Its a summer of baseball that Bob Johnson Jr., his teammates and coaches on the 1988 Post 15 Iola Indians will never forget.
A 50-game season-long battle with teams from across the state culminating in a magical night in Norton where, for the first time in the history of American Legion baseball, the Iola Indians took home the top prize, a state championship.
We were thick as thieves, Johnson said. We all still talk about it to this day when we get together. It was a magical summer and an awesome memory in my life.
Part of that memory is how Iola took over Norton for the tournament. Johnson remembers over 100 people made the nearly six-hour trek to northwest Kansas to watch the Indians play.
Baseball was different back then, Johnson said. No one had travel teams like they do today. The state tournament was a big deal and a big stage. It seemed like about every town around had a legion team. So seeing the number of people not just players, parents and girlfriends but Iola people and fans, travel that far has always stuck out to me as special.
The 1988 Indians were stacked. Twelve out of the 14 Indians would go on to play some kind of collegiate baseball or football. Brian Klepper, a 16-year-old with a golden arm, led the team.
Thanks to some timely rainouts, Klepper earned the win in every state tournament game including their 7-2 win over El Dorado.
When the final out was made, the tears flowed for players, coaches and fans alike. Just like the Mustang baseball team just two short months ago, the players became forever etched into Iola legend for being the first to climb the championship mountain.
Since that fateful day in August of 1988, two more teams followed suit, winning state in 2012 and 2013.
But starting at 1 p.m. today, a new journey will begin for the 2018 iteration of the Post 15 Indians.
Iola comes in fresh off of handily securing a zone championship at home and with a 19-5 record behind them, they turn their sights to a matchup with Hoisington at Somerset Park in Sabetha.
On Thursday theyll face Russell and Friday Silver Lake. The top two teams out of those four will face the top two teams out of Thomas Moore Prep-Marian, Garnett, Marysville and host-Sabetha on Saturday.
A tournament win would mean that Iola would be bringing home hardware for the third time in a decade and for the first time in five years.
Those that have been there like Johnson know itll be tough. When asked what advice he could give for this years Indians, he reached back to that of his dad, Bob Johnson, head coach of the 88 Indians.
Dont change who you are or how you play the game, Johnson said. And have fun. If theyre able to do those things, good things are bound to happen.
