Marysville High School football stat keeper Ron Sabins (left) watches the action from the new press box. Sabins says the facility is a big improvement over the smaller press box in which he used to work. (Journal-Tribune photo by Chad Williamson)
During the century-plus old history of Marysville High School football, there may not be anyone who has been affiliated with the program longer than Ron Sabins.
The 1958 graduate of Marysville High School, is currently in his 45th season as a statistics recorder for the football Monarchs.
For the second time this season, Sabins will work his craft this evening from the new press box at Marysville’s stadium when the Monarchs host Westland for Homecoming.
Sabins told the Journal-Tribune that he really enjoys the environment of the new press box at the Monarchs’ turf stadium.
“It’s a lot more spacious,” said Sabins, who played football, basketball and baseball during his high school days. “I’m not sure of the dimensions of the new press box, but I would guess it’s twice as big, depth-wise, as the old press box.”
The old press box was much smaller and cramped as coaches for both teams, stat people, announcers and on occasion, newspaper writers tried to jostle for positions while watching games unfold.
“There are plenty of places for people to sit,” said Sabins. “The new press box is longer than the old one.
“There’s also a counter-type area behind the first row of seats,” he said. “You can seat more people in this press box.”
The windows in the new facility are slanted, instead of being straight-up, as they were in the old press box.
“The slanted windows give you a better view of the football field,” said Sabins. “The windows also cut down on the glare from the stadium lights.”
Officials were working on the new scoreboard earlier this week.
Sabins said Thursday afternoon that he didn’t know whether the scoreboard would be ready for tonight’s game.
When it is totally functional, “it’s going to be very nice,” said Sabins.
If there is one drawback, it’s that the press box is a lot higher than the old one.
“It’s a long way up there,” laughed Sabins. “You can almost look out over the entire town when you get there.”
Sabins started helping with MHS stats in the mid 1970s.
“For many years, there were four of us,” he said. “My brother (the late Bob Sabins) and I kept the defensive stats and Jim Gray and Walt Henderson kept the offense.
“All of us stood on the sidelines for a lot of years,” he said.
Gray and Henderson retired from their duties a number of years ago. As such, Sabins is the last man standing.
“I keep the offensive stats for both teams,” he said. “I just don’t have the time to keep defensive stats.
“I imagine the coaches take stats such as tackles after watching game tapes.”
Sabins’ job isn’t done once the final seconds tick off from a game.
His work continues as he tallies up offensive numbers for both teams.
Then – regardless of whether the game is at home or on the road – he drops off the stats to the Journal-Tribune office later that night.
The only time he hasn’t been able to stop by the newspaper over the years was the game at Findlay a few weeks ago.
Weather conditions prevented the game from starting until 9:40 p.m.
The contest, which was played two hours away, ended shortly after midnight.
Sabins, who will be inducted next winter as an honorary member of the Marysville High School Athletic Hall of Fame, was not able to submit the stats to the Journal-Tribune before the newpaper’s 2 a.m. deadline.
His duties are complete when he delivers copies of the stats to the Monarch coaches’ office on Saturday mornings.
Sabins said he doesn’t have any idea how must longer he will continue in his role for the Monarchs.
“I’m on what I consider a year-to-year basis,” he said. “Once I stop enjoying it and it starts to become a ‘job,” I’ll step down.”
Sabins, though, said he can’t see that happening anytime soon.
“I enjoy doing the stats and being around the team,” he said.