knock out

It had all the makings of an old 15 round heavyweight title fight, the kind once held at Madison Square Garden or Las Vegas Nevada.  Marion, the home of 8 state championships (two in class play), was taking on New Castle, the home of the world's largest high school gym, for a 3A Boys Regional Championship.  There was color -- purple & gold, green & white.  Large cheerleading squads and seats filled to the rafters in the Bill Green Athletic Arena, capacity 7560. Anticipation was high, the atmosphere electric.  And then something happened that often happens at highly anticipated athletic contests -- for three quarters the Trojans dominated the home team Giants and for awhile the fight no longer seemed fair.  By the fourth quarter New Castle was content not to lose and gave Marion a small sliver of hope.  But time was not on the Giants' side.  So New Castle will move on, hoping for a third state title, while Marion will sit at home, dreaming of a ninth. © Chris Smith