  At Fowler, the circle is truly unbroken By Rhonda Westfall You'll have to excuse Caiden Pung for being more interested in dinner than in watching a classic hoop game unfold on the hardwood of the Breslin Center last Thursday night. After all the little Eaglet is just five-months-old, and he needed some nourishment at halftime. He's got years and years to watch Fowler basketball teams in action and, more than likely, play himself as the tradition of excellence crosses into another generation.
Like little Caiden, the Fowler players on the floor who pulled out the stunning, 75-73 double-overtime win over defending Class D state champion Covert in the March 21 semifinal game have themselves grown up knowing that someday their turn would come - the opportunity would be theirs to rise to the stature of previous Eagle teams that have brought home a ton of hardware in the form of district, regional and quarterfinal trophies. They did just that - and maybe a little more besides. In advancing to the championship game, they've entered a zone where just two other Eagle teams have gone before. The 1950 club came up short in a 30-37 loss to Brimley, but rebounded two years later to claim the 1952 Class D crown with a lopsided 55-20 win over Copemish. Fifty years - it's about time an Eagle team made it all the way back to the final game. I'm just glad that I've stuck around this reporting business long enough to see it. For the past two years I've been somewhat removed from high school athletics. Sports is no longer by 'beat,' and I must confess that I've lost contact with many of the coaches and teams. As this season progressed, Amber Matheson - who wears the official sports staffwriter hat at the Clinton County News - has become more and more enthused about the current Eagle team. "These guys are really, really good - you've got to come with me and watch them play," she would say after a Fowler victory over top-quality CMAC opponents like Pewamo-Westphalia or Laingsburg. There was a very good reason why I was hesitant to take her up on the offer. I didn’t want to jinx them. The club was winning just fine without me; never mess with a winning streak, the old saying goes. After the regional championship was firmly in hand, though, I determined that jinx or not, I wanted to see this club play ball. If they were as good as Amber said they were, I'd have felt miserable missing a chance to see an Eagle state championship. While this column is being written before that big game takes place on Saturday versus Wyoming Tri-Unity Christian, I have a pretty good feeling about the outcome. Like Amber said - these guys are good. Other Fowler teams may have possessed players with more individual talent, but few have shown the grit and determination this club displayed in the semifinal game against Covert. Think about it - winning in double-overtime. It's only the third time in state tournament history that has happened - since 1926, in all classes. The players not only maintained their composure through two overtimes to claim the win, they dug themselves out of a 12-point hole with just over six minutes left in the fourth quarter to tie the game 57-57 and force the initial overtime. A steady hand - or pairs of hands - at the free throw line was important down the stretch. Brian Spitzley and Chad Feldpausch combined to go 11-for-15 from the charity stripe in the fourth stanza and overtime periods. It was no two-man show, though. They were part of a team doing what was expected of them at that particular point in time. Just like Eric Simon did in tying the game at 67-67 in the second overtime off a steal, basket and foul shot on the next play - or any of the three Thelens on the team: Eric's three-pointer and following basket that helped close the gap in the fourth quarter; Jon's pretty break-away baskets against two Covert defenders at the close of the first quarter and start of the second; Matt's three-pointer that tied the score at 19-19 midway through the second stanza. Other Eagle players made equally important contributions just by being a part of the team: Jeff Simon, Kyle Pohl, Doug Martin, Tim Schafer, Mitchell Schafer, Chad Rhynard, Kevin Simon. They all made it a joy to watch - just like their predecessors did. I have some wonderful memories of previous Fowler teams from the mid-1980s through the early '90s when I was the sports staffwriter - not the spectator that I am today. Up until this past week, if anyone asked what was the best basketball game I'd ever seen the answer would have been any number of Fowler versus P-W contests from that time period - I'd give just about anything to see those clubs coached by Denny Smith and Ron Kramer take the floor once again - or maybe a tournament game. A number of those Class D contests in the first years that I was reporting pitted Fowler against Flint Holy Rosary - it always seemed like David going up against Goliath to me. Flint had some very, very big fellows and the games got pretty rough-and-tumble. In following years, Detroit East Catholic was a familiar nemesis. I still recall the thrill of watching the 1992 team eke out a 73-72 quarterfinal win over the Chargers - who were just a tad cocky. When Jason Goerge drove the lane and made the game-winning basket with :03 on the clock, the roar of the fans must have been heard from Linden's gym all the way to Fowler. Sort of like Thursday night when Chad Feldpausch canned the free throw with :07 seconds left in the second overtime that gave Fowler its 75-72 lead. There's a time and a place for everything. The time is now for this group of Eagles. Caiden's may come in 2020. |
That's how life goes in Eagle Country - success breeds
success.