February 25, 2023

The absolute hardest thing about this job is having to watch a team I’ve been following have their season come to a sudden end. The disappointment is evident on all the players faces but it’s the seniors that break my heart every time. In this game, it hit home before the end of the game. The Riders were already trailed far too much for any hope of a comeback but they soldiered on. Alex Schmidt was fouled and came up the line to take his free throws. It suddenly hit me that I was watching the last two shots of his high school career. And the look on his face made it plain that he was having the same thought. Ever the professional he kept the emotions at bay long enough to take care of business.

This was only the second time I’d seen the Ichabod boys lose a game, so I had some hope that they could successfully defend their title. But it was not to be. They should be incredibly proud though. They won a state title last year and followed it up with a solid season. Not a lot of schools can say that.