 |
| Forrest Witt, Alex coach (kxra) |
Holding the reins from the head coaching position is a most familiar name and face for those of us in Morris. It's one of "the Witt boys." Most of you would need no introduction.
It has been some time since the boys graced our local athletic scene with their talents. Oh, and even longer since father Jerry showed his heroics as UMM student-athlete. Yes, a family with athletic genes, congratulations.
The mom is Holly. You'll recall there were three boys. The oldest was Zachary, the youngest Taylor, and then the "one in the middle," Forrest. There is probably a psychological profile for people who grew up "in the middle." I know there are conceptions about the "only child" which happens to be my category!
Forrest is the Alexandria Cardinals coach.
The Witt boys developed into football quarterbacks. As I recall they all got into the varsity scene when relatively young. If my memory is correct after all this time, Zach and Forrest threw lefthanded while "the young one" Taylor threw from the other side. I might write "tail ender" but that's generally a term for a kid that comes along quite long after his siblings. Correct?
Neal Hofland has described his youngest child as a "tail ender."
I'm old enough to have done press interviews with Jerry when Holly was "expecting." I remember they kept their thermostat low in the cold weather months - at least that was my perception. But hospitable people they were.
Jerry was a runningback in college. Actually his playing days as a Cougar were during the "black hole" in my life when I wasn't in Morris that much. Spent a lot of time in St. Cloud. Jerry would occasionally tease me with the negative stereotype of St. Cloud State students. Back when SCSU had the "riots" for Homecoming, he teased me with the claim that he thought he saw me in one of the photos. Students did things like set dumpsters on fire.
Actually the administration liked to claim it was a lot of non-student troublemakers who showed up that weekend. The community or the state clamped down on that behavior eventually. It really is nothing to smile about in reflection. For a long time we did. Higher ed is totally serious and focused now which it has to be, given the expense for the young people.
Aw, I can still smile a little about the SCSU Homecomings. Homecoming has come back there after a hiatus required by the notorious reputation.
Winning handily
The proud Alexandria Cardinals are in Class AAA. So we're talking fairly big schools. The caliber of talent ought to be high but let's not assume these teams are awesome. I mean, take a look at the game scores for Alex's first three games in the state tournament. Holy mackerel, 86-33 over Willmar - Willmar? - 89-49 over Fergus Falls and 91-46 over St. Cloud Tech.
I would assume all three of these foes to be on a comparable level to Alexandria. Is Forrest's coaching that good? Let's assume that!
Alex is a place that has attracted so many "migrants" or "refugees" from Morris. "Expatriots?" Isn't that the impression? A bigger city that has lakes recreation and more amenities of the larger communities. You don't disagree, do you?
There's something else: a "roundabout" that you have to navigate if you're going from Glenwood to Alexandria. The first time I saw that, my heart could have skipped a beat.
So many changes we all have to adapt to, all the time. Should my next car be electric? Will the law require it? What about the negatives we read about in connection to electric cars? Won't start in extreme cold?
I might have suspected that a lot of people get shook when they come to a roundabout. Usually we're correct with such assumptions. And so sure enough, there is a well-known "stealth camper" who spent overnight in one of these things, concealed by vegetation, and he noted many people driving off to the side as they were disoriented.
I have dealt with the Alexandria area roundabout maybe 5-6 times, have learned that when all else fails, just respect any "yield" signs. Do that and you're OK. Fail to do that and it could be "whoa Nellie." Jerry would laugh.
Finally an obstacle
Alexandria waltzed through its first three games in state, burying foes from familiar cities out here in outstate. Alex was a buzz saw. Eventually things straightened out. Alex won its fourth game but this was a close one, 72-70 over the big city boys of Minneapolis South. But then a loss occurred, 65-62 at the hands of Mankato East.
They're not done. Coach Witt and his boys will play DeLaSalle tomorrow (Saturday, March 23) at Concordia-St. Paul. What an exciting ride the Cardinals have been through. Congrats to the red crew.
Congrats on representing a city that has more going for it than Morris, I guess. Can't you all list former acquaintances who have gone there? Are we holding our own here in Motown? Has the new U of M president come out here to speak and meet people yet? I mean, to give the obligatory flowery speech about how incredibly awesome UMM is with its "liberal arts" purpose? Let me say this: If she does not come out here to the windswept prairie and do this, it could be a sign of trouble for us.
The old football field
I remember the Witt boys playing quarterback at the old Coombe Field. That location is not even recognizable as a former football field now. The museum should probably put together a display. Such a different place from Big Cat. It was more like a "town square" where people gathered and socialized, only partly interested in the football. Big Cat was put up on the assumption that the football games would be everything.
I think the High School League began tweaking the rules to promote more passing and scoring. This appears to be well-accomplished. I remember many games at Coombe like during the '80s that were just boring. They were boring in comparison to so many of the 9-man games. As a writer in the press, I appreciated more scores to write about. Man, anyone would.
Memories of the Witts as athletes themselves have faded, although they are indelibly in my own mind. Then again, I remember more than most people. Like of the St. Cloud State Homecoming foolishness. Is a little foolishness healthy now and then?
The high-flying Cardinals with coach Witt met Minneapolis South in the state quarter-finals at Williams Arena on the U of M campus. Alex came at the big city boys with premier "big men" at the forward slots: Chase Thompson and Grayson Grove. They both stand around 6-9. The Tigers of Minneapolis South were undersized by comparison.
Not that the Tigers couldn't put up a scrap, indeed.
Grove is committed to the U of M. He scored 26 points and collected 15 rebounds in Alex's 72-70 win. Thompson's output included 18 points, 12 boards. The Cardinals were up big in rebounding, 39-21. The Tigers fared OK despite that height disparity - consider the 40-40 halftime score.
Witt recalled that the scrappy Tigers "had us out of rhythm" some. The Cards appeared to be seizing the momentum in the second half of play. However, the Tigers went on an 11-2 run. The scoreboard difference was a mere one point with a minute left.
Minneapolis South had the ball with seven seconds left, trailing by a point. Stewart Scott drove inside and shot. Thompson blocked it! Moments later the celebration could begin for the gallant Cardinals.
Addendum: Morrissites often hear someone saying they're "going to Alec." So why is it "Alec" and not "Alex?" People my age remember the KCMT-TV station out of Alex that was our only station for a time. They gave us "Bud and Natalie" as the afternoon talk show!
Forrest Witt, coach of the Alexandria boys, addresses some young athletes. ("precision basketball" image)
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
No comments:
Post a Comment