By DREW GRANTHUM / Sports writer

Allow me to introduce myself. I’m Drew Granthum, and I am your new sports writer. My goal is to make sure that no great sports story within this county goes untold. Sure, I’m here to recap games and report stats, tell who won and who lost and all that, but more importantly here, I want to tell the great stories that go along with the facts.

See, to me, sports (and a lot of reporting, come to think of it) are one the last great mediums to share stories in the news. Behind every walk off home run, record-breaking touchdown or epic buzzer-beater, there was a hitter, a quarterback and a three-point shooter, and all of them have a story to tell.

I guess what I’m trying to say is that in addition to getting the facts, I also try to present the human element. Why? Because I’m a fan of what I write about. I played several different sports through the years, and I know it’s not just about who won or lost, but sometimes how they got there, what they overcame, and what heights the victory has brought a team to or how heartbreaking a team whose magic has just run out can be.

Sports aren’t just about one team or player out doing another –not at all. There’s so much else going on. It’s an atmosphere, to be honest, especially with high school football. Each stadium has its own identity; each fan base and team has its own characteristics that make it unique. I don’t just want to report what happened; I want to capture everything, from the effort of the players to the sound of the band, from the smell of the concession stand floating through the air to the electricity of the crowd.

In short, I want to help you be there, even if you couldn’t attend in person.

I also am a fan of equality. I can’t promise you I can run every single story I hear about from everywhere I hear about it, but I’ll do my best to make sure each home team, every sport and every player are represented in these sports pages equally. I’m looking forward to meeting each of you as I learn the ropes, and am open to any news tips or anything of the like. Feel free to email me any time at drew.granthum@shelbycountyreporter.com any time.

Here’s to the start of a fun ride.