I have a very soft spot in my heart for Williamsport.
In a previous career, I spent many nights at Williamsport High School. I was the Sports Director at a local TV station and I traveled the Tri-state area to cover the games. I tried not to play favorites with local schools, but now that I am more than 10 years away from the games, I can admit that Williamsport was my favorite.
I did not have a rooting interest at first, but their fans embraced me from the first time I walked onto the football field. They chanted my name when I entered the gym. No Williamsport fans ever said anything negative about the coverage, or perceived lack of coverage, from my staff. As a result, I eventually spent more time in the bleachers talking with player’s families than concentrating on the game.
The Weimers, Poracs, Ritchies and Andrews were just some of the Wildcat crew who made me feel like I was a part of their extended, no, immediate family.
Two funny stories related to the Andrews family. When I stopped working at WHAG, I moved out to Los Angeles. One of my first trips back to the area was for a wedding held at Rocky Gap. While my wife was getting ready, I took the opportunity to run around the scenic lake. Ahead of me, I saw people fishing. I tried to not disrupt their solitude, but as I passed them, I heard:
“Garnet?”
It was the Andrews family.
Flash forward seven years to our son being born almost two months premature. I was scared out of my mind looking at this tiny, fragile baby through the NICU window and wondering how he will survive…how will I survive? Just then I hear:
Garnet?
Yup. The Andrews family.
Megan was about to deliver and she was walking to jump-start her labor. I do not know if I ever told the family how much of a comfort it was to see familiar, smiling faces during a difficult, seemingly impossible time.
As an honorary Wildcat, my heart breaks for the Williamsport community as they are forced to deal with the sudden loss of two students, who had their futures in front of them. Samantha Kelly and Brendon Colliflower lost their lives in a tragic car accident Saturday night. They attended their prom earlier in the evening.
Kelly was a two-time All-County first-team selection in volleyball and Colliflower was The Herald-Mail’s All-County Baseball Pitcher of the Year in 2011. I was not fortunate enough to watch them compete, but I probably had a chance to see them in class. My current career grants me the honor of spending time with students and sharing words of wisdom about setting career goals and planning for the future. These two likely did not need any assistance from me, as both were honor roll students.
I may have met them in a classroom or in the hallway as I was talking with Mrs. Baker at the sign-in desk, but I cannot speak of their qualities. I will leave that to the people who knew them best: their family, their friends and the Williamsport community.
I have a very soft spot in my heart for Williamsport. That heart is hurting right now.
Wildcats, please keep the faith.
Garnet
It was either Poet Laureate Alfred Tennyson or Justin Beiber who first said “In the spring, a young man’s fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love.” You know, the more I think about it, I believe it was R. Kelly, but I digress. 
