Publisher's Synopsis
Just as the film Hoosiers captured the poignant spirit of Indiana high school basketball, The Road to Paradise tells the story of an unlikely and unexpected football champion - an unproven team without a football pedigree.
Considered to be a team that could never seriously contend with the powerhouse schools from northern Indiana, the underdog 1982 Castle Knights of the tiny southern Indiana town of Paradise capped off a magical undefeated season with a championship that the experts in such matters said was impossible.
The Road to Paradise is the story of that season and high school football in Indiana. It's the story of all that happened before and all that would happen after for a team, a school and a community at a crossroads. It's not so much a story about winning, but about refusing to lose. It's the recipe of how champions are made.
Chicago-based writer Thom Wilder is a journalist, teacher and sports a aficionado. He has been a published writer for the last quarter century, reporting on politics, business, law and government at the local, state and federal level for a variety of Chicago, national and international news organizations.
Wilder grew up in the Castle High School feeder community of Chandler, Indiana, receiving a journalism degree from Indiana University and a law degree from Loyola University Chicago.
Wilder began his journalism career at 15 when he joined the staff of his high school newspaper, The Lancer, and quickly became Sports Editor and Managing Editor, giving him a front row seat for the Castle Knights' march to their 1982 state championship. More information about Thom Wilder is available at www.thomwilder.com.
