Father faces son as TFA takes on East Ridge

TFA head baseball coach Scott Grove played against his son, the new East Ridge head baseball coach Dakoda Grove, during a preseason game Tuesday, Feb. 14.

Andrea Mujica Staff Writer

For many, Valentine’s Day was a day for a lunch date, movie night, romantic dinner, a “Galentine’s” holiday or even a long weekend vacation. However, for TFA head baseball coach Scott Grove and his son — East Ridge head baseball coach Dakoda Grove — this Valentine’s Day had a whole new meaning. The father and son faced each other for the first time on the opposite side of the diamond, with Scott Grove leading the Royals and Dakoda Grove leading the Knights during a preseason game Tuesday, Feb. 14.

“I’m excited for Dakoda,” Scott Grove said. “I just remember way back when I first started coaching and trying to build the program and get to a point where it’s an effective program having players (who) want to come in and play for you.”

With a competitive nature that comes on the baseball field, both head coaches were excited and intrigued to see how the game would evolve.

“We want to win that game probably more so than any other game — just because I’m playing against my dad,” Dakoda Grove said. “Our players know TFA is going to have a lot more talent, so we know that if we can compete with them and beat them, we’ll be able to compete with anyone. So I know (my players) are really excited, but me and my dad are both competitive so I know we both are going to go out there and try to win the game.”