(Publisher’s Note: With March Madness entering the Final Four this weekend, we thought it appropriate to appreciate again the accomplishments of this Wheeling Central graduate.)
AN OPEN LETTER TO … Chase Harler, a member of the WVU Men’s Basketball team:
Never mind the loss to Kansas. Turnovers. Free throws. You know. You’re living it.
You. Are. Living It.
And you’re doing that despite an overall belief that you could not. Most folks, and you know this, thought you would red shirt, but then transfer to a Division II school, but instead you wanted to be a part of something. You’ve worked hard, on the court and in the classroom, and now Mountaineer fans love to see when Bob Huggins sends you into the game because you play hard as if you want to win. You play the game like a West Virginian plays the game.
And we love that.
You’ve made the Wheeling Central Catholic community proud; you’ve made the city of Moundsville proud; and you have made this Valley proud.
Thank you for showing the nation our state’s tenacity and our grit. Thank you for allowing other males and females to believe that the improbable is still possible, and that hard work is what really makes dreams come true.
Nothing was handed to you, Chase. Sure, your parents are awesome, and they afforded you a terrific high school education, but there’s a ginormous difference between being the best W.Va. Class A basketball player and being an important ingredient on a D-I team in the Big 12 Conference.
You’re the grit. You’re the tenacity. You are us.
Sincerely,
The Country Roads Choir
