[Taylor Keeney] wasn’t just closing the gate for the night or on the season — which ended with the loss in the district semifinal — or on his high school career. The gate was closing on East Central baseball, East Central sports, in general, and East Central High School.
Before the gate clanged shut, the gates holding back his emotions swung wide open.
“When you’ve started varsity here for five years — I’ve put in at least three or four hours on the field making it look the best in eastern Iowa every single day — it’s just hard to let go,” Keeney said as tears streamed from his eyes and choked his voice.
East Central will be in whole-grade sharing with Northeast of Goose Lake next year after a potential deal with Preston got tangled up in the courts.