Sports letter to the editor

BellCity coach not an instigator in local rivalry

To the editor:

As a person who is involved in the daily activities associated with David Heeb and the Bell City R-II School District, I feel that your article (Friday, Feb. 7) portrayed us in a negative light.

As you mention in your article, the situation with Advance has caused a lot of bitterness and anger. Both sides have continued to add fuel to the fire, but I think that it is unfair to label Bell City as the key contributor to the problem. After the initial situation at Advance, Bell City has taken many steps to remedy the situation. The student assistant was told he could not sit on the bench at any more Bell City games, not as a sign of any wrongdoing, but as a way to appease Advance schools. The action was not enough, I guess.

At the Stoddard County Tournament last month, Bell City tried to avoid any further complications between the two schools by not participating in the "good game" handshake after the game, an action to which Advance schools were made aware of before the game. Again, I guess the action was not good enough.

As far as David Heeb is concerned, he is a man that I respect for many reasons, as do his athletes. His dedication and hard work are two of his most commendable attributes. Does he go over the top sometimes? Yes, but it stems from his love of both basketball and his kids. Nobody should question him for being loyal to his players and fighting for them.

The problems that stem from Heeb are really just a reflection of the fact that his teams are winning, and people don't like that. Bell City is a community filled with honest, hard-working people who love their kids and their high school sports. That hard work has been passed on to their kids.

As the head baseball coach, when a rival school demolished my team in the district championship game last year, I didn't cry foul. We just got beaten by a better team and must work harder to get better. Isn't that the attitude everyone should have?

Hopefully, the negativity will die down. I think that the kids will fix everything. They always do.MATTHEW ASHER

Baseball coach, assistant basketball coach

Bell City High School