By Bob Strohm and Gary Ogle
bstrohm@wbcowqel.com; gogle@wbcowqel.com
The Buckeye Central girls basketball team was dealt another difficult blow Wednesday morning when head coach Greg Moore was involved in an accident. Moore, who lives in Crestline and works for FedEx, lost his left arm as a result of his vehicle being struck broadside by a garbage truck at the intersection of County Road 330 and Ohio 598.
Athletics Director Kevin Vargyas said the team would be waiting for Moore and their play will be representative of his spirit.
“Greg is in the hospital, the team loves him, and we can’t wait until he gets back and he can take all the time in the world,” Vargyas said. “He has taught the team a lot and they know what they need to do, and when they are ready to do it we will play our best and make him proud.”
According to the Crawford County Sheriff’s Office who investigated the accident, the 56-year-old Moore was traveling west on 330 in a van owned by FedEx. Moore’s van was struck by a northbound Mack truck driven by 50-year-old Gerald Cotsmire Jr., also of Crestline.
Moore’s vehicle went off the northwest corner of the intersection and struck a utility pole. The accident occurred shortly after 8 a.m., Wednesday.
This is Moore’s second season at the helm of the Buckeye Central girls basketball team. Prior to coaching at Buckeye Central, Moore was an assistant coach at Crestline and both an assistant and head coach at Bucyrus.
Earlier this month the team’s most ardent supporter and brother of one of the players, Collin Studer, died at his home. The AD noted the girls on the team are committed to pressing on.
“It has been a rough couple of weeks with everything that has gone on, and they have come a lot closer with the passing of Collin Studer. They get that coach is tough guy, he’s hurt but he’s not out. He’s a fighter. He’s a sparkplug, he’ll fight the good fight, and they know that they want to play, so that is what we are going to do,” Vargyas said. “We are going to practice tomorrow, the freshman are going to play tomorrow. We hope that everything stays status quo and the varsity hopes to play Saturday.”
Those on staff, including Vargyas himself, will help fill the void during Moore’s absence.
“There’s no replacing Greg, but we are lucky to live in a community where people care, and we’ve got two people that don’t even get paid to be on the staff, and we’re fortunate to have a couple people paid on the staff,” Vargyas said. “We have put together a loose plan where we make sure we have every kids’ phone number. I’m normally not involved in the day-to-day of basketball, but they know I can do some of the things that Greg knew how to do. But as far as coaching, someone will step up. A couple of the coaches are still at the hospital, so we haven’t really put in a plan of who is going to be yelling the plays, but they will all be yelling, they will all be stomping.”
Even in the hospital, Moore’s thoughts were on his team.
“One of the first things he did this morning was ask about the team. His heart is here, and our hearts are there. So we will figure it out. We really don’t have a solid plan in place,” Vargyas said. “There is no right answer, but we are trying to find maybe the least wrong answer, and someone will get up and yell. The girls have been taught well by Greg. “(They are) more than halfway through the season. There is nothing new going in, it’s just they know what they have been taught, they know what they got to do, and there will be plenty of voices to give them the encouragement they need too.”
Likewise, the basketball team’s thoughts are with Moore.
“Everybody the first thing they wanted to do was go to the hospital. You know it’s something we can’t do right now. It is just night that the team for the most part was able to find out together, and a couple wanted to shoot hoops, and a couple just wanted to go home and dwell on it,” Vargyas said. “They miss him they want to see him, they know they can’t, and we are going to work on something to put a smile on his face and show that he is a valued member of the community.”