The magic of Milton-Union’s unbeaten season

As for no magic, let IncrediBret clarify.

He’s the favored Miami Valley magician who’s carried out for over 1 / 4 century — often carrying his trademark shiny pink vest or sport coat and a black fedora — at events, weddings, faculties, company capabilities and on massive stage exhibits.

He’s additionally the Bulldogs’ head coach.

“I do magic eight months out of the 12 months, however I don’t e book any exhibits throughout soccer season,” Bret Pearce defined. “This time of 12 months, outdoors of the classroom, all my consideration is on soccer.”

Whereas his gamers could have the same mindset, hearken to the star of the group, Blake Brumbaugh — the magnificent senior vast receiver and defensive again whose storied household tree goes again to his nice grandfather, Carl Brumbaugh, a celebrated Ohio State and College of Florida quarterback and halfback who went on to play 9 seasons within the NFL within the Nineteen Thirties, principally with the highly effective Chicago Bears.

As he stood in the long run zone surrounded by followers following Friday’s night time’s newest victory, Brumbaugh talked about Pearce:

“He has some bizarre tips. He has one the place he pulls a bowling ball out of a bit suitcase. A 3-inch suitcase!

“He’s fairly superb.”

One other individual within the crowd talked about the best way IncrediBret could make sponge bunnies seem in your hand and also you’ll do not know how they bought there.

“I’ve seen him a number of occasions and I’m nonetheless baffled by lots of his tips,” mentioned Joe Pearce, Bret’s 77-year-old father, a former soccer standout at Mansfield Madison and Bowling Inexperienced, who drives 2¼ hours from Mansfield each Friday to be on the Bulldogs’ sideline. He’s been doing that the complete 18 years his son has been the coach.

A number of afternoons in the past I visited Pearce within the Milton-Union classroom the place he teaches science principally to ninth-graders, however to some juniors and seniors, too. It was his free interval and we talked about soccer and household and a few sleight of hand.

“I introduced a field of stuff in case you need to see a trick,” he mentioned earlier than going over to his desk and taking out two paper baggage, one in all which he set off to the aspect.

From the opposite he pulled out a Rubik’s Dice and advised me to twist it round a number of occasions.

“As you do this, I need to let you know there are 43 quadrillion potential combos,” he mentioned as a little bit of IncrediBret flickered to life in entrance of me. “There’s a great probability you set it ready it’s by no means been in earlier than. I’m going to attempt to clear up it magically when it’s contained in the bag and I can’t see it. “

He quickly took my Rubik’s Dice again out and mentioned: “I’ve an issue. You’ve already solved it!”

He held up the dice I’d twisted and reached into the forgotten bag to take out a unique dice that was an identical. All six sides have been twisted into the identical patterns as mine.

Pearce generally brings magic into the classroom, like making one thing levitate and utilizing it as a lead-in to the research of gravity, the drive levitation appears to defy.

I requested him, in terms of soccer, would he say this season was magical. He reacted to the query in another way than I anticipated:

“Oh no, this season is about gifted children and all of the exhausting work they’ve put in. And to faux I’m the rationale for any of this could make me really feel awkward.”

Whereas he mentioned he noticed no “overlaps” between being a soccer coach and a magician, his spouse, Michelle — a speech and language pathologist for preschoolers and first-graders within the Northmont faculty district — definitely did:

“He likes to entertain, to make folks smile, and I believe it’s all associated.

“As a coach, he’s clearly bettering these children with the issues soccer teaches.

“And as a magician, most of his exhibits are a celebration of one thing: someone’s birthday, someone’s Christmas celebration, someone’s marriage ceremony.

“Persons are celebrating an important day and he likes to be part of it and convey them pleasure and make it higher for them.”

‘Fell in love with magic’

Rising up in Mansfield, Pearce mentioned he was about 8 when the late Harry Blackstone Jr. — the famed magician who is alleged to have pulled over 80,000 rabbits out of his sleeves and hat — appeared on the historic 1,400-seat Renaissance Theater on the town.

“He referred to as a bunch of us children up on stage with him and I had my arms on the aspect of the canary cage with the canary in it. Perhaps 10 of us have been holding onto it.

“After which: Increase!

“It was gone!

“Proper then, I fell in love with magic.”

He bought a bit magic package, however mentioned he didn’t have a trick that stood out till he went to the American Legion-sponsored Buckeye Boys State camp in 1987, the summer time earlier than his senior 12 months in highschool:

“I hit it off with one child there and he taught me a card trick. I name it ‘The Joe Trick.’ It’s a narrative that makes use of each card within the deck.

“Proper after camp I misplaced observe of the opposite child, however I nonetheless keep in mind his trick. Actually, I nonetheless use it as we speak. It’s that good.”

And but, again then, he wasn’t interested by being a magician.

His dad had been a sports activities legend at his highschool — incomes 11 varsity letters — and Bret hoped for a bit soccer fame himself: “All I ever needed to do was play highschool soccer. I didn’t have goals greater than that.”

He did play at Madison, however determined to go to Ohio State as a scholar reasonably than play soccer at a small faculty.

However as soon as at OSU, he realized how a lot he missed soccer. He transferred to Ohio College, was an schooling main and ended up doing his scholar educating at Wahama Excessive Faculty within the small Ohio River city of Mason, West Virginia.

That’s the place he began teaching soccer.

After that he ended up at West Carrollton Excessive Faculty, the place he spent six seasons as an assistant.

By then Michelle, who’d been his highschool sweetheart, was in grad faculty on the College of Cincinnati.

That’s what bought him to Norwood, the place he found Haines Home of Playing cards, a magic store that held him spellbound.

“That’s the place I fell in love with magic once more,” he mentioned.

He began to purchase magic books and tips and would go house and apply till he discovered them.

Nowadays he practices within the storage, generally movies himself to review every trick, and when he’s prepared, he typically exhibits his efforts to Michelle for a little bit of viewers suggestions.

“In 1996, somebody requested me to work their daughter’s marriage ceremony reception,” he mentioned. “Simply to go desk to desk and entertain folks, particularly when the marriage celebration was first getting their footage taken and everyone can be getting fidgety ready.

“After which they gave me cash for doing it and I assumed, ‘That is fairly cool!’”

He mentioned he began to “actually get into it” and he joined the Worldwide Brotherhood of Magicians, a Kettering membership that meets as soon as a month.

By 2000, he was a part of the Milton-Union workers and shortly the top coach. However 13 years into that profitable tenure, he gave up the job so he might spend time watching his personal two kids of their actions at Northmont Excessive. His son swam and was within the marching band, as was his daughter, and that bought him to soccer video games on Friday nights.

“He was attempting to be a great dad and a great husband, however you would inform one thing was lacking,” Michelle mentioned. “Soccer is in his blood.”

“I knew I used to be going to overlook teaching the youngsters, however I additionally knew stepping away was the fitting factor to do,” Pearce mentioned. “I used to be lacking my very own kids doing their issues and that was simply extra necessary to me.”

When his children might drive, he returned to the Bulldogs sideline because the offensive coordinator on Mark Lane’s workers. And when Lane moved full-time to the athletic director’s job, Pearce was requested to be the top coach once more.

It’s a job he loves:

“I just like the reference to the youngsters. Boys are available at 13 or 14 years previous they usually go away this system as younger males and also you get to see the change in them.”

He talked in regards to the classes of soccer: “Duty. Overcoming adversity. Once you line up towards someone who’s going to kick your butt each play in entrance of the entire city and you continue to combat for 48 minutes, that teaches you one thing,”

The tutorials haven’t been misplaced on the Bulldogs, who have been 10-2 final season and received the inaugural Three Rivers Convention crown. They’ve registered 4 shutouts in eight video games and have outscored the opposition 346-40.

Regardless of the dominance of his son’s group, Joe Pearce nonetheless will get so nervous he can’t eat after 10 a.m. on recreation days.

And but he’s glad Bret has returned from his hiatus and he’s once more making the weekly journeys from Mansfield.

The one group that’s happier in regards to the return to his Friday night time routine is the waterfowl of Richland County.

“These years he wasn’t teaching,” Joe mentioned with fun, “I went duck looking.”

Gifted gamers

It was First Responders Evening at Memorial Stadium on Friday.

When the MU gamers entered the sphere by way of the open mouth and massive, white canine enamel of the large inflatable Bulldog head past the top zone, they wore stars and stripes spats over their soccer footwear.

On the entrance of their pink helmets — which have a studded canine collar emblem on one aspect and canine bone stickers pasted on the again to suggest massive performs and contributions — have been giant decals honoring the hearth division, police and EMS staff.

A number of first responders have been honored on the sphere earlier than the sport and a few of their automobiles — from West Milton police, the Miami County Sheriff, Laura Hearth Division, 5 Rivers Metro Parks, Union Township Life Squad — have been lined up past the top zone. Each time the Bulldogs scored, the responders flipped on the flashing gentle bars atop their automobiles.

By the top of the primary half — the Bulldogs scored all 47 factors within the first two quarters after which the backups got here in — you had seen a nonstop gentle present.

Milton-Union has had good groups earlier than and two made it to the regional finals. The 2006 group misplaced to Oak Harbor and the 2012 group fell to Clinton Massie.

This system has had notable gamers as effectively: Carl Brumbaugh’s Chicago Bears’ groups twice received NFL titles. Charlie Inexperienced, who starred at Wittenberg and performed for the Oakland Raiders, is within the School Soccer Corridor of Fame. Mike Kelly was the extremely profitable College of Dayton coach and Wes Martin is now a guard for the Washington Commanders.

Not often does a college the scale of Milton-Union — it’s Division V this season after being one of many smallest in Division IV final 12 months — have so many gifted soccer gamers.

Blake Brumbaugh, defensive lineman Jake Brown and kicker Mason Grudich have been first group all-state a 12 months in the past and offensive lineman Ethan Lane was third group. Add in 6-foot-4 vast receiver Cooper Brown and quarterback Nate Morter, who’s second all-time on the MU’s profession passing listing, and also you see why the Bulldogs have received 16 straight common season video games.

Friday night time six gamers scored and operating again Michael Elam ran for 2 touchdowns.

“This 12 months feels particular in some ways,” Brumbaugh mentioned. “Loads of us have been enjoying collectively since sixth grade. It’s fairly surreal to be with all of your finest mates and (pull off) massive wins each week.”

The Bulldogs have two powerful video games left within the common season. Subsequent week they journey to 7-1 Northridge after which they host 6-2 Riverside.

After that comes the playoffs.

That is additionally the time IncrediBret begins getting requests at bret_pearce@yahoo.com to carry out at vacation events from Thanksgiving by way of Christmas.

“I’m hoping I received’t be doing any of these till after the primary weekend of December,” Pearce mentioned with a smile and a nod to the state championships at Tom Benson Corridor of Fame Stadium in Canton that first weekend.

And if that’s the way it performs out, then, lastly, he could admit that — pink vest and Rubik’s trick apart — this definitely was a magical season for Bulldogs soccer.