ARLINGTON – Tom Bosket played quarterback for the Arlington High School football team back in 1974.
Mike Buckholz taught at AHS and coached girls basketball.
Together, they form the team in its fourth year announcing Eagle games online for the Twin City Sports Network on the web.
Owner Perry Williams said their broadcasts for football, basketball and baseball can reach 300 listeners – 500 if the team reaches the playoffs. But the network also broadcasts other sports.
“We give exposure to sports that normally don’t get it,” he said, such as soccer and volleyball.
Bosket said he likes it when he sees people in the stands listening to the games. “We have some funny banter, like an old married couple,” he said with a laugh.
Buckholz’s wife, Maggie, who also is part of the team on the technical side, said one time, when it was inches and goal for a touchdown, they described it as “a hot dog’s length away.”
Bosket said, “I’ve been told some of the players go home and sit down with the family and replay the game.”
Buckholz said their productions are low key and community oriented. “We’re unabashedly homers,” Williams said.
While they try to be professional, they said sometimes it’s hard because they don’t have spotters. When it was foggy for one game, they kept having to say, “We think” it was No. 20 making the tackle, for example.
Maggie said listeners love the home-town feel. She said they have fans all over the country. “It’s a great service for their families” to be able to listen online, she added.
Buckholz said they love predicting what will happen, especially if it does. Like in the first game this season when Arlington had one play left in the game. They predicted a pass to receiver Griffin Gardoski because he’s so tall. They were right, and Arlington won the game. “We were overly pleased with ourselves,” Buckholz said.
As for their favorite game, it had to be when Arlington beat Stanwood 28-27 for the Stilly Cup. Williams, who calls the Stanwood games, shared the microphone with Buckholz, who called the game when Arlington had the ball.
“There was a battle on the field and up in the booth,” Williams said.
