Fairmont coach Tim Cogan said, “With Alter right next to us, them coming out and watching us, we’ll watch them (today) in the state final. I think it’s just great for the city of Kettering.”
Alter Principal Nikki Brainard agreed.
“It could be that some of the kids know each other,” Brainard said of the Knights cheering on Fairmont. “But it really and truly just is the Kettering connection.”
Brainard said the schools cooperate on community service projects like Partners for Healthy Youth: “We’re both in the state tournament this far in. Let’s go and support them, and you hope that, in turn, maybe they’d turn around and cheer for us, too.”
The Knights (24-2) play at 2 p.m. today in the Division II title game against Shaker Heights Hathaway Brown (22-4), a team Alter met in each of the past two tourneys.
After good runs in the tournament the past seven years, Fairmont finally earned its way to Columbus for its first state final four — complete with a police escort for its charter bus ride Friday morning.
“It livened up the community and put a spark in peoples’ eyes, which is always neat,” Fairmont coach Tim Cogan said.
The Firebirds got 25 points from University of Dayton signee Cassie Sant and 13 points from Holley Carey in a 61-55 loss to Toledo Waite in a Division I semifinal. Fairmont finished its best year 22-3.
Alter and Fairmont weren’t the only area neighbors to make it to state. Among the Division IV state semifinalists, Minster and Fort Loramie high schools are 4.2 miles apart.
Minster was defeated 49-48 by Berlin Hiland on Friday, while Fort Loramie lost 49-46 against Canal Winchester Harvest Prep.
In D-III, Middletown Madison faces Findlay Liberty-Benton today for the state championship.
Contact this reporter at (937) 225-6951 or mgokavi@DaytonDailyNews.com.
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