City Officials Get Pumped Over Tiger Football
November 15, 2019 at 5:53 p.m.
City Officials Get Pumped Over Tiger Football
By David [email protected]
Board of Works member, City Councilman and WCHS history teacher Jeff Grose presented Warsaw Police Department Chief of Police Scott Whitaker with a football sectional champs T-shirt from Coach Bart Curtis. The WCHS Tigers won the sectional title Nov. 8 over Penn High School, a longtime football rival. The football team plays Merrillville tonight for the regional.
“I don’t know if it’s going to fit me or you, but it’s presented to you,” Grose joked in making the presentation. “This is something that we want to recognize for years. I’ve been a school teacher and I greatly appreciated the city of Warsaw working with Warsaw Schools, and then Warsaw Schools working with the city of Warsaw.”
The Merrillville Pirates are coached by WCHS graduate Brad Seiss, who Grose said was “one of the best athletes I’ve ever coached in my 20 years of coaching. So there’s mixed feelings there, but he’s now a Pirate and pirates are all bad guys, so ... tonight we’re going to go after him.”
Grose said he “tried” to play quarterback in high school, but had more success on the basketball court. Grose was named Indiana’s Mr. Basketball in 1985. Whitaker was a former middle linebacker for the Warsaw Tigers.
“Really neat for us to see these young men have an opportunity to win a regional tonight,” Grose said. “And the chief, and the police department, Warsaw supporting their efforts, is going to provide an escort out of the city. Thanks to your department for helping and encouraging them.”
Whitaker said at 4 p.m. today, the WPD is going to meet up with other emergency services departments and provide the escort out of Warsaw. The route is up Ind. 15, Buffalo Street, to Center Street, then back on Ind. 15. He said a couple of police units will travel with the team all the way to the game for a “little extra security.”
He said, “On a side note, there’s several of us in law enforcement that played football. ... And it’s exciting to see this team and rebuilding efforts. This group of young men that are following their coach is amazing.”
Whitaker also said, “We’re excited, and we’ll be there to send them off and hopefully there’s a good showing tonight. Go, Tigers!”
Grose recounted he had the “privilege” to speak to the team the night before their first game.
“I told the boys that I’ve been a part of many organizations. And you win games, and you lose games. I asked them, as they started the season, ‘I hope you’ll be a team by the end of the year. A team. I don’t care what the scoreboard says. But if you’re a team, usually the scoreboard will look different.’ And I think Coach Curtis is going to be sending a team to Merrillville tonight. So win or lose, it’ll accomplish great things. And it’s just neat that the mayor, the police department on behalf of the city can support them,” Grose said.
He joked that Mayor Joe Thallemer, City Planner Jeremy Skinner and Street Superintendent Jeff Beeler will have their shirts off and chests painted to cheer the Tigers on.
The public is encouraged to line up along the street to cheer the team on as it heads out of town.
Grose said that Thallemer – who couldn’t make the Board of Works meeting Friday – wanted the school system to know the city and the entire community was behind it.
Whitaker noted the football team winning the sectional for its first time in school history, and against rival Penn, is a “huge deal.”
“Many football players never won a sectional, or two of them,” Grose said.
“Never won a sectional game,” Whitaker said.
“Penn is like Halloween night times 10, so it’s just so neat to see (Warsaw) beat them. What a story,” Grose said.
Whitaker joked Kosciusko County Sheriff Kyle Dukes was a “little hesitant” to get involved because of his Wawasee connection.
Board member George Clemens said Thallemer was trying to get a wager on tonight’s game with the town of Merrillville.
“In two weeks, we’ll talk about it,” Grose said.
Board of Works member, City Councilman and WCHS history teacher Jeff Grose presented Warsaw Police Department Chief of Police Scott Whitaker with a football sectional champs T-shirt from Coach Bart Curtis. The WCHS Tigers won the sectional title Nov. 8 over Penn High School, a longtime football rival. The football team plays Merrillville tonight for the regional.
“I don’t know if it’s going to fit me or you, but it’s presented to you,” Grose joked in making the presentation. “This is something that we want to recognize for years. I’ve been a school teacher and I greatly appreciated the city of Warsaw working with Warsaw Schools, and then Warsaw Schools working with the city of Warsaw.”
The Merrillville Pirates are coached by WCHS graduate Brad Seiss, who Grose said was “one of the best athletes I’ve ever coached in my 20 years of coaching. So there’s mixed feelings there, but he’s now a Pirate and pirates are all bad guys, so ... tonight we’re going to go after him.”
Grose said he “tried” to play quarterback in high school, but had more success on the basketball court. Grose was named Indiana’s Mr. Basketball in 1985. Whitaker was a former middle linebacker for the Warsaw Tigers.
“Really neat for us to see these young men have an opportunity to win a regional tonight,” Grose said. “And the chief, and the police department, Warsaw supporting their efforts, is going to provide an escort out of the city. Thanks to your department for helping and encouraging them.”
Whitaker said at 4 p.m. today, the WPD is going to meet up with other emergency services departments and provide the escort out of Warsaw. The route is up Ind. 15, Buffalo Street, to Center Street, then back on Ind. 15. He said a couple of police units will travel with the team all the way to the game for a “little extra security.”
He said, “On a side note, there’s several of us in law enforcement that played football. ... And it’s exciting to see this team and rebuilding efforts. This group of young men that are following their coach is amazing.”
Whitaker also said, “We’re excited, and we’ll be there to send them off and hopefully there’s a good showing tonight. Go, Tigers!”
Grose recounted he had the “privilege” to speak to the team the night before their first game.
“I told the boys that I’ve been a part of many organizations. And you win games, and you lose games. I asked them, as they started the season, ‘I hope you’ll be a team by the end of the year. A team. I don’t care what the scoreboard says. But if you’re a team, usually the scoreboard will look different.’ And I think Coach Curtis is going to be sending a team to Merrillville tonight. So win or lose, it’ll accomplish great things. And it’s just neat that the mayor, the police department on behalf of the city can support them,” Grose said.
He joked that Mayor Joe Thallemer, City Planner Jeremy Skinner and Street Superintendent Jeff Beeler will have their shirts off and chests painted to cheer the Tigers on.
The public is encouraged to line up along the street to cheer the team on as it heads out of town.
Grose said that Thallemer – who couldn’t make the Board of Works meeting Friday – wanted the school system to know the city and the entire community was behind it.
Whitaker noted the football team winning the sectional for its first time in school history, and against rival Penn, is a “huge deal.”
“Many football players never won a sectional, or two of them,” Grose said.
“Never won a sectional game,” Whitaker said.
“Penn is like Halloween night times 10, so it’s just so neat to see (Warsaw) beat them. What a story,” Grose said.
Whitaker joked Kosciusko County Sheriff Kyle Dukes was a “little hesitant” to get involved because of his Wawasee connection.
Board member George Clemens said Thallemer was trying to get a wager on tonight’s game with the town of Merrillville.
“In two weeks, we’ll talk about it,” Grose said.
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