History and heartbreak: An unbelievable final night at one Iowa gym
Last week's playoff game at Orient-Macksburg was one the people will never forget
Last week's playoff game at Orient-Macksburg was one the people will never forget
Last week's playoff game at Orient-Macksburg was one the people will never forget
If the walls of this Orient-Macksburg building could talk, it would have a century of stories to tell. Trophies and pictures dating back a century line the walls and fill glass cases. The "Old Gym," lined with brick walls, inches from the sidelines, still stands near the "New Gym," which has been in use since 1965. For 105 years, neighbors have gathered here to make memories.
"At halftime, we do pie auctions or recognize people from the archery team," said senior Carter Osborne.
Coach Dave Hartman has been there for three years and immediately understood the culture. "Athletic events are the main events," Hartman said. "Grandparents, aunts, uncles are here. It's a sense of family and community."
"It definitely gets noisy," junior Emma Boswell said. "The crowd gets into the games. It's a great environment to play in."
Stacey Cass attended Orient-Macksburg, works there, and her kids go there. When holding a trophy from 1922, she was asked about what was about to happen.
"It's just sad," she said. "A lot of good families came from here. It's just awful. It just sucks."
With only 100 students in grades K-12, enrollment has declined to the point where the school can no longer remain open. Orient-Macksburg, the heart of the town, opened in 1921. Despite the best efforts of many, it will close in 2025. The current students will split up and enroll in neighboring school districts such as Nodaway Valley, East Union and Winterset.
"I'm not going to be with my friends next year and graduate and walk across the stage with them," sophomore Marissa Cass said.
It's terrible news the community must grapple with. They did, however, have one final night.
With no boys team this year, nine girls took the court Thursday as the last team to ever do so at Orient-Macksburg. Even if they beat Madrid in the playoff opener, their next game would be on the road. Win or lose, this gathering marked the end of an era.
"I don't want it to happen," said Shirley Ross, class of 1961.
The team, led by star junior Emma Boswell, built a lead. With seconds left in the game and quite possibly the existence of the team, the score was tied at 38. Orient-Macksburg had the ball with a chance to win.
If these walls could talk, they'd have one last whopper of a story to tell. O-M missed its final shot.
Madrid's Samantha Springer rebounded the ball, took two dribbles and heaved it before she reached half-court.
Swish.
It's not the ending anyone could have even dreamed. Madrid won the game 41-38.
As Madrid celebrated Springer's miracle shot, heartbreak and reality set in for O-M. It wasn't just the season that came to a sudden halt.
"I dropped to my knees and cried," Boswell said. "I waited on my teammates to hug me. Super sad."
"They are not my teammates; they are my family," Osborne said.
The players left their shoes at half-court. They left their handprints on the banner while saying their name into a microphone and signing out. With the best record the school had in the last 15 years, they left their mark on the school's history, showing class and resilience in the face of a painful end to an inescapable situation.
"This is bigger than sports," Cass said. "It's a community."
"Sadly, this won't be the last town this happens in the state of Iowa," Hartman said. "We have seen things of that nature. There are real benefits to small schools. The word, sadly, is inevitable."
The future of the building is still up in the air. Residents are hopeful it could become a community center. O-M alum Ryan Frederick summed it up by posing on social media:
"It's not the 'lasts' that matter. It's what happened between the 'firsts' and the 'lasts.' By that measure, my fellow Bulldogs, we have not lost, but won."
BUZZER BEATER: You must see this Iowa girl's game-winning three-quarter court shot
'Thought I airballed': Madrid's Samantha Springer reacts to buzzer-beater
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