My emails (work, Edge of Your Seat Podcast, and personal) are starting to fill faster than the last three months.

Notifications from X, Facebook, and Instagram are dinging my phone at a rapid rate.

More people are texting me or stopping me during walks or while grocery shopping.

This means, school sports are back in session.

If you don’t know me, this is my favorite time of the year. Not just the fall, or the winter, or the spring...the entire school sport calendar.

Maybe it’s because I’m a sports junkie. Maybe it’s because I was one of those talented, but not talented enough, kids to ask my parents to spend a lot of money on outside of school athletic organizations because I knew it would be a waste of money, so I made sure I enjoyed every minute of representing my school.

Or maybe it was just that, playing sports with my best friends and other classmates trying to prove other schools weren’t better than us.

Eh, it’s all of the above. 

The crazy thing is, as I get older, the more I love it. This will seem even crazier, but February will mark my 20th year in journalism and school sports has been an aspect of my career through its entirety. And every year, I seem to be more anxious than the year before.

Especially with the Amboy-LaMolle-Ohio football team.

The most asked question at the deli counter has been, ‘Can the Clippers win the state championship again?’

My answer every time is, ‘Yes.’

Sure, the Clippers lost a lot of the players who were viewed as main guys and key contributors from last year’s team. However, when a squad returns 13 seniors and a majority of them have varsity minutes under their belt, its not taking a step backward.

As coach Scott Payne said during the preview interview, ‘I told these guys, they had the best reps they could get last year because every practice they were playing against the best team in the state.’

With Payne sharing his thought process, every player in a red and white uniform is ready to answer the call since they know they have a target on their backs.

If the gridiron isn’t enough to be excited about in Amboy sports, the volleyball court, the golf greens, and the cross-country courses will have you jacked up more than a Mountain Dew or Monster.

Nicole Jones returns for her second year on the volleyball sideline and she’s doing things a little bit differently this time around.

She’s opening the lines of communication for each player and coach to be part of every bump, set, spike. Jones is also coaching both the varsity and the junior varsity with her assistant Ashley Medlin. This way, the whole program is one.

Zach Ross is always at a golf course this time of year, but this go-around, he has two seniors in Carson Barlow and Logan O’Brien to lead a young, talented group.

As the long-time coach said, if his guys can improve around the green, they’re going to turn a lot of heads, and flag poles. 

The cross-country team has fallen a bit short of expectations the last few years as the boys haven’t had many advance far in the postseason since the team qualified for state and finished 22nd in 2021 and the girls have had a tough time forming a team of four after qualifying for state in 2016 and 2017.

This year, neither one may be an issue as the girls have a full team and the boys return Atticus Horner, who took a year break after being part of the state qualifying group.

With the extra bodies, experience, and leadership, the courses don’t stand a chance.

This should be a fun fall for all.