Keeping it in the family: Local athletes, coaches share bond deeper than sports

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In Jackson County, athletics is a family affair, especially during the long winter months.

Dave Boggs said there have been several years where he has had two members of the same family on his Seymour High School swim teams.

But he doesn’t remember ever having three siblings on the same team like he does this winter with Grace, Daniel and Elizabeth Hartman.

Grace is a senior, Daniel is a sophomore and Elizabeth is a freshman.

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All three also played soccer last fall.

Daniel said he enjoys playing the same sports as his sisters.

“I like it because they’re always cheering me on, and I cheer them on, too,” he said.

Their older siblings, Jordan and Lillie, also played soccer and swam, and the younger siblings just followed along.

“It’s not exactly competitive,” Grace said. “We get along well, so it’s not anything like we get on each other’s nerves. It’s actually kind of fun. I do have to be a chauffeur for them, but other than that, it’s actually pretty enjoyable.”

She said it also was fun having Elizabeth as a soccer teammate.

“She’s my little sister,” Grace said. “Sometimes, she can be a little vexing, but we get along because we play the same positions, so we learn from each other.”

Elizabeth said her siblings encourage her to get better.

“They kind of push me to do better, so I take it kind of competitively because I’m the youngest, so I’ve got to make my name,” Elizabeth said. “We swim the 100 back together. We’re usually not in the same relay.”

Grace said she looks forward to seeing her younger siblings continue to compete.

“Being a senior, now, I get to watch them go through their high school career,” she said. “They’re both really talented, so I’m really excited to see where they’re going to go in their future years.”

Their father, Bob Hartman, also is heavily involved in those two sports, as he was an assistant coach with the girls soccer team, and he helps with the scoring at the home swim meets.

Boggs said he has enjoyed coaching the Hartmans.

“Great kids, great family,” he said. “They work hard and are very coachable. I couldn’t ask for a whole lot more. The fifth one is on the team now if that tells you anything. We have a senior, a sophomore and a freshman this winter.”

At Brownstown Central High School this winter, there are three members of the Rieckers family involved with the basketball teams.

Derek is a senior member of the boys team, while Karla is girls head coach, and her husband, Pat, is an assistant coach with the girls team.

Also, Lee Ann Borden is an assistant coach with the Brownstown girls basketball team, and her son, Seth, is a member of the boys team.

At Trinity Lutheran High School, Mike Lang is the girls basketball head coach, and his daughter, Emilee, is a member of that squad.

Trevor Thompson is an assistant coach with the Seymour girls basketball team, and his sister, Hannah, is a senior player.

Crothersville High School’s girls basketball team has Kevin Hensley as the head coach and his daughter, Piper, as a player.

Also at Crothersville, Bobby Riley is an assistant boys basketball coach, and his daughter, Maddie, is on the girls team.

Seymour and Brownstown teams also feature some twins.

At Seymour, David and John Shuffitt are seniors on the wrestling team, and Dalton and Dillon Polley are sophomores on the swim team.

Tayler and Matthew Garland are sophomore twins on the Brownstown basketball teams.

There also are several other siblings at Seymour, Trinity, Brownstown and Medora.

There are also siblings that are managers, statisticians and cheerleaders, and there are cousins that are related to the athletes.

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Jackson County winter sports parents and siblings:

Brownstown Central

Basketball

Karla and Pat (parents) and Derek Rieckers

Lee Ann (mother) and Seth Borden

Taylor and Matthew Garland (twins)

Crothersville

Basketball

Kevin (father) and Piper Hensley

Bobby (father) and Maddie Riley

Medora

Basketball

Gwyneth and Elexus Morris

Lillie Hatfield and Gavin Henson

Seymour

Swimming

Grace, Elizabeth and Daniel Hartman

Dalton and Dillon Polley (twins)

Audri and Alexa McKinney

Jackson and Abby Boyt

Katie and Luke Turner

Wrestling

David and John Shuffitt (twins)

Basketball

Eddie and Endia Louden

Montana and Katie Suits

Maddie and Lance Roark

Trevor and Hannah Thompson

Trinity Lutheran

Basketball

Mike (father) and Emilee Lang

Jacob and Josh Rowe

Emma and A.J. Goecker

Laney and Piper Acton

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