Norwalk, St. Paul set for Foundation game

NORWALK — Ultimately, it just made sense. Given the difference in school sizes and schedules, the athletic teams from Norwalk and St. Paul rarely meet head-to-head, except for baseball and wrestling off and on over the past 25-plus years. But many of the sports teams from the two schools practice and scrimmage against each other. That stage will get a big enhancement for a good cause this Saturday. The Norwalk boys basketball program will host St. Paul in an OHSAA Foundation game, set for 6 p.m. Saturday (Nov. 22) at the NHS gym. A Foundation game is played as part of the OHSAA Foundation service week initiative, designed to encourage community service and charity. The game can be one of a team's five allowed scrimmages, used as a regular-season game under normal game rules with game uniforms, or played as an exhibition. The event raises money and collects items for various charities across the state. This Saturday's game will feature one half of a freshman game and one half of a junior varsity game. The varsity teams for the Flyers and Truckers will then play a standard 32-minute game in their regular uniforms under normal regulation rules. The sideline cheer teams for both schools will also be in their usual spots along the baselines. Both schools will also introduce and recognize their grade school and junior high teams in grades 4-8. Admission is $5, with all proceeds from the event to benefit The Piggyback Foundation (31 E. Main St.). Fans are encouraged to wear colors in support of either the Truckers or Flyers. "We scrimmaged against each other this summer, and we kind of got to talking about it back then and thought it would be cool to get the community together," Norwalk head coach Adam Kreischer said. "It's still not a situation where we're playing each other in a regular season game or something like that where I don't know that everyone would necessarily be open to it, but it's still good to get a preview. "The community gets a chance to see both teams in one place, and we get to raise money for a good cause. That's a great thing and something both of us coaches wanted to do." St. Paul head coach Steve Minor has participated in a Foundation Game in each of his four seasons as head coach. In the previous three years, the Flyers traveled to Elyria for a game against Open Door Christian to benefit Empower Sports. But after building that relationship, Open Door has now shifted onto the schedule as a regular season game, opening up the possibility of a Foundation game elsewhere. "I'm excited we can finally do something like this, and it's a great foundation, certainly," Minor said. "Thanks to some behind-the-scenes campaigning, Norwalk showed some interest, as did we, and we were able to agree to something that is good for the town." The game will take place four days before both teams open a regular season that will feature quite a bit of learning on the fly. The Truckers bring back no seniors and have no returning letterwinners from a 7-15 finish last season. The Flyers have four seniors and two returning letterwinners from last year when they were 20-6 overall with a Division VII district title and 13-1 as Firelands Conference champions. "It's good for us because it's a varsity game night experience, which will be all new to our guys," Kreischer said. "For them to get in that kind of atmosphere before Game 1 will be huge for us. We've had good practices and some good scrimmages, and we've really seen some growth and good things out of our kids. "But having said that, you don't really know what you have, and the kids don't know what it's all about until that varsity atmosphere hits them," he added. "And really that's what I'm looking for: how they respond to that and getting that experience before next Wednesday." To that end, Kreischer said he plans to coach Saturday as if it is the season opener, which for the Truckers is on Nov. 26 against Oregon Clay at home. "We will play it like a regular game because our guys need that experience and to be held accountable and know what the expectations are for them when it comes to a varsity game," he said. "I know you see some of these previews, and teams don't want to show too much, or they play a base defense and do not run any sets. "You see things like that, where it's kind of treated like an open gym. But we can't be like that this year. We're going to have to do little things all season to have any kind of success. We need to hold them accountable to all of that and play the way we need to play, so we will be playing Saturday like it's our first game." St. Paul will visit Fremont St. Joseph to open its season on Nov. 26. "We're going to lean on our seniors a lot more, because we're just a little bit thinner than we were," Minor said. "But we still expect to play hard every night and compete, and that will start Saturday for us. "And I hope people show up to support it for the good of the cause, because in the big picture, Norwalk is never in our way and we are never in their way." Minor noted several of the players for both teams live in the same neighborhoods. "There's always been this underlying rivalry there that I'm sure is just natural," he said. "But as soon as we can understand if we can put our heads together and do something like this together, there will be greater results out of it. "Anything we can do to bring attention to a good purpose like the Piggyback Foundation is going to be awesome, I think. I hope the game ends in a tie with no overtime. But we're very excited to drive across town to Norwalk this weekend." About the foundation The Piggyback Foundation was started by Lisa and Dirk Hiler in 2007. The non-profit helps families in Huron and Erie counties during times of serious illness. The name stems from the ability to help carry families through times of need, because every child loves a piggyback ride. The foundation has four programs to assist with various expenses, including events such as anniversaries, birthdays, holidays, extracurricular activities, and school expenses. There is also a fund to help families with food and travel expenses. About half of the foundation's budget also comes from the resale and retail shop "When Pigs Fly" at the E. Main St. location.