MILLBURY, Ohio — Two local statisticians share a friendship that started 30 years ago. What began with T-ball has grown into so much more on the Lake Flyer football sideline.
"I love Friday nights,” said Scott Reitz, a Lake Flyer statistician. “It's hard to imagine not being on the football field on a Friday night."
The boys of fall are back and that includes Scott Reitz who's been on the sidelines for 29 years keeping stats, but he hasn't done it alone. Decades ago, he called his friend Bob Fimognari to help.
"Right after that first game I was hooked,” said Bob Fimognari, a Lake Flyer statistician. “And here I am 25 years later still doing it with him."
After so many years together, they have their craft down to a science. They truly understand each other and even dress identical from head to toe on game days.
"I do offense,” Reitz said. “I track the play calls what happens on the play, Bob spots for me. Bob does defense, he tracks the calls and what happens, and I spot for him. It's just mutual back and forth. It's second nature now to us."
"As soon as that kick off, were zoned in,” Fimognari said. “Scott and I just help each other out."
But, it's not just their decades of volunteering or friendship that makes them unique. They are two of the few statisticians who still stand on the field and use paper to keep the stats.
"We're old school,” Fimognari said. “We like to do it with paper and pencil and that keeps us right on the sidelines right next to the coaches cause we get the call as soon as they call it in on defense or offense so it's kind of neat."
They've been there for everything over the past 25 years. They've taken hits on the sideline, witnessed upsets and heartbreaking losses, but they've done it all together play by play. And, they aren't ready to call it yet.
"He's (Bob) been doing it with me for 25 years and he's my best friend,” Reitz said. “What more can I say? He's like a brother to me and we enjoy doing it and we are going to do it for as long as we stay healthy."
Scott and Bob will be back on the sidelines next Friday as Lake takes on Northwood.