Continuously serving Kosciusko County since 1854
A former high school football player, Scott Geist has enjoyed the chance to play with the Kosciusko County Mustangs semi-pro team in its inaugural year.
Weekends are again filled with the popping of shoulder pads and the camaraderie of teammates.
When the Mustangs take the field Saturday at Lakeview Middle School against the LaGrange County Longhorns, Geist, the oldest member of the team, and his teammates will move and feel like kids again for the afternoon.
For Geist and teammate Mike Peterson, Saturday's game will carry another special meaning.
At Saturday's Mustangs game, which is scheduled to start at approximately 3 p.m., all veterans, police officers, firemen and EMTs will be admitted free of charge in memory of the Sept. 11 attacks.
While they were miles and hours away, it's safe to say the Sept. 11 attacks hit close to home for Geist and Peterson.
Both are police officers in Whitley County, Geist a sergeant with the drug task force team and a sniper with the Whitley County Sheriff's Department, and Peterson the chief of police for the Columbia City Police Department.
"It's going to be a sad day," Geist said of Saturday. "This was the first direct attack on our home soil on a non-military target. There was a lot of civilian lives lost. And I can't say enough about the military, police, firemen and paramedics who gave their lives. It's disturbing that something like that happened and I hope it never happens again."
Geist, who graduated in 1985 and played high school football at Columbia City for former Eagles coach Ron Frickey, has been on the police force for 10 years. Prior to that, he was a paratrooper in the 1st Special Operations Command out of Fort Bragg, N.C., and is a combat veteran.
Peterson has also been a police officer for 10 years.
"It's going to be a sad day," Geist said. "But I'm looking forward to it."
Geist said he estimates he alone will have 20 friends and family members in attendance at Fisher Field.
The Mustangs, for whom Geist and Peterson play on the defensive line, enter Saturday's contest with a 3-2 record. The LaGrange County Longhorns are 1-4 in Interstate Football League play this season.
