SPORTSBEAT BY PETER JAKEY: End of the tournament trail

It was an emotional scene at the end of the tournament trail for players from the Posen boys? basketball team. As the Harbor Light Christian Swordsmen received the regional championship trophy, to the thunderous cheers of their fans, the Posen boys sat in chairs with every ounce of energy and enthusiasm drained from them. The players stared at the floor or covered their faces with towels. Some lifted their jerseys over their faces to not look at the ceremony, or to hide tears.

It?s a scene that can leave even a veteran fan of the tournament trail with a lump in his or her throat. The players lifted themselves up and walked into the locker room for one last post-game talk from coach Ron Misiak. Misiak was proud, but words were hard to come by. The coach was back out on the gym floor a few minutes later to discuss the game with the media.

?I HAD TO get out of the locker room before I did the same thing that they are doing — crying,? said Misiak, fighting the emotion of the moment himself. The coach said the seniors were taking it the hardest. Winning ball games and continuing down the tournament trail was first and foremost in their minds. To think anything else would be nonsense. Ron Kroll, who raised his Senior Trip Club money to Florida in three years, as opposed to the four it usually takes, told me he wanted to win it all.

Do you actually think he was thinking of Florida when he put up a three point attempt late in the fourth quarter that danced on the rim before popping out? It did everything but fall through. Last Friday before the last game of the season, Kroll didn?t want to hear any talk of ?if we win? at the school from classmates or teachers. Kroll was quick to correct me, or anybody else, with a ?when we win.?

THE PLAYERS couldn?t stay in the locker room forever, so one-by-one they walked out into the waiting arms of family members for long embraces. Posen had a good thing going and it was difficult to see it all come to an end. It was a season that brought fans terms like ?goon-tars,? the description of any opposing player, long winning streaks, exciting playoff games, and strange nicknames.

Center Aaron Hincka had the funniest nickname. He was called ?Big U,? as in Big Ugly. Members of Aaron?s family wore ?Big U? ball caps with Aaron?s #44 on it.

It?ll be interesting to see how Posen does next year as Misiak will have to replace a great group of seniors. He?ll have Matt Ponik and Big U back, but nobody else with a significant amount of playing time on the varsity level. It should be a good base to build around, though.

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I was honored to be invited to ride on the charter bus to Newberry March 17 with parents, fans and players. It was nice not have to drive, and it seemed like the trip went much faster. It didn?t hurt that the on-board movie was the basketball classic, ?Hoosiers.? I could be dead tired from a long hard day and still not fall asleep watching that flick. The bus was on the warm side with a lot of complaints coming from the passengers. The players tried to cool off by taking off their game jerseys as the driver struggled with the heating system.

The front window got steamed, leaving only a little area for him to see US-23 through. After 10 calls on the cell phone, the

bus cooled off in Cheboygan. As the bus ventured into the UP, the snow got deeper and deeper. I noticed a vehicle south of Newberry with a ?for sale? sign in the window. It was about the only thing you could see as the car was two-thirds covered in snow. The bus ride home was a good one after the Vikings defeated Rapid River, but as the excitement subsided, and my eyes started flickering shut, someone, and I don?t want to name anybody (Noah Schellie), stuck a wet finger in my ear. Needless to say, I stayed awake for the rest of the trip home. We watched the baseball movie ?The Rookie? for the last leg of the trip.

Watching movies on the tournament trail and drying out my ear — both firsts on the tournament trail. I wonder what the spring sports playoff season will bring?