Now the 2002-2003 boys&Mac226; basketball season has officially come to an end. Our
Mohigans won their first game of the State Tournament, upsetting Beckley-
Woodrow Wilson 65-60. Ben Torsney played his best game of the season,
combining with Seth Fogarty and Kameron Law for 40 of MHS&Mac226;s 65 points, and
Chad Murray had 3 three-pointers. Fogarty had 14 rebounds, and Rodamer had 4
assists. Our fans were vastly outnumbered by vocal WWHS fans, but our team
held on for the win. A large number of Rowdie Society members turned out for
the game.

Friday night brought a heartbreaking loss to Martinsburg, 62-52. Geremy
Rodamer and Matt Simpson played one of their best games of the season, and we
also got to see some points scored by Vito Minutelli, Tyler Jones, and Drew
Holt. Fogarty led the Mohigans in scoring, with 10 points, Tyler Benson had
6 assists, and Torsney had 8 rebounds.

On Monday, I spoke with MHS Athletic Director Dan Erenrich, Head Coach Tom
Yester, and Assistant Coach Jeff Hoffman, and asked them what they thought of
the 2002-2003 squad.

"They exceeded my expectations, and I think they showed a lot of character
and toughness by being able to have that great winning streak and coming back
to beat two very good teams, get to the state tournament and win one game ...
I think it speaks highly of their character." -- Coach Yester

"They surpassed everyone's expectations, and they can only continue to
improve. I think they did a wonderful job this season, both the coaches and
the players." -- Dan Erenrich

"Parkersburg South did what we wanted to do this year. Their program
parallels ours as we have worked very hard for many years to get ourselves to
the point where we could compete with the state's best. Now we have to work
even harder if we want to win a championship. These seniors have given up a
lot of themselves to take us another step closer. Hopefully these juniors can
take us all the way." -- Coach Hoffman

My prediction for next year is MHS vs. Martinsburg for the state
championship, and I&Mac226;m already planning the trip to Charleston.

Here&Mac226;s the Johnny MoHigan Awards for the 2002-2003 season (multiple
recipients are listed in alphabetical order:

Best Offense: Tough call. Several players merit mention here - Benson (30
points vs. Brooke; 25 vs. UHS in the Sectional), Fogarty (26 points vs. North
Marion; 20 vs. Laurel Highlands), Law (23 points vs. Buckhannon; 22 vs. East
Fairmont; 21 vs. North Marion), and Murray (22 points vs. West Fairmont).

Best Defense: Fogarty and Law. Fogarty led the team in total rebounds, and
Law was terrific at blocking shots.

Sixth Man Award: Murray. No doubt about it. He sparked the team every time
he took the floor. When Murray took the floor in a "clutch" situation, he
always delivered.

Best Free-Throw Percentage (Regular Season): Murray (92%), Law (77%), Benson
(76%), Torsney (73%), Minutelli (71%). I look for Holt and Jones to be
contenders here next season.

Best Free-Throw Percentage (Post-Season): Rodamer (72% for three games, 87%
vs. Woodrow Wilson).

Most Willing to Risk Personal Safety to Block a Shot: At least three come to
mind: Minutelli, Simpson, and Torsney.

Most Exciting Game of the Year: MHS vs. Woodrow Wilson in the quarterfinals
&Mac246; It was the first time MHS beat WWHS in the history of our basketball
program. For the regular season, I narrowed it down to two choices: (a) MHS
vs. Buckhannon, 55-53 [OT]. MHS went 8-for-12 from the line. A game like
this is a good reason to practice your free throws! And (b) MHS vs.
Parkersburg South, another game won on free throws.

Best Team Players: Benson, Fogarty, and Tim Williams. They&Mac226;d dish it off to
whoever was open.

Best Quote of the Year: "We didn't think they were that much better than
us," [Junior Shane] Maynard said afterward. "We really didn't think we would
lose." (Beckley Register Herald, March 21, 2003.) Life is full of
surprises, isn&Mac226;t it?!?

The ride was great while it lasted! Thank you Chad, Dan, Geremy, Matt, Seth,
Tim, Vito, Ben, Drew, Kameron, Tyler B, and Tyler J for giving us a wonderful
year to remember! Thank you Coaches Yester, Hoffman, Storm, and VanVoorhis
for making it happen. Thank you Mr. Erenrich, Shawn, Suzanne, and Theresa,
and Jack Johns and Nate Smith, and everyone else who participated in making
the 2002-2003 season one of the best in MHS history!