Battling all year long

Virginiagrace, that is exactly why we are who we are. "If it is meant to be...it will be" is a falsehood and a slap in the face to those programs (like the band) who put in the time and hard work that make them successful. To say they win their championships just because "it was meant to be" would be an insult.

The Atlanta Braves analogy also is not the same, for as you said they actually had to win something to get to the playoffs. Meaning that they are in theory, already competitive with those other teams they are in the playoffs with because they had to qualify to be there. Everyone makes the state tournament, whether they have 8 wins or no wins at all.

Athletic achievement or success never, I repeat...never, happens by accident. If you want to be satisfied with 50-0 losses and 3-30 records, then fine, but don't ask me to "lighten-up" because I find that unacceptable.

All "if it is meant to be...it will be" guarantees is even less than what we are getting now.

I honestly don't know the solution. But I do think part of it is simply having higher expectations as coaches, players, and fans. The first step to doing that is to take an frank evaluation of the program and realize who you are today. Then have the leadership to demand that everyone is on board for the same goals. And by the way, by leadership, I don't necessarily mean the coaches, though they are key in this. Leadership can certainly come from players as well.

It is no accident that the band program is successful. Do you think that this community is just blessed with kids who are born better horn players and marchers? Of course not! There is a process that they all are expected to go through, the key ingrediants being hard work, dedication, and high expectations, not only individually, but for the group as a whole. Do you think that kids born in Jasper are just better athletes than those born here? Of course not! So why is it they have the program they have and we have a the program we have?

Now how this actually breaks down into actual results, I'm not the one that should be making that call. That's why coaches get paid. Although they (the coaches)certainly have the right to expect and receive support from above in terms of facilities and equipment if that is part of the problem.

But going back to my original thought, this needs to be exposed. Not just here on the website, but in a more visible way. Hopefully someone from the Times, or maybe the Tribune Star (as this is a Wabash Valley problem too!) will take on this task. Because as in every 12-step program, one of the first things you have to do is realize and admit to who you are to begin with.

Jason, I think it is great that you still have a passion for your hometown team. I too, have always had an interest in how our local school, Northview, does on the gridiron.

Maybe this isn't your job personally, but one of the things that almost every newspaper does besides reporting the news, is having columnist write essays(columns) on the things/events that they cover. I wish someone at The Times would shine a light on why football at Northview is not more successful than what it is when it comes to tournament play.

Looking back at the history of football at Brazil and Northview High Schools, it really makes you wonder. Since all teams make the State Tournament, and have since the mid-to-late 70s, Brazil/Northview has only won three times. That's three wins in more than 30 years, or a record of 3 wins, and 30(likely more) losses! Oh, and I think it should be noted that those three wins came against two winless teams, and a team with only one win who had lost seven in a row coming into the game with Northview. And on those three rare occasions where Northview won first round games, they lost all three times in the next round. So repeating my self once again, in over 30 years of playoff football, Northview has NEVER made it out of the second round! It has to be more than just bad luck and bad draws!

Now I am singling out Northview here because they are my focus of interest, but if you widen it to the entire Wabash Valley, except where local teams are playing other local teams, teams from this area, almost without exception, lose to teams from outside of this area consistently. This year, the only local teams that survived the first round, were smaller schools from Parke, Greene and Putnam Counties. Again, most of those schools had the advantage of playing other Valley teams. And look at the scores the local schools lose by when they play outside the area.

So Jason, I'm asking you, why is Wabash Valley High School football so non-competitive when it comes to venturing outside the area? I mean, Northview is 8-1, but can't compete with Jasper, who has no more reason to be successful as a program than us. The Terre Haute schools, North and South, have to try to compete in the MIC, which for them may be impossible, but what gets lost is that they don't beat many non-MIC schools either when it comes to tournament play.

And when it has happened that way for 30 or more years, I think it is long past the time of having a light shine on it and start doing some serious re-evaluation of how we do things here.