are always a couple kids Linton picks up locally because we have football and there school does not in high school.  I think that happens in rural communities where a kid loves football and his school doesn't offer it...and one nearby does.  But it isn't a case of scouring the county in junior high looking for entice young kids to come to Linton for football purposes.  THey aren't leaving football schools either. 

 

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Holding the MD roster in my hand...   75 names.   Linton-  42.      I only list this cause there is discussion about it.  Truly Linton just has to suit up and match the discipline and talent that Mater Dei brings to the field.  The biggest advantage to having that many players is depth and one-way starters.  As I see... MD has 2 guys maybe 3 that go both offense and defense.  I'm sure they rotate some guys now and then... but that's pretty nice to have just 8-9 going one way.  They can be coached up while off the field, and certainly be 4-quarter ready.   Linton has worked on getting as much depth as we can muster with 42 kids.  And surprisingly appear to have just 5 two-way starters as this point, altho 8 of the offensive starters do play defense...just not at the same time.  Unforunately that we lost a valuable linemen to injury at Tell City... and had another injury in the N.Posey game that hopefully will be good for Friday.  Injuries are all part of football for sure....

  • St. James-3
  • Corpus Christi-10
  • St. Philip-19
  • WCS-11
  • St. John-1
  • Resurrection-12
  • St. Wendel-4
  • Holy Spirit-1
  • St. Joe-4
  • Holy Redeemer-9
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25 minutes ago, itiswhatitis said:

Yeah I got the part about not all of them attend Mater Dei.  Is that kind of a "political" thing?   "Attend our school because it is better than the other guys?"  Just wondered.  Even still a portion of those go to Mater Dei and multiply that by 8 feeders and that still gives additional players to Mater Dei.   Maybe I should say there is the "opportunity" to get more.   At other 2A programs, they have only one grade school.   Maybe that one grade school has 80 kids per class.   Mater Dei with 8 schools and 25 - 30 kids per class is looking at the possibility of 200 - 240 more potential students.   Yeah, yeah not all of them go to Mater Dei, but the "potential" is there and you know they get some of them.   Other schools get what they get.  No chance to pick up any extra players only from one grade school.

I take it you don't like that suggestion?  LOL

I would say it is likely more a financial thing than a political thing when kids decide to attend one of the public schools vs MD or Memorial. 

None of the feeder schools have 30 in their class.  My son's 8th grade class had I think 20 kids.  I would guess that most 8th grade classes that feed MD have 15-20 kids.  

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52 minutes ago, Spitting Llamas said:

Many of those schools only have 12-15 kids per class, some have more but likely not more than 25-30 and as stated not all of those attend Mater Dei. Trust me, the school is trying to increase the enrollment, not keep it down for athletics. 

Oh I wasn't suggesting that MD was holding down their enrollment for athletics.   It is just a bit mind numbing when you say, "8 feeder schools" vice only one.   I can imagine the "recruiting" that goes on between the private schools to get those players from the 12 - 15 or 25 - 30 kids.   I can imagine part of it is $$ and part of it is which school will give my kid the best education, besides the athletics.  Still the numbers are much bigger for even one private school than a public school.   And yes I know it was posted that some go to a public school.   I can imagine that has ONLY to do with the sports.

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58 minutes ago, Cappy said:

I would add that sometimes it gets divided within families, for example a North Posey Football player (WR, DB) has a brother who is the starting QB at MD.

That must be one crazy household.  I feel sorry for the parents trying to support 2 different athletes at 2 different schools but in the same family?  How do you make that work?   Yikes!

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13 minutes ago, Wildcat1992 said:

I would say it is likely more a financial thing than a political thing when kids decide to attend one of the public schools vs MD or Memorial. 

None of the feeder schools have 30 in their class.  My son's 8th grade class had I think 20 kids.  I would guess that most 8th grade classes that feed MD have 15-20 kids.  

Okay financial.   And probably which school will give my kid the best education, too?   Then as someone else mentioned, some kids go to public schools for their high school.   I just wanted to say, "this has been a good discussion".   I like chatting about certain topics and not getting into a fight over them and actually having a conversation.   Thanks to all.

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49 minutes ago, itiswhatitis said:

Yeah I got the part about not all of them attend Mater Dei.  Is that kind of a "political" thing?   "Attend our school because it is better than the other guys?"  Just wondered.  Even still a portion of those go to Mater Dei and multiply that by 8 feeders and that still gives additional players to Mater Dei.   Maybe I should say there is the "opportunity" to get more.   At other 2A programs, they have only one grade school.   Maybe that one grade school has 80 kids per class.   Mater Dei with 8 schools and 25 - 30 kids per class is looking at the possibility of 200 - 240 more potential students.   Yeah, yeah not all of them go to Mater Dei, but the "potential" is there and you know they get some of them.   Other schools get what they get.  No chance to pick up any extra players only from one grade school.

 

These kids aren't just football players, the are students. They are male and female. It's not like the feeder schools are football farms. 

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1 minute ago, Spitting Llamas said:

These kids aren't just football players, the are students. They are male and female. It's not like the feeder schools are football farms. 

No I understand that Llamas.  That's why I said in an earlier post maybe 3 of them go to MD for football.   I didn't think the entire class was all boys and they all played football.   Give me a little credit here.  LOL

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I would tend to lean towards Mater Dei's community, culture, and coaching when trying to understand the reasons for their success. There is a competitive mindset, tradition, and chemistry that you don't find at many other places anymore. Mater Dei seems to have been able to maintain that "old school", hard-nosed, disciplined mentality that many programs have lost over the years with the softening of society in general. If you look at Coach Goebel's resume as both a football and wrestling coach, there's no doubt his systems work. He was one of the most successful high school wrestling coaches in the country, not just the state. His staff is also very good. They get kids to buy-in and do whatever it takes to be successful. It's a true "team above self" culture. The entire school has that mindset, not just the athletic programs. I think many of the families have that same attitude, so the entire Mater Dei community plays a part. Families give the coaches kids that are prepared to go into the system. You just don't see that much anymore.

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As for the game itself....   I can only hope Linton gets off to a hella better start than last year.  I hadn't even gotten my pen pushed on to write up in the radio booth when it was 7-0.   In all my years doing Linton radio... back to 2000.. .and honestly just in all my years in school or since... I never saw a first quarter or half like that for my Miners!   Just for a refresher course--- 1st play from scrimmage Goodman looks to pass from our own 20.. rolls right looking for Dyer... but Kyle Davidson jumps up to tip the pass in the air... down into Nolan Knights hands... and he trots in for 6 just 8 seconds in.  THere was a 61 yard punt return (Kappenbrock), and blocked punt (Davidson) for a safety, A Miner fumble at our own 31 led to a McGrew TD...  just offensively we were unable to do really anything.  One big play-- Dyer ran for 30 yards, then Goodman for 12 and we were at the MD 39 on our 2nd possession... but Lannan coughed up the ball on the next play... Knight again making a play.  This was really a 44-0 game as Linton scored twice in the last 6 minutes... and actually on the last play of the game.   When you look at the game totals MD had 254 total offense, Linton 240.  Miners with 148 rushing, 7 of 21 for 92 passing but 2 interceptions thrown.  the Wildcats 191 rushing, 8 of 12 passing for 63 yards.   Cole Happe had several key QB keeps backside that we didn't cover... he ended up with 75 yards and 2 scores.   Lannan closed out his career defensively with 15 tackles.  Knight and Davidson led MD with 6 each.

2018 was a mud fest in Linton that was 7 to 7 at the end of 1.  Mater Dei punched two scores in the 2nd to take a 19-7 lead at the half.  The passing of Happe was the big weapon in that first half hitting 10 of 21 for 147 yards and 2 TDs. There was also self-infliction happening for Linton.  A fumble on a drive at the Mater Dei 29 in the opening quarter, then a huge lost fumble at the 4 minute mark of the 2nd giving MD the ball at the Miner 14 and a Happe TD run moments later.   The 3rd quarter was all Wildcats. Linton had the ball for 1 series that quarter... a three and out.  The Wildcats had it 3 times... all three scoring drives.  8 plays 52 yards, 5 plays 51... then a 10 play 68 yard drive with McGrew in just into the 4th quarter.  Linton fumbled again in the MD Red zone at the 15 yard line as well.  Mater Dei finished with 294 total offense, most in the air with Happe 16 of 29 for 226 3 tDs, but Linton picked 2.  Boring and McGrew combined for 81 rush yards, but with losses the rush total was 68.  Linton ended with 242 offense, 122 yards rushing from Luke Lannan and 2 TDs.  Goodman was 4 of 17 for just 41 yards, the team as a whole was 6 of 19 for 98.    Big games defensively for Lannan with 22 tackles,  and Givens for MD with 10. 

So looking back at those two games... the over-all yardage isn't indicative of the final scores.  Certainly the passing and running of Happe played big roles in both wins.  It's also evident that fumbles on Linton's part did not help the Miners in the slightest!  A couple if not three put the Wildcats at Linton's door for easy points.  Last year we were down and out almost immediately.  2018 we hung in there for a bit, and had a chance to stay in the game and fumbled it away.  But in the end, we couldn't stop the Passing game.  This is my biggest worry going into Friday. 

 

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1 minute ago, South Paw said:

I would tend to lean towards Mater Dei's community, culture, and coaching when trying to understand the reasons for their success. There is a competitive mindset, tradition, and chemistry that you don't find at many other places anymore. Mater Dei seems to have been able to maintain that "old school", hard-nosed, disciplined mentality that many programs have lost over the years with the softening of society in general. If you look at Coach Goebel's resume as both a football and wrestling coach, there's no doubt his systems work. He was one of the most successful high school wrestling coaches in the country, not just the state. His staff is also very good. They get kids to buy-in and do whatever it takes to be successful. It's a true "team above self" culture. The entire school has that mindset, not just the athletic programs. I think many of the families have that same attitude, so the entire Mater Dei community plays a part. Families give the coaches kids that are prepared to go into the system. You just don't see that much anymore.

I agree with this statement 100%.  I have great respect for what Coach Goebel has done and continues to do in this freaking society we have today.  One thing I know in watching Mater Dei is the discipline they exhibit.  The things they are taught to do.. they do.  It isn't a "Me" attitude.  I recall watching video last year of plays Linton would run that would catch a defender out of position, or going for the ball etc... that were stuffed by MD because the kid knew his role.  stood his spot... didn't bite.   I also want to say.. I realize Evansville is competitive... I realize there's Memorial, Reitz... certainly North and Central in that mix. 

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5 minutes ago, South Paw said:

I would tend to lean towards Mater Dei's community, culture, and coaching when trying to understand the reasons for their success. There is a competitive mindset, tradition, and chemistry that you don't find at many other places anymore. Mater Dei seems to have been able to maintain that "old school", hard-nosed, disciplined mentality that many programs have lost over the years with the softening of society in general. If you look at Coach Goebel's resume as both a football and wrestling coach, there's no doubt his systems work. He was one of the most successful high school wrestling coaches in the country, not just the state. His staff is also very good. They get kids to buy-in and do whatever it takes to be successful. It's a true "team above self" culture. The entire school has that mindset, not just the athletic programs. I think many of the families have that same attitude, so the entire Mater Dei community plays a part. Families give the coaches kids that are prepared to go into the system. You just don't see that much anymore.

I totally get and appreciate the old school mentality.   But will also say, 75 dressed on a 2a roster is HUGE.  You rarely see that many at the majority of 2A schools.   I believe coaching has a lot to do with a program being successful regardless of their numbers.   Some of the things you have mentioned about MD you could also say the same about Linton.  The biggest difference is the numbers and that I guess will never change.  Bigger area, bigger numbers even if you have to fight other schools for them.  It isn't that MD is the only school getting these kids.   But it is the opportunity they have (just like the other schools) to sign them.  They are going to get some of them.

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43 minutes ago, itiswhatitis said:

That must be one crazy household.  I feel sorry for the parents trying to support 2 different athletes at 2 different schools but in the same family?  How do you make that work?   Yikes!

We have it in wrestling also, one brother wrestles for Mater Dei and one wrestles for North Posey. Seems to be happening more and more We have a teacher at North Posey who has a daughter in high school, a 6th grade son at NP, couple younger children that will attend NP, but her oldest son (7th grade) left NP school district and entered St. Wendel Catholic School this last year. He is no longer playing sports with the NP kids, now plays with the Mater Dei kids. 

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3 minutes ago, Cappy said:

We have it in wrestling also, one brother wrestles for Mater Dei and one wrestles for North Posey. Seems to be happening more and more We have a teacher at North Posey who has a daughter in high school, a 6th grade son at NP, couple younger children that will attend NP, but her oldest son (7th grade) left NP school district and entered St. Wendel Catholic School this last year. He is no longer playing sports with the NP kids, now plays with the Mater Dei kids. 

That is just mind boggling.  How in the world do they make that all work?!?

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4 minutes ago, Cappy said:

We have it in wrestling also, one brother wrestles for Mater Dei and one wrestles for North Posey. Seems to be happening more and more We have a teacher at North Posey who has a daughter in high school, a 6th grade son at NP, couple younger children that will attend NP, but her oldest son (7th grade) left NP school district and entered St. Wendel Catholic School this last year. He is no longer playing sports with the NP kids, now plays with the Mater Dei kids. 

Yeah this happens the other way around too.

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33 minutes ago, itiswhatitis said:

No I understand that Llamas.  That's why I said in an earlier post maybe 3 of them go to MD for football.   I didn't think the entire class was all boys and they all played football.   Give me a little credit here.  LOL

What you don't understand is that none of them go to MD for football. Some go to MD and play football. Football isn't the reason they attend Mater Dei. I hate to say it, but if you were going to go to an Evansville school solely to play football, it wouldn't be Mater Dei. They go for the education and because their grandparents, parents, aunts and uncles all did. 

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1 hour ago, Miner_Pride said:

Curses Curses and More Curses....!

I lived in Greene county briefly in the late 1980's when their were 7 high schools.  WRV didn't exist and instead you had Central (Switz City), L&M, and Worthington.   Those were the days:

https://vault.si.com/vault/1985/02/18/back-home-in-indiana

Quote

...

Two days after Thanksgiving, most of the corn in Greene County is already down. The day has been balmy, and now as the light slips lower and lower in the sky, a thin layer of blue woodsmoke settles over the rolling stubble fields. At the L & M High School gym just south of Lyons, people are already taking their seats for tonight's game with Eastern High of Bloomfield. Because space in the 1,275-seat gym is first come, first served, L & M fans have been lined up in a corridor outside the gym since 5 p.m. The varsity game won't begin until 8:20 and won't end before 10. "It just became the thing to do last year," says Clyde Earl Hostetter. "It got so these people would show up at a quarter of six even for games where they knew there'd be plenty of room. It kind of intimidated them other teams to walk in from their buses and find a gym already full of people, I guess. Now everybody just keeps coming earlier and earlier."

 

Clyde Earl and his brothers, K.D. and Elmer, farm 2,300 acres of beans and corn around Lyons and Marco, the two towns whose schools consolidated 27 years ago to form L & M. Today the school has 132 students. Early in the basketball season, when game days come during the harvest, the Hostetter brothers do double duty so they can be sure to get to the gym in plenty of time.

L & M fans have been waiting for this season to get going for a long time. "This man who was about 70 years old came up to me one day," says Oliphant. "He looked me right in the eye and said, 'I don't have much time left on this earth, but I wish some of the time I do have would hurry up and go by so the basketball season would get started.' "

L & M could be this year's miracle team, and nobody would want to miss being part of that. The tiny school isn't supposed to be able to compete with the powers from the north, like Marion and Muncie Central. Yet last season the Braves were 23-0 before losing to Terre Haute South in the Terre Haute regional. As of last week, L & M, led by three seniors, 6' 6½" Jeff Oliphant, the coach's son, 6' 5½" Tony Patterson and 6'4" Chad Grounds, were 18-1 and ranked No. 4 in the state. In fact, the Braves were No. 1 in the UPI coaches' preseason poll. A 61-59 loss in December to the top-rated team, South Bend Adams, caused L & M to drop to No. 5. Adams was the first team L & M played this year with any black players on its roster, not to mention the first team the Braves had faced whose starting guards and center had shaved their uniform numbers into their scalps.

During basketball season, each week in Lyons is an agony of waiting that begins in church on Sunday, after which most of the men head over to Mike's garage. This isn't the kind of small-town filling station where everybody goes to watch a car get its tires rotated. It's just a garage, with a potbellied stove and a barber chair instead of a car in it, out back of Mike Terrell's house. Terrell is a 37-year-old biology teacher at L & M. It is a place where the men sit and talk about ball. Hoosiers rarely refer to the game by any other name but "ball." "Mike's pretty proud of his garage," Tom Oliphant says.

Oliphant is a 1964 graduate of L & M, and after a lackluster college baseball career at Indiana State, he followed in the footsteps of his father, who had coached basketball for 18 years, though never at L & M. "I moved away for 17 years, got married and then came back," is the way Oliphant describes his odyssey. The distant shores he came back from were Linton and Worthington—12 and 13 miles, respectively, from Lyons. "When we left Worthington," says Oliphant's wife, Renee, "there was a lot of dissension because people felt we were deserting them. There were a lot of rumors that Tom was taking a cut in pay because L & M had such a good team. That was crazy, of course, but you know, people get their feelings involved."

In most Indiana towns there are small groups of men who meet almost every morning and, over coffee, second-guess the local coach. In Lyons, the fraternity of drugstore coaches meets at Hamilton Pharmacy, and the Hostetter brothers are senior members. In fact, K.D. holds the rather august title of Drugstore Athletic Director—or, simply, K.D. the A.D. The drugstore coaches proved their clout in Lyons two years ago when they got up a petition against Dave Henson, who was then the L & M coach, and got him fired.

...

In this evening's game, the Eastern High Thunderbirds' main problem with L & M is anatomical, not geographical: Eastern's biggest player is 6'2". From there the drop is rather precipitous, down to one starter who measures 5' 4½".

Just a few minutes before the tip-off, the gym gets an almost palpable jolt when Indiana University coach Bob Knight and an assistant arrive to scout Jeff Oliphant. This is an event occasioning such intense communal pride that as the news of Knight's presence travels around the gym, heads turn and necks are craned. Knight merely stands in one corner of the arena, desultorily eating popcorn.

L & M leads 24-12 at the end of the first quarter and then runs off 22 straight points to go ahead 46-12. In the midst of all this there's a better drama going on. On the bench, the elder Oliphant has spotted Knight, still eating popcorn, and as the game progresses his eyes frequently wander back to the corner where Knight is standing. When Patterson, L & M's leading scorer and a candidate for the state's coveted title of Mr. Basketball, takes a long shot that rattles off the rim, Oliphant the coach barks "pass off once in a while" and then looks anxiously at Knight again.

Knight and his aide abruptly turn and march out of the gym with three minutes left in the first half. When Oliphant discovers that the object of all his attention has disappeared from sight, he begins to edge farther and farther down the sideline, trying to get a better angle on the corner where Knight had been standing. Soon he's almost oblivious to the game, intently following the popcorn trail with his eyes, until finally he finds himself practically in the lap of Gary Cook, the Thunderbirds' startled coach. When it becomes clear that Knight has vanished, Oliphant turns back toward his bench, still preoccupied with Knight's sudden departure. (Jeff plans to enroll at Indiana in the fall and try to make Knight's team, as a walk-on.)

After the game, which the Braves won 98-47, L & M's boosters are invited out to the home of assistant coach Larry Hasler. Hasler raises about 100 hogs on his farm, but most of the talk at the party is about basketball futures. The coaches and their wives get into a discussion about the bloodlines of prospective L & M players, hoping to determine which of the local progeny are likely to grow big enough to post up the coal miner's sons from Shakamak. "His father's six-foot," Oliphant will say ruminatively, "but he had an uncle on his mother's side who was real big." This is followed by a long, thoughtful pause. "And his grandmother was tall."

Outside, under a waxing moon, the hogs grow fatter and fatter. Soon it will be time for them to go to market.

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