Things keep getting better sports-wise in our county
- col-teri-stein
- December 10, 2024
- 207
It’s been a great year in sports for all of us in Tuscarawas County.
It started off with the Summer Olympics in Paris, where our favorite Olympian Hunter Armstrong of Dover won a gold and a silver medal in men’s swimming.
And now the best end to a local high school football season ever. The Indian Valley Braves have accomplished what no other team in Tuscarawas County has done. They earned a spot in the Division IV state football playoffs, and then they won, defeating a tough team from the Sandusky area 37-36.
It was incredible how the community responded. One fan who went to the game, which was played at Tom Benson Stadium at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, said there were people cheering the team buses on their way to the playoffs on every bridge in the county that crosses I-77.
The spectator count for the Indian Valley game was the highest of any of the high school playoff games last weekend. Not just Indian Valley fans attended the game. There were many students, as seen by the variety of letterman jackets at the game, from other schools in the county who attended to cheer on the Braves too.
I watched the game on television. It was a joy watching the Braves play and a little nerve-wracking until time finally ran out.
Are there enough adjectives to describe that game? Probably not, but I can come up with a few. Epic is the top choice. Classic for sure. Electrifying, great, excellent, exceptional, legendary and a game for the ages. Yes, it’s a good time to be a Braves fan.
The Indian Valley Braves also had a perfect 16-0 season. What a special time for everyone in the county and especially Braves Nation. People will be talking about this season and this win for years. Even a news article from the Sandusky area about the game said, “The Braves were the real deal.”
Going to state in anything is always memorable. A personal story — I can remember when I was a kid in 1967, there was a school playground near our house that was located on a state route. I was on the playground’s swing set when the Strasburg High School boys basketball team bus drove by on their way to playoffs in Columbus. It was exciting to see them on their way. The Tigers won their playoff game 55-54. And there is a lot more to that story you can read about online at the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame website.
Memorable games and experiences can breed more great athletes. My elementary school age great-nephew was able to attend the Indian Valley state playoff game with some family members. It was a wonderful experience. As good as it was for the Braves team, for younger athletes, they now know what is possible and that it is attainable. They know they need to work hard.
It was fantastic seeing Brave’s running back Grady Kinsey being interviewed on television. He said it was the best day of his life. And for those of us watching the team’s accomplishment, it was one of the best days in our lives too and a game we will always remember. The win lifts the entire community and will surely do so for a long time to come.
A state championship is rare, something to be treasured. Congratulations to the Indian Valley Braves football players, their coaches, the cute little boys that assist the team with the footballs, the cheerleaders, the band, the student body and everyone in the district. It was our year.