The Wildcats
in 3-D
5/27/03
As Coach Rick Green’s baseball team takes the field in District Playoff
action next Saturday at 10:00 a.m. at South Lyon High school,
they’ll be vying for their 3rd District Title in 4 years!
District Championship tournaments have featured some of the most
exciting contests in MHSAA history, and certainly in the history of Novi
High School athletics. And if you lace it up against Novi teams you‘d
better get their early, and you might want to pack a lunch. The fall and
winter sports teams definitely proved my point.
Who can forget the dramatic win last football season over powerhouse
Lake Orion? The Dragons, a prohibitive favorite according to the Detroit
News, even got to play the game on their home field. But, Novi prevailed
17-13.
And of course, Varsity Basketball won it’s District last March against
cross-town rival Northville in a hotly contested, low-scoring overtime
affair. In the end, the Wildcats were victorious 33-31.
But, back to baseball. In 2000, Novi had to battle back from a 5-run
deficit late in the game against Brighton, which they did. It led
to the team's first District championship -- in Coach Green’s inaugural
season.
They followed up in 2001 with another dramatic come-from-behind victory
over Plymouth Salem. Trailing by 3 runs in the bottom of the 7th, the
Novi nine rallied to prevail, capturing their 2nd District crown in as
many years.
District championships are hard-won and fraught with peril because
everybody knows that, in single-elimination tournaments, anything can
happen.
One interesting side note… I’m sure the MHSAA would know this, but I
wonder how many High Schools if any, won their Districts in football,
basketball, and baseball, during the same school year? Should the Cats
prevail this weekend, they’ll do just that!
And, if anybody can, it’s the Novi Wildcats…
See you out there on Saturday, and you might want get there early.
(c) 2003 Novi
Information Network
www.novi.org
___________________________________
Bernie Fratto is a freelance writer, radio personality, and
motivational speaker. His passion for sports comes in part from
his experience as a former Cincinnati Red farm- hand. "Behind
every sports story lies the hearts and minds of real human beings"
said Fratto. "These athletic endeavors often serve as a
metaphor for the game we call life."
Bernie is also the voice of Novi Wildcat Hockey
and host of Wildcat Face-off, a local
radio program dedicated to youth sports in Novi.
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