Indians host senior banquet

Several student athletes and a former head coach were honored during Tecumseh’s Senior Athletic Banquet on Thursday, May 22, in the Indians cafetorium.Tecumseh Athletic Director Greg Lewis recognizing all the senior athletes before Principle Griff Mills introduced the Indians’ college bound athletes.Lewis followed by introducing former Tecumseh coach Ed Oxley as the recipient of the Indians Distinguished Service Award.Oxley was the Tecumseh boys basketball coach for 25 years, from 1978 to 2003. “He’s always been a great guy — he’s always been a great role model for a lot of us, from my era and younger generations,” said Lewis.Oxley recorded conference championships in 1982, ‘83, ‘89, ‘90, ‘91, ‘92, and ‘94. He led his teams to district titles in 1981, ‘82, ‘88, ‘89, ‘90, ‘91, ‘92, and ‘95.Oxley’s 1990 squad won a regional title to advance as an elite eight team in the state tournament.Oxley was the Indians varsity girls track coach for 11 years, from 1977 to 1988. His 1984 squad won the conference title.Other sports that Oxley coached during his many years was football, softball, junior varsity baseball and girls basketball.He was the Daily Telegram’s coach of the year twice, in 1983 and 1990. Oxley also received the Ann Arbor New’s regional coach of the year BCAM Award for 255 varsity victories.For 32-1/2 years, Oxley was a physical education and health teacher for the Indians.“He’s been a pillar in the community here and certainly a great person to have,” said Lewis.Before Oxley accepted the award he congratulated the seniors for a job well done and spoke of how much he relied on senior leadership over the many seasons he coached for the Indians. He also thanked Mills and the committee members who selected him for the award.“Of course I’m honored and I’m humbled to be in the same club as former coaches Ron Spagnoli, Pat Connors, Ray Schmidt, Roger Young, and Bob Ondrovick. It’s truly an honor for me,” he said to the large number of parents and athletes attending the event.At one point in his career, Oxley said he was coaching three sports at one time for many years. “I don’t know how I did it,” he commented. “Maybe that’s why I had a stent put in this past year.” He commented he could not have done it without the unwavering support of his wife, Cheryl.“She was there with our family raising our kids,” Oxley said. “She was certainly a great supporter of athletics as well as keeping our family going. She kept our family together as I was busy with games, practices and scouting during the season which required a lot of legwork on the road... It wasn’t easy.”Oxley also gave thanks for the many assistant coaches he’d worked with over the years.This years Tilton Award was presented to Katie Martin (softball, basketball) and Phil Carey (basketball, baseball). Both athletes were presented a check for $500 from he Indian Fan Club.Varsity softball coach Jeff Nowak presented the Tilton award to Martin and said, “I really believe tonight’s recipient is especially worthy of this honor. Her actions on and off the floor and court can never be called into question. She is the consummate leader, the consummate teammate that anyone would want to have on their team.”Varsity boys basketball coach Scott Norkey presented Carey with his award.“As a head coach I can say this young man is a hard-worker and a team player,” Norkey said. “He goes about his business without any complaints.”The Tilton award is presented to an individual who has demonstrated dedication to a Tecumseh High School Athletic program through participation and hard work, spirit and hustle.The Marsh Award is presented to the best male and female athletes as voted on by coaches for displaying values of citizenship, integrity and setting great examples for athletes who follow in their footsteps.The Indians’ Marsh Award recipients also received a $500 scholarship from the Indian Fan club. The winners were Nicole Lipnichan (track, basketball) and Preston Pelham (wrestling, football).“Nicole demonstrates daily dedication, a strong work ethic, determination and self sacrifice for the team, a positive attitude, a competitive spirit, and a desire to win,” said track coach Kim Foley, who presented the award. “She’s also a strong and passionate competitor. She finds a way to get the job done no matter what.”Varsity football coach Al Romano presented Pelham with his award.“He truly is a team guy,” said Romano. “He just wants the team to win and will do whatever he can. He’s a great role model for the younger guys. He’s trained, and is training right now as he pursues a football and educational career at Wayne State University. He’s just constantly doing what needs to be done. He’ll be sorely missed and Tecumseh High School should be very proud of Preston Pelham.”Mills presented the Male and female Scholar Athletes of the Year Award to Carley LaPlant and Matt Haeussler.LaPlant earned four varsity letters in golf and two letters in basketball. She has won multiple Sportsmanship Awards and was also selected as a team captain for golf. Throughout her years at THS, she has won 18 departmental awards and three student of the month awards. She currently holds a 4.159 GPA. She will be attending Indiana Wesleyan University in the fall on a golf scholarship, and plans to major in Physical Therapy.Haeussler is a four-year swim team letter-winner, and was captain during his senior year. He was voted Most Valuable Swimmer this season, as well as receiving the SEC Sportsmanship award. He is the Class of 2014 Salutatorian, an AP Scholar with Honor, and a member of the All- SEC Academic Team for Outstanding Academic Achievement. He has a 4.273 GPA and will be attending the University of Alabama in the fall to major in Civil Engineering.