Since the inception of the Logan Elm Local School District in 1960, Braves have called the high school located just south of Tarlton Road home to many of their late adolescence memories from attending class, competing athletically, marching in the band, attending homecoming, prom and finally graduating to adult life.
That will change following the 2022-23 school year as the original high school will close its doors for the final time and the district’s new PK-12 building opens on the western end of the campus come August 2023.
In commemoration of those past teams, the football program is inviting all former players and coaches to one last pregame in the high school locker room next Friday prior to the home game against the Teays Valley Vikings.
“We thought it would be a good opportunity to bring together our past and present,” Logan Elm coach Terry Holbert said. “We had all of our students from first-grade through seniors in the locker room late last month, linking the present to the future, and we thought it would be good to also have our past that has made Logan Elm football what it is today connect with our present team and coaching staff.”
Former players and coaches are being asked to meet outside of the locker room on Friday, October 21st at 6:20 p.m. The current Braves will leave the stadium following warmups and return to the locker room at 6:35 p.m., when past Braves players and coaches will join the team in the locker room for “one last pregame”.
The team is then inviting past players and coaches to walk back to the stadium and take the field with them.
“It’ll be nice for our former players and coaches to be back in the locker room one more time to reminiscence about their playing or coaching days and also support our current team before a big game against a county rival,” Holbert said.
Teays Valley will likely be making its final varsity football trip to Logan Elm, as the Vikings are slated to move from the Mid-State League to the Ohio Capital Conference for the 2024-25 school year.
The Braves (6-2, 4-1) will unofficially be competing for the Pickaway County championship after defeating Westfall (35-0) and Circleville (21-0) earlier this season.
Logan Elm has already clinched a playoff spot and could be looking to secure a first-round home game and one more chance to use the “ole locker room” if it can defeat Teays Valley.
The woods building by the gate to the stadium will be refurbished over the summer to house a locker room, weight room, training room and coach’s office and is scheduled to be ready for the 2023 opener on Aug. 18 against Zane Trace.
For more information, please contact Holbert by email at terry.holbert@loganelm.org.
Editor’s note: The Class of 2002 will be holding its 20th anniversary class reunion following the football game at Kings Inn Tavern Giovanni’s Pizza in Kingston.
