Our days are filled with uncertainty. Often.
We know the sun will rise in the east and set out west at night. But there is no way for sure to know what will transpire in between. Great joy in facing a historic opportunity, or insufferable pain emanating from pure evil. These were the two emotions dribbling in the minds of the Hanover Central Wildcats last Saturday night. The boys basketball team boarded the yellow bus to travel to Calumet for the Class 3A sectional championship game against the host Warriors. Hanover had only one sectional title in school history in 1986. That’s a long, long while. But there was also some overpowering fear in the ‘Cats’ souls. Two of their friends and former school mates -- Thomas Grill Jr. and Molley Lanham -- had been missing for several days. A social media push was seeking answers. The Wildcats took the floor last weekend with hope of making history and a daunting fear of the dark unknown. “I was thinking of them, we all were,” Hanover senior Luke Barach said. “We didn’t know. They were in my prayers.” The Wildcats went out and “upset” Calumet 50-42. Climbing up that dusty, cob-webbed ladder meant the world to these kids. A huge crowd from the community was there to support them. It had been 33 years since the last nets had been chopped. “It felt so great to finally win it,” junior Dominic Lucido said. But on Monday the hard news let the Region know that Grill Jr. and Lanham had been killed. Valparaiso’s Connor Kerner has been charged in this crime. When will this unspeakable horror end? When will we start treating each other with an eternal respect? Who will save us from ourselves? Lucido was friends with Grill Jr.’s brother and spent many days at the family’s home in middle school. Barach played Jr. Wildcats’ basketball and Grill’s father was his coach. This wasn’t some random case of violence seen on the TV while surfing with the remote. This awful instance hit home. And it was a direct hit. “They are in my prayers,” Barach said. “It’s so sad. I will keep them in my head, my heart. In my mind I have to believe they’re in a better place.” Where would we all be without such a hope to cling to? These heavy hearts will travel to South Bend Washington on Saturday morning for a regional semifinal against Culver Academy, likely the top team in 3A in the state. These Wildcats are riding a wave of good feelings from the historical success they’ve had. Coach Bryon Clouse has a lot of young talent growing playoff whiskers right now. He said the addition of 6-foot-6 freshman Landen Babusiak and 6-foot-3 junior T.J. Burt at midseason gave a talented group a spark and more depth. The players at Monday’s practice joked that winning the sectional crown will finally get Clouse to stop talking about the ‘86 team. Finally. “Climbing up the ladder was awesome,” Clouse said. “Turning around and seeing the kids (players), their families, the students, the people from our community really meant a lot. It was special. “No one expected us to win sectionals and no one expects us to beat Culver. So we’re going to play loose and have some fun.” Hanover hit 16 3-pointers in one game this winter and 15 in another. The ‘Cats know how to hang some nets. This is a great stone to have in your back when you’re facing Goliath in March. I hope all who read this will remember the two families from the Hanover community in prayer, who are grieving right now, living in days where basketball scores mean nothing. Here’s to hoping the boys in light blue can lift up their neighbors by the way they play, and the way they remember their lost friends. “They will be in my mind when we play on Saturday,” Barach said. “They will be in my prayers.”
3 Comments
Catherine Babusiak
3/8/2019 08:43:25 pm
Great article - you hit the nail on the head. The Hanover Community has weathered its share of tragedy in the past few years and the community never fails to hold each other up and support each other through the hard times. This group of boys is special, from Varsity to JV to the C team. May God bless those who are mourning and may God be with these boys as they try their best to bring home a win for the community they love. A special thanks to the warm welcome our son received returning to the Hanover family in January.
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8/1/2022 01:52:31 pm
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8/2/2022 05:20:53 pm
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Meet SteveNWI's Steve Hanlon is forever a columnist, and he now writes a blog. Check it out. Archives
March 2020
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