No one does it alone. IHSAA football state finals coaches give thanks on Thanksgiving.

Family and football. If there is one holiday that melds the two like mashed potatoes and gravy, it is Thanksgiving. For many families, memories of Thanksgiving weekend at Lucas Oil Stadium (or the RCA/Hoosier Dome before it) for the high school football state finals are as cherished as Thanksgiving itself.

Before the six championship games kick off Friday and Saturday, I asked several of the coaches involved what they are most thankful for as they prepare their teams to play for a title under the lights of IHSAA football’s biggest stage.

IHSAA football state finals preview: New 6A showdown, teams back with unfinished business

Nobody does it alone. Some coaches mentioned parents. Some named mentors. Many named supporting wives. But this story begins with a coach who was brought to tears before he could even get the words out.

John Hart, Brownsburg

Brownsburg coach John Hart with wife Janet after Brownsburg’s 22-21 win over Lawrence North for the Class 6A regional championship.

“I’ll try not to cry,” Brownsburg coach John Hart says, “because I’m not a crier.”

Maybe so. But the 62-year-old coach, a father of four and grandfather of nine, is still less than a month removed from news nobody wants to hear.

It was Halloween, the day before Hart’s Brownsburg team was set to play rival Avon in the first round sectional game in Class 6A. Janet, his wife of 40 years, was diagnosed with breast cancer. The Harts will find out about the next steps at their next doctor appointment on Dec. 2.

“To be honest,” Hart said, “she’s 1,000 times stronger and probably 1,000 times better than the guy she married.”

John and Janet celebrated their 40th anniversary this year, bringing the entire family to celebrate on the beach in Florida. For all of those four decades, starting even before he finished college at Eastern…

Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/no-one-does-alone-ihsaa-101004483.html

Author : IndyStar | The Indianapolis Star

Publish date : 2024-11-28 10:10:00

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