Graham and Floyd ink with Motlow State

Ever noticed when little kids are too scared to step to the forefront and take charge, they always push their bigger, older comrades in front of them?

Well the handprints of young men from Wartrace and Bell Buckle paint the backs of Chris Graham and Joseph Floyd.

As the Cascade baseball program continues to challenge young men and make a name for itself across Middle Tennessee, a select few individuals have to carry the torch from their days as Champions on into college.

Things don't end there as the departed talent must also continue to develop and show coaches on the next level that Cascade should be looked at year after year for up-and-coming athletes.

Graham and Floyd each signed their names on the dotted line yesterday to show their intent to play baseball for Motlow State Community College.

"It feels real good," All-District 11-A pitcher Graham said. "Not everybody gets this chance. I've had coaches and parents push me to make it this far. Without them, I wouldn't be here."

"I'm just glad that I've been given the ability to do it," said Floyd, who was named both All-District 11-A and All-Region 6-A at catcher. "I'm really happy that I get to go over to Motlow because that is one place where I really wanted to go."

Both young men have aspirations of advancing themselves educationally and athletically even after their time is up as Bucks as each plan on playing at a 4-year university and earning degrees.

Graham plans to be a divorce lawyer while Floyd hopes to enter the agricultural field.

Most baseball players don't just pick up a glove for a high school team somewhere one day and sign to play college ball the next. Somebody had to help their realize their goals.

Both Champions had help along the way.

"Starting off it would be (former Cascade baseball) coach David (Parker) because as a freshman he gave me the starting position at catching," Floyd said. "He gave me that chance, believed in me and trusted me. He was always a good friend on and off the field. I have a lot of respect for him.

"Another person is (current Cascade baseball) coach Chris (Parker). He taught me a lot about the game. He took me onto his summer ball teams with him. He was there to help me have a better chance of playing ball. I really appreciate what he did for me too."

"There's four people -- David Parker, Chris Parker, my dad (John Graham) and Rusty Johnson," credits Graham.

As the pair trade in their orange and black for green and gold, they look back on their fondest and darkest memories of high school.

"There's nothing like being on the rubber," Graham reminisces. "Every time I stepped on the rubber, it was the greatest feeling I had."

Floyd recalls a time of when baseball took a back seat.

"My sophomore year at Tomahawk Stadium we had just got done playing a pretty good sized school in a tournament and we heard some bad news in the dugout about Allen Ray.

"Some people said he was in the hospital but we thought with Allen being our friend, we knew he would be all right. After the game, Coach David had to get in front of us, kneel down and tell us that Allen was gone. And, just sitting out there on that field with all my friends crying knowing that we just lost somebody that meant a lot to us."

For this inseparable battery, they are allowed to not only entrust in one another on the diamond for at least two more years but also hit another highway of life in the same vehicle together.

"I started catching for him when I was 12 years old," Floyd said. "As it came onto Babe Ruth and high school, I realized this could be something I do in the future.

"I'll have somebody over there that knows me besides meeting somebody over there by myself around a new crowd."

"There's a lot of trust and a lot of love in our relationship," Graham said.

So now that they are moving east to the bright lights of Lynchburg and Tullahoma, what will they miss about their time spent in Bedford County?

"I'm going to miss being here at Cascade. I really enjoyed being here at this school. I learned a lot from the people here. I mainly just got to be myself here. I'll miss football but I'll miss playing baseball here the most. I'm going to miss Coach Chris."

"Everybody here knows and loves everybody. You have to appreciate them all," Graham said.

Let's just hope that Motlow can appreciate these two the way the Cascade faithful have.