SPARTA – Josh Reid knew two things he wanted in a college: He wanted to continue playing football, and he wanted his family to be part of the experience.
That was the catalyst for his choosing Baldwin Wallace University, Reid said in a ceremony at the Highland High School library on Tuesday, March 17.
A day later, Wyatt Groves declared in another ceremony that he would be pitching at Capital University.
For Reid, football and family have always been intertwined. His father, Mike Reid, was an assistant with the Scots. Now Mike returns to his alma mater Mount Gilead to take over the program there.
At BW, Josh’s brother Matt is a junior linebacker.
“I’m so familiar with the college now that Matt’s been there,” Josh said. “It was such a good fit for me — right out of high school. It’s got all the classes I need. But yeah, having Matt there, being so familiar with the football program — offense and defense — I just know what I’m gonna get myself into.”
Josh just wants to make it last as long as he can. He will be studying in the education field to one day become a teacher so he can coach high school ball.
“I plan to major in education like my dad; he’s a history teacher,” he said. “I just really like that. I want to minor in German and athletic coaching because I want to be a coach at the high school level somewhere. I can’t really see myself not having football in my life.”
He has always been willing to do anything for the team, something that former Highland football coach Matt Jones can back up. A natural defensive lineman, Reid pitched in on the offensive line at center and tackle.
“He’s just an unbelievable young man,” said Jones, who attended the ceremony. “From a work-ethic standpoint, every day he showed up whether it was in the offseason or in-season. He just put his head down and (went) through the grind. He’s extremely coachable and a great young man.”
On a lark, Reid even handled kickoff duties.
“That started as a joke,” he said. “They had the square-toed boot and I was like, ‘Hey Coach, can I take that and try some kicking?’ And he was like, ‘Yeah, sure.’ The first kick in practice, I kicked a touchback. I put it in the end zone and I was like, ‘Ok, I might have found something here.’”
Like Reid, Groves has always been around the diamond. The soft-spoken senior got his first chance to pitch regularly on the varsity level this season after the 2020 campaign was canceled because of the pandemic shutdown.
Even before the pandemic, Groves was always around and always willing to work.
“I just think that Highland has really nice facilities,” he said. “The coaches are always willing to let you in the building — wherever you want to go, no matter the time of day. I really like Coach Kline and what he’s helped me with.”
“Wyatt’s a great kid,” Highland baseball coach Donnie Kline said. “He’s one of those that’s always the first in and the last out. I know that’s cliché, but he really is a leader in our program. He’s one of those guys that’s looking to make himself better, which helps the program in turn.”
Groves chose Capital because it gave him the opportunity to play baseball.
“To be honest, I was just excited about the baseball program,” he said with a chuckle. “I’ve looked into it a little bit. I’m gonna do physical therapy to start. But other than that, I didn’t look into it that much.”
Despite missing the high school season, he played summer ball last year.
“Being able to play all summer was nice,” Groves said. “That helped a lot, getting a lot of coaches to see me that summer.”
