LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION - Winter 2008 Wartburg Magazine - Wartburg College

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LIGHTS, CAMERA, ACTION

Danny Broihier ’07 (left) and Ryan Grant ’07 pose with the poster for The Final Season during the film’s opening night in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

by Mark Adkins ’90

Former, current student-athletes in movie

Going to the movies is a new experience for Ryan Grant ’07 and Danny Broihier ’07.

“The last few times I’ve taken in a show with friends, I’m always saying, ‘Oh, I know they probably did this’ or ‘They could have done that this way,’” said Broihier, a former Knights baseball player from Davenport, Iowa.

“It’s been hard to not look too hard into things when I go to movies now,” said Grant of Center Point, Iowa, also a former Wartburg baseball player.

They have good reason to see movies from another angle. The pair, along with Tony Moore ’08 of Waterloo, Iowa, went through the experience of a lifetime during their junior and sophomore years, respectively.

Moore answered an advertisement in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls Courier for film extras for The Final Season, which chronicles the success and end of the Norway (Iowa) High School baseball program.

Broihier and Grant got in on the ground floor of the project during their Kirkwood Community College playing days.

The Final Season was released in fall 2007 and stars Powers Boothe as legendary Norway High School head coach Jim Van Scoyoc. Other stars include Sean Astin as Kent Stock, Van Scoyoc’s longtime assistant, and Tom Arnold as Burt Akers, one of the parents of a player on the final Norway squad.

“We were fortunate to be playing for Coach Van Scoyoc,” Grant said. “He was our pitching coach at Kirkwood. He had been telling all of the guys that a movie was getting ready to go into production about Norway’s success, and the story around the end of the program. He wanted us all to think about being involved.”

Moore’s trek to getting a part in the movie was a bit more involved.

Having not played baseball since his high school days at Waterloo West, he and a friend went to a local ballpark and worked on fielding until dusk several consecutive days prior to his audition.

Ryan Grant ’07 (right) spends a lighter moment with movie star Sean Astin during filming of The Final Season. Grant appeared in much of the opening of the film, making several diving fielding plays at shortstop for the 1990 Norway High School championship team.

“It was definitely a little more challenging for me,” the former Knights football defensive back said. “The ad stated the production company was looking for young men in my age range who looked the part of a baseball player, but I hadn’t played in a while. My mom said she’d drive me down for the original interview. If it hadn’t been for her, I don’t think I would have given it a shot.”

Moore made several trips to Cedar Rapids during his sophomore year at Wartburg, going through the interview process and being told he was in.
Meanwhile, Broihier and Grant went to the interview and sailed right through.

“We were the last two to be interviewed that day,” Broihier recalled. “I’ll never forget it. We were sitting there thinking ‘Man, these other guys are taking a long time in there. What are they being asked?’”

We got in there and the producer said, ‘Oh yeah, you’re Danny and Ryan. Coach Van Scoyoc said you’d be here.
You’re good to go.’”

Upon arrival on the set, the three each played for different teams. Grant played for the 1990 state championship squad and was an extra on a few other teams. Broihier was the catcher for Norway High School’s final season state championship opponent, while Moore played second base for the rival school and also spent some time as an extra for other teams.

In the beginning, it was off to the field for Moore. He went through fielding, running and batting practices. Due to their more extensive baseball background, Broihier and Grant simply waited for their next call.

Waiting was something the trio got used to. In addition to the time between calls to shoot, there was more waiting once each arrived on set. However, all three knew it would be worth it.

“You have to be ready so early due to having to go through getting into costume, going through makeup and so on,” Moore said. “It gave me a tremendous appreciation for how many people it takes to put together a motion picture and the time involved to do so.”

Powers Boothe (left) and Ryan Grant ’07 (right), Norway player, portraying longtime Norway High School coach Jim Van Scoyoc, and Sean Astin (center), as assistant coach Kent Stock, listen, during a scene in The Final Season.

“Shooting scenes was a blast,” Broihier said. “It did get to be a little bit of waiting, but in the end it was worth it when you saw yourself on the screen.”

Moore admitted waiting for the final product did cause angst. The entire filming process took the course of two academic years. After post production was completed, the film was released six months later.

“I had been telling my friends and family about this for so long, and I think, jokingly, some of thought it might not happen,” Moore said. “The film went through a lot of channels. The movie people did a great job keeping us updated, sending us e-mail and text messages whenever something happened.”

However, the first time they saw the film, they were glad they went through the experience.
“It’s amazing to see yourself on the screen,” Grant said. “I had told my family and friends I thought I was in some of it, but to see how much was amazing.”

“It turned out to be a very good movie,” Broihier said. “Everyone who has seen it with me seems to agree.”

“If I had a chance to do it again, it would be great,” Moore said. “It’s an experience I’ll never forget.”