RON SEIBEL: Thanks for the ride, Albany

Twenty-five years ago last month, an 18-year-old from suburban Toledo, Ohio, went off to college with two goals in mind: to start a career in journalism and to go see the country.

Except for a five-day trip to Walt Disney World while in junior high — during an exceptionally hot summer in which it was hotter in Toledo than it was at Disney — I had not stepped foot in a state that didn’t border Ohio. I was ready to go exploring, even if the trip to college was 3-1/2 hours away with relatives nearby.

That journey turned into a 25-year circle tour of the country, with stops in Indiana, Utah, Arizona, Florida and, for the past 12 years, Georgia. For someone who hadn’t traveled much before, it was an eye-opener … not to mention an awful lot of fun.

Later this week, the tour of the country will come full circle. I’ve accepted a position with my hometown newspaper, a job that will let me rejoin my family in the Toledo area. My parents are still there, as well as my brother and his family.

Most of these 25 years on the road have been spent covering high school sports. While some of the work can at times take on the feel of the movie “Groundhog Day” (“Watch that first step! It’s a doozy!), there have been some notable athletes who have gone on to much bigger things. Here’s a partial list:

Brandon Miller (New Castle, Indiana): Miller, who played guard at New Castle, played in one of the best one-on-one duels I’ve ever seen on the basketball floor. He and Batesville’s Michael Menser went toe-to-toe for 36 minutes — the game went overtime — in the final of the 1997 New Castle regional in Indiana’s final single-class basketball tournament. Played in front of an overflow crowd of 10,000 at the New Castle Field House — capacity 9,300 — New Castle prevailed in overtime. Miller went on to a strong collegiate career at Southwest Missouri and Butler before spending some time in coaching, briefly serving as Butler’s head coach.

Cain Velasquez (Yuma, Arizona): Cain and his older brother, Efrain, played football and wrestled at Kofa High and were regulars on all-area teams. Neither spoke much, letting their effort on the field speak for them. Cain went on to wrestle at Arizona State before turning his attention to the MMA ring, where he became a UFC heavyweight champion.

DJ Hall and Glen Coffee (Fort Walton Beach, Florida): While Hall and Coffee played for crosstown rivals, Hall at Choctawhatchee, Coffee at Fort Walton Beach, both went on play at Alabama. Hall was quite outgoing, while Coffee was more quiet and reserved. Both had decent runs in Tuscaloosa, although neither found success at the professional level.

AJ Gray (Sandersville): I had the chance to cover Gray during his senior year at Washington County while I worked at the Macon Telegraph. He was a high school coach’s dream, a playmaker on the field, a gentleman off the field. He comes from an athletic family: His dad is the principal at WACO, while his sister, Allisha, plays for the WNBA’s Dallas Wings. His career at Georgia Tech was, unfortunately, cut short by a heart condition, but he has the skill set to be successful in a number of areas.

Roquan Smith (Montezuma): Another player I covered while working in Macon, I had the chance to see Smith in action a couple of times during his senior year of high school. I could already tell that he had the skills and mindset to take his game to the next level, and the way he handled his recruiting situation should be a model for players who have coaches leave on them at signing day. He deserved every bit of the success he had at Georgia, and he’s working his way into the lineup as a rookie with the Chicago Bears.

It’s too early to say which athletes from the Albany area from the past 14 months will have breakout collegiate or professional careers. There are several candidates, including several from the football ranks but also student-athletes like golfer Colin Bowles, who played at Terrell Academy and is now on the roster at Ohio State.

To those who I’ve worked with throughout the Albany area, thanks for helping out. Covering high school and community sports is a group effort, and we can’t do it without you.

Readers and Twitter followers, thank you, as well, for your support. While my time in Albany was short, I hope I’ve been able to share some good stories along the way.

Now, however, it’s time for me to go home.

Ron Seibel, who joined the Albany Herald in July 2017 after 11 years at the Macon Telegraph, ends his tenure as sports editor today. He can be reached on Twitter @RonSeibel.