HOWARD – East Knox is literally a construction zone with the building of a new junior and senior high school.
And while the athletic department isn’t a part of that particular project, there will be some updates to its facilities over the next couple of years.
It’s just another piece of the recent success of the athletic programs over the last few years, which saw the Bulldog football team make the playoffs in 2019 for the first time in 14 years and the baseball team make history this year with the program’s first district championship.
“We’ve just made such positive inroads the last five years,” East Knox School Superintendent Steve Larcomb said. “There’s no signs — thankfully — that that’s going to end any time soon. We’re going to continue to build on the great things that our students and our people are doing. I’m looking forward to a bright future at East Knox for our student-athletes.”
This summer, the baseball field will get new fencing, and work — including a new wall — is being done near the football field restrooms.
“(The fencing) was getting kind of dated,” baseball coach Randy Baugher said. “Things are really on the upswing there — from the new school building to all the different facility upgrades they’ve been doing … it’s great.
(The fencing) should be safer and nicer to look at. The old one served its purpose. (Baseball) is not something you can quantify with dollars being brought back in because everybody gets in for free. So we’re very appreciative.”
The 1994 building housing the gym, cafeteria and offices will be getting a new HVAC unit, meaning no more hot early-season volleyball games or chilly mid-season basketball games.
Along with the HVAC, the gym will get a fresh coat of paint, closing the building for the summer.
“We’re currently running into a bit of a shortage of the paint from Sherwin Williams that we want,” Larcomb said. “Hopefully, construction is working through that issue as well.”
Next year, the gym will get a new floor surface and new stands, putting an end to the uncomfortable wood benches that lined one side of the court.
There are no plans to change the setup. The bleachers will continue to be on one side with the benches against the wall on the other.
“We’re using the elementary school and then traveling to other places,” girls basketball coach Mandy Todd said. “We’ll be out again next summer. But by the end of that, we’ll have a new gym essentially, so it’s all good.”
The renovations were one of the signs that lured new athletic director and assistant principal Scott Brickner to East Knox.
“It’s a district that’s going in the right direction,” he said. “Building the new 7–12 showed me what kind of support they have in that community. They’re also redoing the gym. So that’s a big project and you have to have the community behind you to get that done.”
It’s the same reason that Todd decided to return to her alma mater last year.
“There’s a lot of good things happening,” she said. “I feel like the feel of the entire school system is on the upswing. The sports programs are doing well, they’re building a new (7–12) building and they’re getting a lot of alumni back in – teaching and coaching and being a part of the program. I’m really excited — just in general — about the direction of the school system.”
