February 06, 2010
 Editor:
Dave Uphoff
The big story around Minonk this winter is the fabulous Fieldcrest basketball team which as of this writing has a 24-0 record having just defeated Central Catholic of Bloomington, 95-79. Fieldcrest is just one of 4 teams in the state that are unbeaten so far and is the best record a Fieldcrest or Minonk team has ever recorded.I have watched the last 5 games and I can't help but compare basketball now to when I was a forward on the 1958-1959 MDR basketball team. We were a good team with a 20-7 record and did win the Woodford County Championship and tied with Lexington for first in the old Midstate Conference. However, I am certain that we did not play with the intensity or the skill of the current Fieldcrest basketball team. When I played basketball in the old gymnasium, there was no introduction of players. We just walked onto the court and started playing basketball. Nowadays, an elaborate announcement ceremony is held with the players charging through a banner into the spotlight of the darkened gymnasium to the background of loud thumping music. Years ago the backboards were solid white rather than the glass backboards of today. Also, the men's bathroom was so full of cigarette smoke at halftime you could hardly get your breath. One thing hasn't changed though; fans of yesteryear were just as rabid as the fans of today. What strikes me about the Fieldcrest basketball team is there tremendous defense and their teamwork which are two attributes a team must have to be a consistent winner. When a team has a cold shooting night, the defense will keep them in the ball game. Fieldcrest's defense stymies the offense of the other team and leads to turnovers. It leads to frustration and fouls by the opposition. It's not only the players that become frustrated, the coaches succumb also. Two coaches from the opposing teams have had technical fouls called against them in the last 4 games.
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Fieldcrest is led by its two senior guards, Nathan Ropp and Taylor Baxter, who are referred to as Batman and Robin by Fieldcrest fan Jim Brown. According to city worker Brown, both Ropp and Baxter honed their skills playing countless hours of basketball on the courts at the Westside Park. Ropp can almost score at will from either the outside or by driving and twisting for an inside layup while 6' 5 " Baxter is a great ball handler and can sink 3 pointers as well as an occasional dunk or two under the basket. Michael Winkler, Trent Hartzler, and Matt Stevenson round out the well-oiled Fieldcrest machine and each player has played a significant role in the team's success this year.
With its aggressive brand of basketball and excellent defense and solid shooting by all team members, Fieldcrest is a fun team to watch play. Coach Matt Winkler is to be commended for his ability to inspire his team to play aggressively and to play as a unit. Everyone is predicting that Fieldcrest will eventually meet up with Peoria Manual at the sectional. If they keep up the intensity of their play they should have a good chance of knocking off Manual and go on to the state. Meanwhile, Fieldcrest's basketball team has livened up another dreary winter and their fans are packing the gym to capacity eagerly rooting them on to another victory.
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