RubberBuzz || Akron Unleashed: Baseball Vs. The OGT

5.30.2005

Baseball Vs. The OGT

I'm a Norton Alumni so I feel like I gotta comment on this. I'm almost proud of my hometown. We've got a great a team to be proud of, but I'm not to proud of the residence. Sure, everyone is excited now that the Panthers are winning, but will that translate to people voting for the next school levy? This kids are out there because they paid to play, how many Norton residents had to do that when they were in high school?

The pay-to-play Panthers (19-9) have united a school and a community. Unranked, unknown, unfazed, they have toppled two of the state's premier Division II programs in the past three days and show no signs of succumbing to the pressure of the moment.

They play euchre in the back of the bus. They laugh and joke around in pregame warm-ups. The Panthers remain loose right up until the time they outplay yet another opponent expected to beat them.

The fourth-best team in the Suburban League is now two wins away from a state title. They have defeated Ohio's No. 3- and No. 2-ranked teams in their past two games, and face No. 1 Hebron Lakewood (30-2) Thursday morning at Cooper Stadium in Columbus.

Unfortunately, state titles don't bring state funding. Results from the Ohio Graduation Test do, and those are coming next week.

My friend Craig is a teacher in a district just outside of Columbus. The teachers down there have been working with their kids in hopes of them passing this test. Unfortunately the test itself seems more flawed then perfected. The test is so hard that passing this year requires only a 42% in the Math and Reading sections. Other short answer sections will be graded using a rubric that is open to interpretation. So, Norton, good luck on Thursday, and even better luck when your test scores come in.

The BJ :: Panthers slay another giant

(joe :: Baseball Vs. The OGT)

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