Nimrod Nation

As the school year begins, hopes are high for the Watersmeet Nimrods, who won the 2005 District Finals in the team's best season ever. Coach George Peterson III hopes to lead the Nimrods to a championship, but he must balance his duties with his job as the principal of Watersmeet Township School. The team's star members include guard George Peterson IV, a senior who is the coach's son; center Nathan Vestich, a senior who is also student council president; and center Brian Aimsback, a Native American in his junior year. The season opener pits the Nimrods against a tough opponent, the Bessemer High School Speedboys.

The uneasy nature of relations between Watersmeet's white and Native American communities is highlighted when Brian Aimsback and George Peterson IV reach the same career milestone of 1,000 points. But basketball is not the only subject stirring up local passions: word is out that a large housing development has been proposed for Bond Falls Park, a scenic wilderness area that is a popular spot for fishing, cookouts and other activities. Determined to save the land for future generations, ardent outdoorsman Jeff Zelinski begins a petition drive against the Bond Falls development.

Motivational speaker Karl Randall visits Watersmeet Township School to talk to students about smoking, drinking, drugs and sex, and offers his own cautionary tale of teenage drinking and driving. Meanwhile, George and Suzanne Zelinski have taken in Suzanne's pregnant niece, Anna, a studious high school junior emerging from a rocky period in her life. As the Nimrods prepare to take on the undefeated Forest Park-Crystal Falls Trojans, pressure mounts on Brian, whose once-mighty shooting average has declined since he and cheerleader Hope Yablonski began dating.

Student council president and Nimrod center Nathan Vestich heads up the planning for Homecoming Week activities, including dress-up days. A critical game against Ewen-Trout Creek turns ugly in the fourth quarter as players become physically aggressive, and Nathan's excellent showing is overshadowed by personal fouls in the game's closing minutes. After a Bessemer student threatens to retaliate against Nathan, Coach Peterson takes extra steps to ensure that the Nimrods' upcoming match against the Bessemer Speedboys stays clean.

Drama teacher Suzanne Zelinski tries to inject the arts into the school's extracurricular programs as she mounts a musical production, "Toys-R-Alive." Some Nimrod players join the cast, but rehearsals hit a bump when the athletes are claimed by basketball practice. Parent-teacher conference day brings some discussion about the tension between school sports and academic work. Sloppy playing by the Nimrods gives Coach Peterson cause for worry as the team nears the end of the regular season.

Coach Peterson delivers an emotional speech on Senior Night, bidding farewell to six graduating players, including Nathan and George IV. Only one of the team's star players, Brian, will be returning the Nimrods next season. Watersmeet citizens and businesses get into the spirit of March Madness, and college coaches begin making inquiries about some Nimrod players. Bolstered by their 18-2 record, the Nimrods head into the first game of the post-season and face one of their fiercest rivals.