Parke Heritage looks to continue 'fairy tale' season

Rich Schelsky needs no reminders of what is at stake Saturday when he leads his Parke Heritage boy's basketball team into the Southport Fieldhouse for a date with Triton Central. 

The veteran coach, who is 166-58 in eight seasons with the Wolves and has 188 total wins, is quite familiar with all the history surrounding his team and program. 

There's been the run of four straight sectional championships, which marked the first time in Parke County history that has been done.

This marks the fourth straight season his team is on the cusp of a date at Gainbridge Fieldhouse.

And, while those things are nice, Schelsky admits he hasn't had much time to bask in the success nor has he let anyone forget just how tough those accomplishments are. 

"Obviously, it is something that is really special. I know our people take great pride in it. The one problem with all of it is everybody is getting so used to winning. I told someone we are living in a fairy tale right now. I want to keep winning, and I fully expect to. I told our guys who aren't seniors, I expect to be back and continue to do this, but there are no guarantees. For our community, we take a lot of pride in our athletic teams. I don't know if we have a favorite sport in this community, but it does seem like basketball garners the most support in terms of fan attendance. We have a lot of very passionate fans that enjoy wining and going to games. We have a lot of those old timers who are "experts" on the game, and it means a lot to them. For everyone involved in this community, it would be a great experience if we could get this thing done and move on to next week," Schelsky told The Parke County Post. 

During the 2020-21 season, Parke Heritage played for a state title, falling to Fort Wayne Blackhawk, 55-40. 

The season before, the Wolves were 23-3 and were serious contenders, having just waltzed through a sectional only to have COVID-19 end the season. 

"I am not so sure the 2019-2020 was not our best team. It was probably a little deeper and a little more talented, but they didn't get a chance to play past the sectional round," Schelsky said. 

Schelsky is optimistic his team can get back to Gainbridge Fieldhouse one more time, especially with a team loaded with talent. 

"We are on a six out of seven year run of winning a sectional. Five out of six years of advancing out of the regional and five out of six of advancing to the semi-state. It is crazy, and it is something that doesn't happen all of the time. Fortunately for us, we have a lot of talent coming up and the expectation is there. A lot of things have to go your way. We got tested in our first sectional game. Who knows what happens on the last possession of regulation if Greencastle decides they are going to go for a three and the win. If they do that and the ball goes in, we aren't playing anymore. Triton Central was down 14 points in the first game of the sectional against Eastern Hancock. You have to have breaks, the ball has to go in and you have to play well. You don't think about it in the moment, but one of these days that will be well past when I am done coaching, people will look back and say what was that. When you're in the middle of it, you expect to be here and win, and it is great, but at the same time, it is a fairy tale that we are glad to be a part of," he said. 

With the success comes pressure and expectations. 

Since the 2019-20 season, Parke Heritage has won 158 games and lost only 42 times. Of the 42 losses, 10 came in the 2021-22 season and 10 more came in the 2022-23 season. 

The veteran coach said dealing with the pressure has been more prevalent this season. 

"Treigh (Schelsky) has been the leader of this program since he came in as a freshman. Everybody knows that this is his last run. Obviously, Isaac (Pickle) is a very talented senior that brings a different dynamic being 6-foot-9, athletic and long. Everyone knows this could be the best team we've ever had. I think this team has had to deal with that a little bit more than some of the other teams, but I think we do a really good job of staying in the moment. Every game when you get to the state tournament is the biggest game of your season. You can't look ahead, we haven't won anything yet. Our guys do a good job staying game to game. The beauty of this team is its ability to adapt and adjust. We will play however we need to play to win," Schelsky said.