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“Oh, give me a home where the buffalo roam,
Where the deer and the antelope play,
Where seldom is heard a discouraging word
And the sky is not clouded all day … ”
– original lyric from “Home on the Range”
The lyric above serves as the opening lines originally written in a poem titled “My Western Home” by Dr. Brewster Higley in Smith County, Kansas, in the early 1870s. Music was added by Higley’s friend, Daniel Kelley, and soon the song was picked up by settlers, cowboys and others and spread across the country.
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Some of us perhaps are more fortunate than most. For example, my parents moved from Alabama to the Central Kansas prairies in the 1930s. In late June of 1941, I was ushered into a part of the world described by those lyrics penned by Dr. Higley. And some six years and four days later – on June 30, 1947 – “Home on the Range” was officially adopted as the state song of Kansas.
For those who are familiar with the lyrics and peaceful pace of the song, there is a comfortable sense that the setting is one of the most glorious places on planet Earth. For many, I am often reminded, that’s what Kansas represents – beautiful lakes, rivers, sunrises, sunsets, rolling hills, open prairie, oceans of waving wheat, small water falls, monumental rock formations, abundant wildlife, pure white snow in the winter, white fluffy clouds, blue skies year-round, and a place where a person can see millions of stars in the sky at night.
For others, like football taskmaster and social studies teacher Lance Scheib, the dream has long been two-fold – for him and his wife to raise their children in a town, and for him to coach Class 5A football. When he came to Franklin Township at about the turn of the century, he realized one of those aspirations; at the same time, he abandoned in Lebanon one that he had already been enjoying.
Now, as the 1985 Warren Central High School product and four-year football letter-winner at Purdue University recently announced, he is heading for the Hamilton County pastures of Noblesville, where he expects both parts of his dream to become reality.
“Having the chance to raise my family in the Noblesville community is something I am looking forward to,” Scheib said in an interview after his hiring as the new football coach at Noblesville High School. “The Noblesville teaching-coaching opportunity is a great fit for me and my family now and for the future.”
When Scheib took over the reins at tradition-laden Franklin Central for the 2001 campaign, he became the head coach of a 5A program at a school that in the following seven years would grow into one of the top 16 enrollment-wise in Indiana. In addition, he was selected to guide a program that prior to 1993 had harvested (in smaller classifications) four state football championships, six semi-state titles, seven regional crowns and nine sectional trophies.
What Scheib left behind in Lebanon was a Class 3A gridiron program with a total history of only one sectional championship, a 1997 success that came during his nine-year stay in Boone County. What he and his family also left behind, though, was a sense of “living in a town.” Billed as “The Friendly City,” Lebanon’s slogan reflects a commitment to quality of life, along with pride of community. There are beautifully manicured parks and a wide array of community activities. The town of roughly 15,000 residents serves as the county seat of Boone County.
Scheib admits that for some time he has had his eye on Noblesville as a particular place where he could enjoy the best of two worlds – Class 5A football and a sense of town. The football side opened up following last fall’s season when the Millers’ coach, Craig Barr, resigned.
“From a football standpoint, this is a lateral move,” said Scheib. “This is the only job I’ve ever interviewed for since I’ve been at Franklin Central.”
Scheib is fortunate; some folks become exasperated in looking for that perfect town in which to raise kids. Others question whether that place really exists. The usual considerations include the schools, the culture, and the lifestyle. How does Noblesville stack up?
A quick check at Parents.com – the online home of American Baby, Parents and Family Circle magazines – reveals a list of the 10 best towns for families that includes:
- Castle Rock, Colorado
- Diamond Bar, California
- Morton Grove, Illinois
- Cedar Park, Texas
- Derby, Kansas
- Kennesaw, Georgia
- Cooper City, Florida
- Madison, Mississippi
- Franklin, Massachusetts
- Chanhassen, Minnesota
No, Noblesville is not on that top 10 list. And, although each city’s listing is accompanied by flowery chamber of commerce-scripted testimonials touting schools, culture and lifestyle, there are no mentions of football coaching vacancies at those locales either.
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Noblesville, however, has been named as one of the nation’s top 100 “Best Places to Raise Your Family” by authors Bert Sperling and Peter Sander, and in the top 25 best suburbs by BusinessWeek.com.
To experience Noblesville, a visitor from – say, Franklin Township – must escape the heavy traffic of Marion County’s northeastside, and likely head north up four-lane State Road 37 off of Interstate 69. The first impression is one that reflects a sprawling Hamilton County. At the intersection of State Roads 37 and 32, a left turn onto East Conner Street will furnish an entryway into Noblesville.
The first few blocks will provide the usual types of businesses – Starbucks, Huntington National Bank, CVS Pharmacy, Hardee’s, Jim Dandy Family Restaurant, McDonald’s. Four more blocks west in the 1400 block of East Conner Street is the Boys & Girls Club of Noblesville. About a half dozen more blocks down the street lies the cornerstone of most any town, the downtown business district.
This is where many visitors begin to grasp Noblesville’s “sense of town.” The focal point is the historic Hamilton County courthouse that towers above a traditional town square that is framed to the west by the free flowing and dissecting White River. During business hours, the downtown streets on most days are lined with cars, with people visiting an array of retail shops. And there are numerous eateries, too, including, to name a few, the Uptown Café, Matteo’s Ristorante Italiano, Alexander’s on the Square, Barley Island Brewing Company, Noble Coffee & Tea Company.
Also in the vicinity – at the corner of Conner and Sixth streets – is the Noblesville Chamber of Commerce, a full-time organization serving 450 business-related members in a community of roughly 35,000 residents. The town also features four public parks and two public golf courses.
As for Noblesville Schools, Scheib should feel right at home. The district serves approximately 8,500 students, with the high school’s latest enrollment listed at 2,274. That compares to Franklin Township Schools’ 8,600 students and Franklin Central’s enrollment of 2,363.
While Scheib doesn’t consider his move a football decision, there are several positive factors that come into play:
** Lance’s father, Dave Scheib will continue to be a member of his coaching staff, as has been the case at both Lebanon and Franklin Central.
“That has been a big, big part of my coaching situation ever since I started out at Lebanon,” the younger Scheib said. “I think it is pretty special that every day when I go to work I get to see my dad.”
** Also, the Noblesville football playing field is draped with a synthetic surface installed in 2006.
For the past decade, Scheib and his dad, along with Cathedral’s former coach, Jim O’Hara, have operated the Scheib O’Hara Scheib Football Skills Camp. In 2007, SOS conducted camps at five separate Indianapolis-area sites and one in Evansville. The new Noblesville coach is excited about possibly being able to use his new school’s field in conjunction with the annual camp.
Noblesville Schools’ officials opted for the artificial cover after seeing the rich history of its existing grass facility threatened by limited usage brought on by prior extensive overuse and expensive maintenance required for the natural turf. Customarily, the Noblesville community had come together at Swanson Field for a variety of functions – school events, student activities such as band and physical education, and fundraising events for local causes such as Relay for Life and Special Olympics. The combination of overuse and adverse weather conditions, though, eventually resulted in limited use of Swanson Field for student activities.
Noblesville decision-makers ultimately concluded that artificial turf would provide significant benefits – a higher quality playing surface, increased field use for all types of student activities, and reduced maintenance expenses. In addition to increased usage, the installation of artificial turf was predicted to save Noblesville Schools considerable funds through reduced maintenance costs. These savings were estimated to be over $160,000 over the first five years following installation.
Along with installation of the synthetic rug came corporate sponsorship, with the facility now bearing the name of Hare Chevrolet Field. There also were thoughts the field, once carpeted, could even be rented to outside groups, such as semi-professional football teams, which would generate revenue.
And now comes a new thought – utilization of the field by newcomer Scheib and his SOS Skills Camp program.
For the record, Scheib accumulated a 48-27 log in seven years as the head coach at Franklin Central, and carries a career mark of 98-66 into his new assignment at Noblesville. He sits in the No. 65 spot for career victories among Indiana high school football coaches.
And, for the record, while Scheib’s move to Noblesville is primarily centered on quality of life issues, he is equally looking forward to the challenges ahead on the gridiron.
“To say I am excited about the opportunity to be the head football coach at Noblesville High School would be the understatement of the year,” Scheib said in a news release announcing his hiring. “I look forward to using a similar plan of building quality student athletes at Noblesville as we have used at both Franklin Central High School and Lebanon High School.”
As noted, there are many folks looking for their “Home on the Range.” For the Scheib family – Lance and his wife, Kristen, and their three sons, J.D., 10; Drew, 9; and Christopher, 7 – the search has led to Noblesville.
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At left, the west entrance to the Noblesville High School football venue displays Hare Chevrolet Field signage that represents corporate sponsorship tied to the installation of synthetic turf in 2006. Below, the artificial carpet provides for increased usage of the overall facility. |
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- FTONEWS.com -