St. Paul Gym

Sarah passes along another photo of a gym, this one from St. Paul, home of the Buckaroos. I am familiar with this gym and as Sarah points out, the gym and school have undergone some serious renovations and upgrades and it is a mighty fine gym for high school basketball.

It used to be dark, almost yellow if my memory serves me right and the floor felt and looked like a plywood-type wood (ed note: I am not sure if this was the case, but it is my recollection from 15 or so years ago).

Now, with extensive remodeling and upgrading, it is a beautiful gym, with bright lights, perfect floor and enough seating to create a great environment for a big Casco League showdown. Last year, I attended a playoff game at St. Paul and the gym was packed with a standing room only crowd. It was truly a fantastic environment.

Check out the photo:



For those not sure where St. Paul is located, check out the map below. The town is about eight miles directly south of Newberg.



St. Paul has a tradition of athletics excellence, particularly on the gridiron. The football team has won five state championships since 1959 and finished second six times. Since 1959 they have appeared in the semifinals 16 times. They recently captured the 2009 state football title behind one of the most dominant running performances in state history. Senior running back Ryan Pierson carried the ball 40 times for 386 yards in St. Paul’s 38-34 win over Imbler.

Led by Vince Drago, the Bucks were a strong basketball force in the late 80’s and early 90’s, finishing as runners-up in basketball in 1986, 1987 and 1989. St. Paul made back-to-back trips to state in 2002 and 2003.

Thanks again to Sarah for providing the photo and once again, her name and picture were used with her permission.