It was total pandemonium when the final buzzer sounded announcing the completion of the last basketball game for the season against our rival high school during the senior year of my secondary education.
As I grabbed the back of David “Bubba” Stramella’s football jersey, we quickly emptied the bleachers and stormed the court as the players were hoisted into the air during the celebration of trouncing our opponents for the second time that year in the away game.
As we made our way down the hallway leading to the exit, pre-game banners announcing our school’s anticipated defeat were ripped from the walls and trampled upon.
Yeah! I admit that it was me who shredded those ill-conceived posters. Besides, the statute of limitations for that criminal act ran out a long time ago; and at this point, nobody cares.
Since Ellwood City, Pa. sat on the border between Lawrence and Beaver counties, we had two high schools – my beloved Lincoln High School, home of the Ellwood City Wolverines, and Riverside High School, home of the Panthers, also known as the “River Rats.”
Our pre-game tailgate party paled in comparison to the euphoria that ensued after our victory. I attended the game with Rob “Mags” Magnifico and Robert “Robbie” Brough, along with a couple other friends.
We headed to Vinnie’s Pizza, a local hotspot for the teenagers, in the heart of downtown Ellwood City. That was the last time I broke bread with two of the best friends I had during my high school years.
Although I had been back to Ellwood City to visit relatives, who still lived in the area, since moving shortly after my high school graduation in June 1984, I hadn’t seen my high school classmates for more than 30 years.
So after splitting from my ex-wife, I found them on Facebook, in short order, and made it a point to go see them before moving back to North Carolina. That’s when I returned to my old stomping grounds to see my high school buddies and revisit the past.
I met both Mags and Robbie during the course of my eighth grade year at the junior/senior high school. Mags and I were in the same homeroom together; and Robbie and I bumped into each other in the hall one day.
Although they were both football players, we were still buddies. Because they were some of the few that was able to look past my physical disability and see me for the person I was on the inside. I cherished their friendship and the times we spent together.
Mags became a police officer, just like his dad before him, who was actually the police chief of our high school town when we were teenagers. Robbie became a school teacher and teaches at our Alma mater.
Knowing Robbie the way I knew him in high school, it was a shocker that he became an educator. Mags chosen profession was to be expected – it was in his blood. His son is now a third generation police officer.
Both classic pranksters, it was interesting to discover their chosen professions. Although Robbie didn’t get away with much because his dad was an administrator for the “River Rats.” He always seemed to find out what his son was doing on any given day.
When I pulled up to the restaurant in downtown Ellwood City for a late lunch in mid-November 2014, I spotted Mags in no time flat. Other than his gray hair, my buddy looked pretty much the same. When I looked into his eyes and heard him speak, he was definitely the same guy I last saw on graduation day 30 years ago that Spring.
We sat down and caught up on the past three decades. It’s hard to believe I let that many years go by without seeing my high school buddies again.
After a nostalgic trip down memory lane with Mags, we trekked our way up the street to good ole Lincoln High School for a visit with our good friend Robbie, practical joker turned educator.
When Mags took me into the school through what I knew to be the “Commons Area,” it had totally changed. The administrative offices that had previously been at the front of the building were now where the Commons area was located.
The “Commons Area” was still there, but a lot smaller – more of a narrow hallway. But it offered more security for the school and its students. And Mags, being a police officer, was actually instrumental in getting the new security set-up in place.
After stopping in at the office, we went up the ramp to find our former high school cohort. It was fortuitous that the students only had a half day of school. We had the run of the place, just like back in high school.
With no hair, Robbie was a spitting image of his father. It’s funny what time does to us. But I knew it was the same redheaded boy I used to know; and he was still a classic prankster.
Robbie’s classroom was actually within the boundaries of the former first floor library, which was moved to the second floor in a renovation project during our junior and senior year of school.
Mags had to go attend to other business, but he left me in capable hands. After talking up a storm with Robbie, he took me on a tour of sorts around the first floor of the three level facility.
It was very nostalgic to say the least. They were getting ready for the opening night of the high school musical. It had been a long time since the three of us were in our senior class musical of “Hello Dolly” together.
Those were some of the best remembered days of my high school career. We spent three months preparing for the three night extravaganza that was monumental to my secondary education.
As Robbie and I said our goodbyes, I thought about how good it was to see two of my best friends from high school again. It was like wrapping up with my favorite blanket on a cold winter day. It was like Christmas in a cup.