A twisting and turning drive down SR 47 took me to Sheridan to see the Crawfordsville Athenians football team scrimmage against the Sheridan Blackhawks. Seeing all the state championship banners hanging at Bud Wright Stadium really gives you a sense of the long and successful football history at Sheridan. Given the size of the school, it makes it even more impressive that they have been able to be so successful.

While Sheridan coach Bud Wright is entering his 44th season (350-142 with 9 state championships) at Sheridan the game marked the first event for Crawfordsville head coach Sean Gerold. Best wishes to Coach Gerold as he begins what will hopefully be a long and successful career.

Sheridan is a considerably different team than they were last year. The graduation of all-everything quarterback Nick Zachary along with several other key players leave the Blackhawks with several big holes to fill. The quarterback position appears to have been filled by a first name change as freshman Sam Zachary steps into the very large shoes vacated by his older brother.

The Athenians also have several positions to fill from last season. Sophomore quarterback Joel Hobson took the majority of the snaps for the Athenians. While several positions will need to be filled, Craig Fairley returns for his senior season at running back. Fairley, who has received much preseason recognition already, had a strong performance against Sheridan and should be set to have another outstanding season.

My photography coverage of the game was really focused on Sam Zachary as I was on assignment for VYPE sports magazine so my photo selection from the game is somewhat limited. I will be covering Crawfordsville again next Friday as they open the 2009 season at home against West Lafayette so check back then for a larger selection of Athenian football images.

Below is a slideshow of my favorite images from the event. Click here to view them as a gallery or click here to view all photos from the night.

2009-08-15 CHS BV Football vs Sheridan – My Picks – Images by Kevin Seale