Author Jonathan Lockwood Huie once said, “Celebrate endings — for they precede new beginnings.”

That’s how I feel as we turn the chapter from 2022 to 2023.

Another year in the books getting the opportunity to cover Jackson County sports at The Tribune. Much like 2021, this past year was filled with more awesome moments that I got to cover and be a part of.

There are way too many to list, but I’ll rattle off a few.

At the start of 2022, our staff got to see the Seymour girls basketball team win its first sectional game since 2012, and I got to cover the Brownstown Central boys and girls basketball teams in the Greencastle Regional, which both provided exciting and fun atmospheres.

I got to write about the local legend himself, Arv Koontz, as he celebrated 50 years covering Jackson County athletics.

As we moved into late February, any time a sports reporter can go to a state meet to cover athletes in their area, it’s a fun time. That’s what Paul Montgomery, Will Cottrill, Clayton Greenawalt, Pedro Cerino Rico, Grant Smith and Larry Simons allowed me to do at the IHSAA state meet for swimming and diving at the Indiana University Natatorium.

Seymour wrestling sent freshman Dane Botkin to semistate, and Hayley Harpe, Vivienne Siefker, Brooke Trinkle and Samantha Jacobi all qualified for the state track and field meet in the spring, as did Brownstown’s Dustyn Kocsis on the boys side.

Seymour’s Oliver Kardos, Brownstown’s Chandler Stahl and Trinity Lutheran’s Jacob Sabotin all competed in the boys golf regional.

The Trinity Lutheran softball capped off the spring with an incredible postseason run, winning the program’s first regional title and advancing to the semistate over at North Daviess.

As we got to the fall, Seymour’s Lainey Jackson went back-to-back as sectional champion for girls golf. The Trinity and Brownstown volleyball teams both claimed sectional titles, as did the Seymour boys tennis team for the first time in three years.

On the gridiron, I’d be a fool if I left out thanking John Regruth for helping out covering Brownstown football, as well as our two photographers, Jeff Lubker and Greg Jones, for shooting Friday night lights.

I got to follow the Owls on the field, and they never failed to provide fireworks in the fourth quarter of games and make things exciting. They also won a share of the Hoosier Hills Conference title for the first time since 2001.

There have been lots of milestones this past year, perhaps one of the biggest happening not too long ago as Trinity’s Bailey Tabeling became the all-time leading scorer in all of Jackson County for basketball.

As the winter sports currently carry us into 2023, it has me excited for what’s to come in Jackson County this year.

I wouldn’t be surprised if some Seymour swimmers end up back at the natatorium in downtown Indianapolis, I wouldn’t be shocked if some of our basketball teams make a run in March and I know for certain there will be plenty more sectional champions we’ll get to write about this calendar year.

To the athletic directors, coaches and, most importantly, the athletes, thank you for letting us at The Tribune be a part of your journeys.

I always tell people that the athletes in Jackson County never fail to provide me with awesome interviews and cool moments on the field, on the court, on the mat, in the pool, whatever it may be.

Since I’ve been at The Tribune, so many kids in this area have signed to go play sports collegiately.

Last summer in the same week, Tabeling and Brownstown’s Jack Benter both committed to play DI basketball — Tabeling to Ohio and Benter to Purdue.

Those are just two examples of so many athletes being able to continue their impressive athletic careers at the next level.

The year 2022 was great for sports in Jackson County. How good can 2023 be?

Yesterday was the first blank page of a 365-page book. Let’s write a good one together.