‘This is just the start’: Fast start, late push lifts Botkins to 1st state title

“That’s the type of neighborhood Botkins is‚” Powell said. “It’s a feel-good community.”

And now it has a feel-good story.

The Trojans capped their community-building tournament run with the school’s first state championship by defeating Columbus Grove 60-44 in the Division IV final Sunday morning at UD Arena.

“This is just the start,” Powell said. “Whenever people say Botkins I want them to think of winning. These guys were the first one, but there were a lot of little kids out there that have Botkins on their chest. And they’re next.”

The Trojans (27-3) started fast with a 16-0 lead, and Jayden Priddy-Powell, the coach’s son, had 11 of the points. Grove (25-3) fought back to trail 34-32 late in the third quarter. But the Trojans outscored Grove 26-12 to close the game. Priddy-Powell scored nine more points in the fourth quarter to finish with 27 on 10-of-13 shooting to complete an outstanding tournament run.

“Anything that I thought was out of place or doing wrong we really focused in on it,” Powell said. “And when tournament came, I let off a little bit and let him just play. I think because I let off of him, he was able to play his game.”

The literal and figurative feeling of family was on display. It starts with the coach and his son and the Pleiman brothers, Jacob, a junior, and Carter, a sophomore. During the postgame celebration they greeted their parents in the stands as did fellow starters Denton Homan and Zane Paul.

“It just means everything to do it with him,” said Carter Pleiman, who scored 17 points. “Just pure love between the two of us.”

Priddy-Powell said, “It’s going to be a great memory. We get into it sometimes, but a lot of memories have been made.”

The community love also had to be there. Powell was coaching JV at Lima Perry when he applied for the Botkins job.

“I’m a confident person,” he said. “I grew up in a predominantly white area, but going into the interview I felt like being Black could be an issue. I see color just like everyone else. The issue isn’t seeing color, it’s not respecting the opposite color. And Botkins, they didn’t do that. They gave me an opportunity. I felt like I took advantage of the opportunity and I never took light of it. And because of that we ended up with a championship.”

Powell said Botkins is an example of how racial differences should work.

“Right now in the country there’s a racial division, but it doesn’t have to be that way,” he said. “If you just give people fair shots then the country will be a lot better. If people will look at what Botkins has done, I think things would be a lot better.”

The team also had to accept Priddy-Powell coming in as a sophomore and going after a starting job. He said from the beginning – like that day at the festival – his teammates made him feel welcome and respected his game.

“I had to guard him a couple times, and I just remember holy crap, this guy’s fast as crap,” Carter Pleiman said. “Jayden said he needed someone good to guard him, so I had to better myself for him.”

That’s what family members do for each other.