By Jeff Orvis
In a couple of days, the Belle Plaine
boys' basketball team will begin a journey never seen in this town
before. Being a relative newcomer to this city, I don't know how long
we've had a high school here. I'm sure someone will be able to tell
me. But in the several genrations there has been a high school in
this town, there has never been a state boys basketball qualifier.
When I first heard this, I couldn't
believe it. Belle Plaine has a proud athletic tradition. Of course,
when folks think about sports and Belle Plaine, for many years it was
the wrestling program that took centerstage. Heck, they even started
penciling in a day off from school to coincide with the first round
of the state wrestling tourney because there were often so many local
qualifiers, there would have been a lot of empty classrooms if they
had held school that day.
Other sports have had their moments of
state glory over the years, including track, volleyball, football,
golf, etc. But never a state tournament qualifier in basketball,
despite some great players and coaches of the past.
So that makes this year even more
special. The Plainsmen enter the tournament as the fourth seed, with
an awesome 24-1 record. When they clinched the tourney berth, their
reaction made the social media, for its understated celebration. It
would have been understandable if the kids had swarmed the court and
piled on each other in total jubilation. But while there were plenty
of back slaps and high-fives, the team soon trotted off the court to
the locker room. It was almost as, to a man, they were saying, “Okay,
what's next?”
It would be totally understable if the
team walked onto the court at Wells Fargo in Des Moines Monday
afternoon, just happy to be there. But because of how they fought to
establish this super record, including several exciting
come-from-behind performances, it should surprise no one if they play
several games in Des Moines.
I've been to the state tournament to
cover teams in the past. I was telling someone that I remembered
covering the Independence team one year when they advanced to the
consolation game on Saturday. I also remembered covering the
Independence St. John's team another time. I remembered two years,
but in checking state records, I actually covered those teams a total
of five times, three for the Mustangs and twice for the Eagles. I
have an excuse for forgetting about those other three years. The last
tourney I covered was 25 years ago!
My high school, Pleasant Valley,
didn't qualify for state while I was there. But the Spartans have
been there three times prior to this season, first in 1988, when they
finished fourth, then in 2001 and in 2006, when they finished second.
PV is back in the tourney field again, facing Cedar Rapids Kennedy in
the first round. GO PV!!!
This year's Class 1A field is a strong
one. The top seed, Gladbrook-Reinbeck, is 25-0. The second seed,
Danville, is also undefeated. In fact, in other years, Danville was
such a formidable opponent that it successfully petitioned the state
association to allow it to play up a class in the tournament.
Earlham is the first round opponent
for the Plainsmen. It enters the week with a 23-2 record and it is
also a first-time state tourney qualifier.
I've had the privilege of seeing quite
a few state qualifiers over the years of standing at the end of the
court with a camera in hand. There's a different feel, a different
temperment of state-caliber teams. The feeling spills over to the fan
base, where the town buzz over a successful season erupts into a loud
roar once the fans descend on Des Moines.
It's an exciting time for Belle
Plaine. All of us are proud of what you have accomplished and wish
the players, coaches, parents and fans a fun week ahead.
GO PLAINSMEN!!!
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