The Melting Pot Still Cooks

This morning, I wish to share a sport story coming out of Monon, Indiana where my former assistant basketball coach, Ken Hickman reports. This community of nearly 1,800 residents has a Hispanic population of forty-percent. The story offers a modern day '"Hoosiers" moment or perhaps a Granite City, Illinois "Men of Granite" story, which documents poor Eastern European immigrant kids of Armenian, Macedonian, Slavic and Hungarian descent that knocked aside odds to win the Illinois State basketball Title. It is a heart-warming account about 'those kids from the other side of town,' which would make a wonderful break-through contribution to their school and community. Let me explain.

Monon Township of White County is located in Indiana's Northwest quadrant. It's attraction for the large Mexican population is employment at a huge egg production farm and two semi-tractor construction industries. One could imagine that the 30% North White high school Hispanic students would likely feel disconnected from the school's mainstream. They 'look' different, many speak a different language and they offer limited contributions to the school's extra-curricular profile.

All that changed this fall of 2016... Boy did it change! The past few years there has been growing cries from Monon's Hispanic neighborhood to begin a boys' soccer program. This school year those pleas received more traction from the administration and board of education. The program's inaugural year would find the team facing a significant handicap...no home field therefore no home soccer matches. The young enthusiastic newcomers to the Indiana High School Athletic Association were undaunted.

Surely, not much success is expected from any prep sport program in its inaugural season...wrong in the case of the Monon boys' soccer team. The squad took an impressive 12-2 record into Indiana's first round sectional playoffs and advanced to the championship game. Last week a student fan bus and a plethora of private autos made its way to the sectional finals and witnessed the unimaginable. This upstart soccer club fought through two over times and several penalty kicks to capture the sectional championship and take a 14-2 record into the next playoff level. As that tie-breaking penalty kick settled into the goal net the Monon students poured onto the field to celebrate this unexpected victory for their alma mater. A title captured for them by 'those students from the other side of town.' In these times of ugly political rhetoric and devisive language, I celebrate with North White High what is good about America. We are a Great America when We build opportunities instead of walls. This is a shinning example of a true American story. May God continue to bless our nation with this spirit.