The Kalamzoo
Gazette Newspaper
Wednesday, November 26, 2003
BY REX HALL JR.
KALAMAZOO GAZETTE
THREE RIVERS -- As the screaming cheers and chants bounced off the roof at Three Rivers High School's gym on Tuesday,
head football coach Scot Shaw stood near a doorway watching, but not taking part in the afternoon pep rally.
Like many in the community, Shaw is excited about the school's first trip to the Silverdome for the Division 4
state final.
But he's just waiting for Friday.
"Our job in all of this is just to play," Shaw said. "This team has a chance to go and make their
mark."
Win or lose, the magnitude of what Shaw's team has done this year has resulted in a sense of pride and gratitude
in this small community 25 miles south of Kalamazoo.
And fans -- both students and residents -- have taken on the task of giving the team their applause and support.
Stores along North Main Street are decorated with signs, the team's signature purple and its Wildcats mascot. And
gas stations, banks, restaurants, local craft shops and bookstores have adorned their windows with the words of
encouragement, "Let's Go Wildcats."
Many store owners plan to operate Friday on amended hours known as "Dome time," one merchant said. They'll
close their doors early enough to drive to Pontiac to watch the Wildcats take on DeWitt at 8 p.m.
"It's a great thing," said Three Rivers Mayor Tom Lowry, who owns Lowry's Books and More on North Main.
"It says more for the players, the team. They've pumped up the town. All those young men have done something
pretty cool."
Three Rivers' allotment of tickets for the game has already sold out. High School Principal Dan Ryan said the school
is instructing fans to purchase tickets the day of the game in Pontiac.
Ryan led Tuesday's raucous get-together in the Three Rivers gym. He guided students through a new rendition of
"Y-M-C-A" that was fittingly renamed "D-O-M-E."
Ryan said pride and school spirit at Three Rivers has "never been as high" as it has been over the past
two weeks as the Wildcats have rolled over opponents and are now one win away from capping their 12-1 season with
a championship.
"It's really a unique experience for all of us," said Ryan, who jokingly admitted that "not much
education" has been going on at the high school in the buildup to Friday's game.
As exciting as the time leading up to Friday's game has been for those inside the high school, many alumni are
glad to see their alma mater finally making the trip to the Silverdome.
Lorijo Nerad, who met her husband, Jim, when they were students at Three Rivers, planned Tuesday to set up an 8-foot-tall
Santa Claus outside her store, Arnold's Upholstery Shoppe on North Main -- and keep his head warm with a Wildcats
hat.
"It's finally happening, so we're so excited," said Nerad, who wore a Wildcats sweatshirt and has died
her hair purple in support of the football team. "We love the boys."
Many downtown store owners know someone on the team, or they attended Three Rivers High School. Some had children
who once played football under Shaw, who has been at the helm for 18 years.
"We live and breathe this sport," said Kathy Bingaman, who owns That Artsy Place in downtown Three Rivers.
Bingaman and her business partner, Kim Glessner have purple business cards. They also wear purple lipstick.
Both women have children who played football at Three Rivers High, and Bingaman's son is now the lead radio announcer
for Wildcat games.
The counter at the women's store Tuesday was covered with necklaces, hair barrettes, beads and paw prints the two
of them have made for customers to show their support for the football team.
"We're lifelong cheerleaders," Glessner said.
Both women will be in attendance Friday, they said.
As Tuesday's pep rally came to an end, many of the students filed out immediately to their buses and cars. But
many of the players stood in the gym or visited the school's main office to receive one last bid of good luck before
what may be the biggest football game of their lives.
"I can't wait," said David Booko, a senior running back who carried the Wildcats to a Division 4 semifinal
win Saturday with 46 rushes for 275 yards and three touchdowns.
Booko said this year's squad has a true team mentality. No player is more important than another, he said.
Tuesday, team members wore gray T-shirts that said, "Git Er Done."
That's been the team's motto since the playoffs began, Shaw said.
As he prepared for practice Tuesday afternoon, Shaw said he was confident that his team will come back to Three
Rivers this weekend as winners.
"This team is carrying the torch for many of the other teams we've had, as well as for themselves," Shaw
said. "We're going to try. We're not going up (to Pontiac) just for the trip."
Rex Hall Jr. can be reached at 388-7784 and rhall@kalamazoogazette.com.
© 2003 Kalamazoo. Used with permission