Thanks Coach Frickey!

At Monday's school board meeting, Ron Frickey's resignation as Head Football Coach was accepted by the GKB School Board. Ron has indicated he still has the fire and desire to coach football. But, as Todd finalizes his plans for college, Ron felt he would not be able to dedicate the time required of a Head Coach. It is expected that Todd will play College Football starting this fall. Todd has had several offers and is weighing all his options before he makes his decision.


Ron's overall record at Garrett was 38-27 in 6 seasons. He ends a 31 year career in coaching. He won a sectional Championship at Columbia City in 1993 and an ACAC Championship with the Railroaders in 2007. The last two years he coached Garrett to the Sectional championship game each of those years.


 After Andy Thomas resigned in July of 2006. Coach Frickey was hired just one week before the season began. I'm not sure our community appreciates how difficult that was for a coach. With Coach Frickey's prior experience, he made the transition nearly seamless for his players and coaching staff. 


We are so proud to have had Ron as our coach over the last 6 years. He truly has a heart for ALL kids, not just football players. He has a way of working with kids who "live on the edge". Many coaches can't deal with these kids. But, Ron always worked with them and gave them many chances to succeed. Ron has also been a key to the success of our weight lifting program. He has helped so many of our teams implement the Bigger Faster Program so our athletes get the most out of their training. 


He has been the driving force in developing our FCA (Fellowship of Christian Athletes)and is the leader of our School Spirit group. 


Although Ron is resigning as Head Coach, he will remain a key part of our Administrative team as Assistant Principal. He also has offered his services to whoever our next head coach will be. He loves football and kids. I am sure he will continue to be a great asset to our athletic program.


Thanks Coach Frickey for all your work as our football coach!

Congrats Todd and Austin!

Todd Frickey and Austin Gibson were notified today they are recipients of All-State Football Honors. Both of the players were key to our success this year. Congratulations on your honors!

Sectional Championship Tickets + Directions!

The Garrett Athletic Department will be pre-selling tickets for Fridays Championship Sectional Football game at Jimtown. Tickets are available until Noon on Friday for the price of $6.

The Athletic Department is also organizing a fan bus to the game. Students can purchase fan bus tickets for $2 + $6 sectional ticket. All tickets must be purchased before Noon on Friday.

Directions:

Take Hwy 6 west out of Kendallville to Nappanee. In Nappanee turn North on Hwy 19 and travel approximately 12.5 miles to County Road 26. Turn left (west) on CR 26 and travel approximately .6 miles to CR 22 which is the first right. Travel 1.1 miles on CR 22 to County Road 3. Turn Right on CR 3, this will take you to the High School.

Fall Season continues

Garrett took another step toward a Sectional Championship by soundly defeating a good Whitko team 42-14 in Garrett tonight. Our team is doing a great job playing together and being unselfish. We have some of the toughest kids in the area and they love playing regardless of the circumstances. We have a wonderful coaching staff that puts their heart into every game. We have a fantastic group of Fans and parents that give great support for the team and their players. We will give Jimtown everything they can handle and more!

We will travel to Jimtown next Friday Night for a 7:30pm kick-off. We are one step away from a Sectional Championship. GO RAILROADERS!

Winter + Fall = CRAZY!!!!!!!!

On the calendar it is still FALL..................... Unless you are talking about the Athletic Calendar. The Fall season isn't over yet. The Football team is competing (and we are readying the football field for another game), but the Winter Sports Teams have started practices. Monday marked the official beginning of the Winter Sports Season in Indiana. On Monday the Girls Basketball teams across the state started practices. Next Monday is the official beginning of the Wrestling Season and the week after that is the beginning of the Boys Basketball season.

The transition to winter sports, for me, begins about the first part of October. So, it's a little crazy trying to wind-down one season while another is gearing-up.  I just wanted to mention a couple of things:

The Sectional Semi-Final Football game between Garrett and Whitko will be played here in Garrett at Memorial Field this Friday Night. The game will start at 7:30pm. YOU CAN NOT USE YOUR BIG TRAIN TICKET to get into this game. EVERYONE MUST PURCHASE A TICKET AT THE GATE. The cost is $6. There are NO PRESALE tickets.

WE HAVE LETTER JACKETS. The High School Athletic Office has letter jackets for sale for a REALLY good price. Last year we bought-out our supplier and can offer letter jackets to you for a great low price. So if you have a NEW LETTER WINNER, contact the high school athletic office to see if we have your size.

Fall teams will schedule their own awards programs and letters, chevrons, captain stars, and numerals will be given out at those awards nights. Contact your coach if you are unsure about the date and time. Also, contact your coach if you have questions about the awards.

We will have winter schedules printed in a couple of weeks. We are still working with our opponents to verify times and games, especially for lower levels (freshman/jv) Once we are convinced we can print an accurate schedule calendar, we will make it available in the offices. BUT, if you want to look ahead at the schedule, you can do so by going to highschoolsports.net . You can look for Garrett Schools and the entire winter season sports schedule will be available. When we enter the practice schedules and transportation times, you will also have that information.

The National Weather Service is talking about a Winter similar to last year. SO, that will mean cancellations. The Athletic Department will post Game cancellations and postponements via this Blog, Highschoolsports.net, and local media. Practice cancellations will be done via the Coaches by phone or text. The safety of our students is the main priority. IF, IN YOUR OPINION,  YOUR SON OR DAUGHTER CAN NOT ARRIVE TO A GAME OR PRACTICE SAFELY, DON"T LET THEM TRY! Their will be absolutely NO consequences. Please do your best to notify the coach so they will know NOT to expect them. A decision about wether to cancel games or practices will be made keeping in mind the safety of the students. As a rule of thumb, If school is cancelled, we will cancel practices. If in the view of the administration, road conditions will improve enough to allow practices, we may still allow teams to practice. A good example of this is Fog Delays. If the Fog would lift, we would allow practices. If road conditions worsen or remain hazardous we will cancel all activities. We will always err on the side of caution.

Well, that's enough information for one post. I am sure we will share more information as the winter sports seasons get into full swing! Good Luck Railroader Football team, defeat the Wildcats!

Football Sectional Directions and Game Information

The Garrett Football team opens Sectional play this Friday Night at 7:30 p.m.  at Tippecanoe Valley High School.  Tippy Valley is located on Hwy 19 between Warsaw and Rochester, Indiana.

The trip will take about 1 1/2 hours. Generally, the best way to get there is by going to South Whitley, Indiana by taking Hwy 205 out of Garrett to South Whitley. When you get to South Whitley you need to turn West on Hwy 14.  You will stay on Hwy. 14 for about 20.5 miles. When Hwy. 14 turns south toward Akron, Indiana you keep going straight onto a county road (100). You will take this road until you reach Hwy. 19. At Hwy. 19 you need to turn North. This will take you right to the High School. (2.7 miles)

The High School will be located on the West side of the road.

Sectional Tickets are $6. There are NO PRE SALE Tickets.



By clicking the link below you can get the MAPQUEST directions with a map. If you don't know how to do this you can come to the High School Athletic Office to get a copy of the directions.

We are also offering a
FAN BUS for High School and Middle School Students. 

The cost for the Fan bus is $2. All Students interested in riding the FAN BUS must go to the Athletic Department Office to sign up and pay your $2.

Directions to Tippecan0e Valley High School

6-0 -- One Game at a time!

The Big Train keeps rolling down the track defeating Woodlan 35-16. It was a little touch and go early when the Railroaders went down 10-0. Woodlan was able to get some big plays early but we made adjustments and rattled off the next 35 points. After giving up the final score late in the game the Railroaders were once again dominant.

Now comes the toughest challenge of the year when we take the Big Train down to Berne next Friday night with the showdown against the Starfires. SA has only lost to Leo and really put up a good fight against them. Let's make it 7-0 next week Railroaders! Focus on ONE GAME AT A TIME!

ROLL BIG TRAIN!

It's still a "W"!

Well it wasn't pretty, but it still counts as a WIN and the Railroaders are 5-0.

Tonight the Railroaders defeated a very good Bluffton team by the score of 35-28. We had a very diffiuclt time stopping a potent Tiger Offense. In the end it came down to a key turnover late in the game. The Railroaders offense scored 28 points in the second half and came from behind to get the win

Homecoming is always awesome at Garrett thanks to the Student Council and sponsors, Kristen Maksimchuk and Becky Wright. Tonight was no different. It was a perfect night for football and all the festivities. There is nothing better than winning to cap off Homecoming week.

Congrats to the Railroaders!

Good Luck to the Volleyball team at Wawasee tomorrow and the Cross Country teams at West Noble.

Storming the Field in Style!

Rivalries can be ugly. Before our game last night I was talking the officiating crew about their experience with rivalries. They had some horror stories about fights and ugly games. NOT IN OUR HOUSE! Last night was a perfect example for the rest of the world how a rivalry can be positive.

Last night was one of the hardest hitting, well fought Football game, I have ever been to. We did have one unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on Dekalb. Not to give an excuse, but it came at a time they were getting really frustrated. It was a battle in the trenches but it was a clean battle.

The best part of the night wasn't the awesome play of our line, the great catch and interception by Jamison Wisel, the 6 touchdowns and record for Todd Frickey, or the ending of a 35 year drought against the Barons. The best part of the night was the character displayed by our student section when they stormed the field. They actually waited for the traditional midfield handshake before the celebrated with our team. No one gave them instructions, not one set it up ahead of time. They did it on their own because they are awesome. Now I've committed  to Sundaes for these senior girls on Tuesday. It's worth it!

Seasons Begin

This week marks the beginning of the 2011-2012 Athletic Season.  Football, Volleyball, and Soccer have gotten their Pre-season games out of the way and now we start the real deal. The Volleyball team and the Boys Soccer team start the season on Tuesday this week. With the Volleyball team taking on the cross county rival Dekalb Lady Barons and the Boys Soccer team will face East Noble. Both games are at home. The Volleyball team will also host Prairie Heights on Wednesday before traveling to Churubusco on Thursday. The Girls Soccer team hosts the Columbia City Lady Eagles on Thursday night while the Boys travel to Lakeland to continue their season.  Then the Varsity Football team travels to Eastside to take on the Blazers in the season opener this Friday night.

As you can see, the first week is filled with some great sporting events. Come on out and support your Railroaders as the seasons get under way.

Check the schedules on www.highschoolsports.net or go to the school website, www.gkb.k12.in.us

Go Railroaders!

Volleyball / Football Entrances / Team Pick-up and Drop-Off

Volleyball and Football Games Parking at GHS

The NEW Garrett High School construction project is well under way. With the new construction comes many challenges. One of those is parking for Athletic Events as well as athlete pick-up and drop off. All High School Volleyball  and Football games will be affected.  Below are the open entrances for Fall Athletic Events.

Volleyball -    The only entrance open for Varsity and JV Volleyball games will be door #10. This door is also known as the Performing Arts Center (PAC) entrance. There will be no entry at Door #3 North of the gym or at Door #23, the old “railroader track” entrance. Parking for the games will include the Performing Arts Center lot, the East middle school lot, and the Ober Faculty lot. ALL entry will be done through door #10. You will not be able to walk through the middle school to attend any high school athletic event.

Football – The entrance to Memorial Field for both visiting and home fans will be through the EAST gate at the field. Home fans will walk around the track to the North in order to get to the home side stands. Visitors and Home fans will use the same gate. Parking will be available in the Middle School South Lot, the Middle School East Lot,  the Performing Arts Center lot, and the Ober Elementary staff parking lot. Parking on Britton street will no longer be convenient for home fans as there will not be a gate on the North or West side of the field. Parking will not be allowed along the driveway off of Warfield Street. Overflow parking will be at the Soccer field across from the GKB Central Office.

Team Drop-off and Pick-up – Teams playing contests on the road will be dropped off on the North side of the school at Door #3. This entrance is accessible to parents from Houston street and is located between the Ober Elementary and the High School.

Championship Game next week

Great Job Railroaders! A great win! We will play for the sectional championship next week at Garrett vs Bremen. Garrett defeated Eastside by a score of 28-13.  This was a tough game played with a lot of emotion. The Train Trophy stays at GHS for another year.

It is always great to play High School Football in November!

2 week Run!

I know it's not a "streak" yet! But we are getting on a roll with our stellar defense. The Railroaders beat up on Central Noble with a 42-13 win. The 13 points were scored late in the game, long after the final chapter was written tonight.

We are on the road next week to Butler, Indiana as the Eastside Blazers defeated Prairie Heights 18-12 in the rematch of last week. I guess we call this "Train Game" part 2! We need to stay focused and take care of business. They are better than the first game of the year, but so are we. Game will be AT Eastside and will once again start at 7:30 p.m.

Good Luck to the Lady Railroaders tomorrow as we have our work cut out for us defeating a very good Eastside Volleyball team and then defeating PH or CN. I have all  the confidence in Coach Richardson and the might Railroader Volleyball team. Game begins at approximately 12:30pm tomorrow in the Bateman Gym.

Roll Big Train!

FB Regular Season ends on Positive Note! + (Go Ariel!)

Congrats to the Railroader Football team for ending the season on a positive note by defeating the Heritage Patriots on their own turf 7-0 ! The Garrett Defense should get the game ball. They came up with some great stops and forced several key turn overs in the game.

Let's keep the Big Train Rolling throughout the Sectional Tournament.

Good Luck to Ariel McCoy at the Regional Cross Country Meet tomorrow at West Noble. We are proud of your leadership and your accomplishments! RUN FAST!

Football Sectional Draw

Ok, Here it is!

Garrett will host Central Noble in the first round of the IHSAA Sectional on October 22nd. Garrett will travel to either Prairie Heights or Eastside for the 2nd round game on October 29th. Then Garrett would host the championship game UNLESS Whitko wins the upper bracket. Then the sectional championship game would be played at Whitko.  The Upper Bracket has the Whitko Wildcats traveling to Bremen and Woodlan traveling to Fairfield in the first round.

The formula for hosting games in the Sectional Tournament is complicated. The bottom of the bracket will host the game in the first round. In the second round, the team without a home game in the first round will host the game. If both teams did not host or If both teams did host the first round game, then it goes to the bottom bracket. In the Championship game the bottom of the bracket will host UNLESS the team in the upper bracket has hosted fewer or no games in the tournament than the bottom of the bracket. Now that is clear as MUD!

Scenarios:

Second Round -- Garrett @ Prairie Heights, or Garrett @ Eastside

Championship Game -- Whitko @ Garrett (If Whitko face Fairfield in Round 2)
                                      Garrett @ Whitko (If Whitko faces Woodlan in Round 2)
                                      Bremen @ Garrett (All scenarios @Garrett)
                                      Fairfield @ Garrett (All scenarios @Garrett)

Looks like a pretty good draw for Garrett. 3 out 4 championship scenarios would be played at Garrett,

Tournament Week!

We have tournament play begins this week for several GHS teams:

The Boys and Girls Cross Country teams travel to Adams Central Tuesday for the ACAC Cross Country Meet. The Girls race will begin at 5:30 p.m. followed by the Boys race. Both teams are very young and the Boys team has had more than it's share of setbacks due to injuries. But, It looks like both teams will get there share of All-Conference honors.  Good Luck Railroader Harriers!

The Volleyball team also enters the ACAC tournament on Tuesday. The Lady Railroaders will face Bluffton in the second game of the night on Tuesday. This team has won 10 matches in a row and are ready to make some noise in this tournament and then the IHSAA Sectional in a couple of weeks.

The Boys Soccer team has one more win to tie the record of 7 wins for a Boys Soccer Team at GHS. They will have to do it in the IHSAA tournament which starts Thursday Night at 5pm. The Railroaders host the tournament and that always gives our team a great advantage. The Boys will face a very tough Lakewood Park team. But, they certainly have the ability to be able to win this sectional. We are all  proud of our program and look forward to the upset on Thursday night!

The regular season action continues for the girls soccer team this week as the season gets ready for sectional play next week at Dekalb. The girls will travel to West Noble on Wednesday and then will begin preparation for the Sectional game against the Host Barons next week.

The Football team will face a very tough Leo Lion team at home on Friday night. The senior football players, cheerleaders, band, show choir, and cross country runners will be honored at the game. Good Luck to the Railroaders!

Great Day!

I got home too late last night to post about the Ball State --ACAC Saturday. What a great event and near perfect weather. I can't say enough about the ACAC Athletic Directors and schools.  It is so fun being a part of a conference where the Athletes are the priority. It is a lot of hard work by everyone to solicit sponsorships, sell tickets, and organize the day into a special event for the athletes and fans.
I also can't say enough about the Hospitality of the Ball State  Athletic Facility Department and Dan Byrnes.

We had 4 great games and great support from the communities! Through all that, we also got another Railroader win! Bring on Homecoming!