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Chichester a 3-sport standout these days
Ohio High School Insider
BY TOM GROESCHEN | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER
Lakota West senior Josh Chichester is one of the top three-sport athletes in Cincinnati prep history.
Wait. Doesn't Chichester play only two sports?
No. Three.
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Chichester, a two-time Enquirer Division I all-area choice in both football (wide receiver) and basketball (center), took up track barely a month ago. Of course, he simply has gone on to win both the Greater Miami Conference and Division I district high jump championships, the latter with a leap of 6 feet 4.
"I didn't have anything to do this spring," Chichester said. "AAU (basketball) is out of the picture for me right now, and I didn't want to get a job. I thought, hey, why not do track?"
The 6-8, 215-pound Chichester has signed to play D-I college football as a wideout for Louisville and has an agreement to join Rick Pitino's Cardinals basketball team as a walk-on.
Chichester is a rare bird, one that passes this way infrequently nowadays. Sports Illustrated a few years ago lamented the death of the three-sport athlete, in an age of increasing one-sport specialization. Chichester has flown in the face of all that, and it's good to see.
Gerry Weisgerber, athletic director at Lakota West, has been either a high school coach or administrator for 30 years. Weisgerber coached a state basketball title team at Badin and has seen plenty of athletes come through this
area, but few like Chichester.
"Josh has shown that whatever he puts his mind to, he's going to do it," Weisgerber said. "He goes out for track, and all of a sudden he wins the district in the high jump."
Chichester wasn't even on the track team at the start of this spring. He came out after spring break ended, around April 18, and three days later won the high jump in an invitational at Oak Hills.
A week later, Chichester ran a leg on the Lakota West 1,600 relay team that broke a school record. He also runs on the 800 relay team.
Bob Ashby, a longtime sports information director in the Lakota district, said Chichester is the first athlete in Lakota West's nine-year history to be first-team All-GMC in three sports.
Chichester just wishes he had more time, as his great prep career winds down.
"I'm just kicking myself," Chichester said. "I should have started doing track sooner."
Chichester averaged better than 20 yards per catch for his football career and holds numerous school receiving records. He was the leader (11 ppg) of a balanced Lakota West basketball team that won the Enquirer Division I poll championship this season, and he holds several school records for rebounding and blocked shots. Chichester smiles when asked if he will go out for the Louisville track team.
"I don't think so," he said. "Football is my main focus, and I hope to make that my career. Basketball, I'll just kind of try out and see how it goes."
Rather well, odds are.
