The calendar has flipped from 2022 to 2023, and before we let too much time go by, I’d like to look back at some of the most memorable Massac moments from this past year.
In no particular order, here are some of mine.
Early on this year, Massac’s head basketball coach Joe Hosman notched his 800th win when the Patriots whipped West Frankfort on Feb. 18. Hosman now stands in sixth place among Illinois’ winningest high school coaches. Dick Van Scyoc, of Peoria Manual, stands just ahead of Hosman with 826.
Another personal highlight of mine was getting to watch the Bremer twins, Claire and Max. Claire was a fixture on the girls’ softball team at third base and qualified for state in the discus where she finished 11th. Max was a standout on the Patriots football team, left his mark on the basketball team and capped off his senior year by qualifying for state in both the discus and shot put field events. He finished fifth in the shot put.
I thoroughly enjoyed watching coach Pat Clark’s baseball team as I’ve watched about half of these kids grow up. Along those lines, I sure miss Lewis Bowles sitting behind the back stop with sidekick Gary Adkins.
While I’ll freely admit that I’m no rabid soccer aficionado, this year’s bunch of “baby-faced assassins” appears poised to leave a legacy on which our future teams can build.
But, again on a personal note, my favorite memory of 2022 is getting to watch the girls’ golf team come together and make another trip to the state finals at Decatur. I’ve had the pleasure of watching every girl on that team come through the Metropolis Country Club junior program and see their hard work and the progress they’ve made. The seniors, Olivia Heine and Josie Walker, are shining examples of what we want from our youngsters.
Junior Elise Coakley was named, for the second time, The Southern‘s Female Prep Golfer of the Year, and, take it from me, she’s earned it. Elise has been a fixture on the course for about five years now along with dad Price. The Coakleys have put innumerable hours of practice in and are now seeing it pay off. Elise will have one more shot at a state title next fall as she leads her young teammates into battle.
And one, sort of generic, fond memory is getting to record our young student athletes who are offered athletic scholarships sign letters of intent.
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