Former head coaches Ken Sears, left, and Mike Leonard share their years of experience broadcasting games on the Grizzly Cub Network.
Ryan O’Leary | Daily Journal
Two games in, Mike Leonard and Ken Sears continue to adjust to the elevated vantage point.
The sidelines, this is not.
From the climate-controlled comfort of the Franklin press box, former head coaches and good friends Leonard, 62, and Sears, 64, are in their first season verbalizing what their experienced eyes are seeing for the Grizzly Cub Network.
Home games are streamed live. They are available on both YouTube and the Indiana High School Athletic Association’s site, IHSAATV.org.
The duo is off tonight with the Grizzly Cubs traveling to Whiteland — the program Sears, a 1978 Whiteland graduate, led for nine seasons (1996-2004), including the Warriors’ first semistate qualifier in 1999.
However, they described the action in Franklin’s 21-20 defeat of Mt. Vernon, as well as last week’s 12-7 Mid-State Conference loss to Perry Meridian.
“It’s not as fun as the sidelines with the players high-fiving, and picking them up when they’re struggling,” said Leonard, the all-time winningest football coach at Franklin College after going 129-55 in his 17 seasons (2003-19).
“But it is air conditioned.”
Much like the game playing out in front of them, the Grizzly Cub Network is a team effort all the way.
According to Kevin Hankins, the broadcasting teacher at Franklin, students assigned to work the video cameras are responsible for capturing what transpires on the football field as best they can.
Students who worked the first two home outings are technical director Ryder Eastwood; P.J. Cummings, who is in charge of replay; and Keagan Turner-McQuinn (graphics). Camera operators were Alex Cheam, Connor Best, Lillian Roe and Braxton Corona.
The goal, Hankins said, is to have six cameras along with replay, graphics and a technical director.
Another student, junior Blake Brough, has compiled game statistics for Leonard and Sears and will work the other three regular-season home games as well.
The expertise the older guys bring is obvious, though hardly surprising.
“It’s amazing, just the knowledge and insight they bring to the broadcast,” Hankins said. “Mike coached so long in college, and Ken, who coached and was a Division I athlete (as a baseball player at North Carolina State), their sports knowledge combined is such a great characteristic to have.”
According to Sears, this pairing is far more Peyton and Eli than Summerall and Madden.
“It’s been fun. I try to keep the down and distance going, we try to get the names right and we tell stories about how it used to be,” Sears said. “But they asked us, and like most everything else, coach Leonard and I have a hard time saying no.”
The Mt. Vernon win drew 430 live viewers between the two platforms, a number that has since grown to over 1,100 including replays. Losing to the Falcons attracted 250 live viewers between the sites, a game that now has in excess of 600 views.
Prep work goes into each broadcast. In Sears’ case, it means checking the opponent’s statistics on MaxPreps and speaking with Grizzly Cubs coach Chris Coll and/or his assistant coaches to gather information that could be useful once kickoff arrives.
In football seasons past, Franklin has utilized the talents and enthusiasm of student broadcasters. Hankins knows they will again soon; like athletics itself, things tend to be cyclical.
“The goal is to have an all-student broadcast,” Hankins said. “We went from having a crew of five last football season to 15 this year. Really, there was nobody in the pipeline who had an interest in doing (football) play-by-play or color commentary. I do have some kids who are very interested in calling girls and boys basketball.”
In other words, this could be a one-and-done for the Leonard-Sears pairing — or not.
Leonard is unavailable for the Sept. 20 matchup against Martinsville but plans to be in the booth Oct. 4 when the Cubs welcome Plainfield and Oct. 18 for the game with Decatur Central.
Should Franklin host one or more games come the postseason, anticipate them spinning even more yarns.
“Obviously, we’ve coached a lot. It just helps the flow of the games,” Sears said. “Is someone going to throw a screen here, and that kind of stuff. We’re good buddies, so we know when to shut up and let the other one finish his story.”
With Leonard and Sears, there’s never a shortage of those being told.
TONIGHT’S GAMES
Franklin at Whiteland, 7 p.m.
Edinburgh vs. Greenwood Christian, 7 p.m.*
Center Grove at Ben Davis, 7 p.m.
Greenwood at Mooresville, 7 p.m.
Lapel at Indian Creek, 7 p.m.
Roncalli at Columbus North, 7 p.m.
* – at Beech Grove Middle School
EDITOR’S NOTE
Due to print deadlines being earlier than in previous seasons, game recaps from tonight’s football games will not be in Saturday’s Daily Journal. They will be available to read online later tonight at dailyjournal.net as well as in Tuesday’s print edition.
