Fox family has close ties to Ardmore

Bats and balls will take the place of potato salad and fried chicken at the Fox-Pack family reunion Thursday in Montgomery.

Charles Henderson second baseman Reilly Fox will stare in to the opposing dugout and see a familiar face: his cousin, Ardmore infielder Carson Pack.

Fox and Pack have spoken a couple of times during the season, and the two have been pulling for one another.

That all changes this week.

“They have a really good baseball team,” Fox said. “He is a good ball player, and I have been wanting them to win all season, but not this week.”

Pack echoed those sentiments.

“Only one of us can win. That’s too bad,” Pack told The Decatur Daily earlier this week. “But hopefully it’s me and my team. This is something we’ve wanted for a while, and we can’t wait to get down there and play for a state championship.

The Fox family moved to Troy about a decade ago, but prior to the move all four of the fox children played sports and went to school in Ardmore.

Reilly’s parents, Gary and Sheree, are Ardmore alums and began dating while in high school.

Gary was a star on the baseball and football field for the Tigers, while Sheree was a cheerleader and a member of the band.

While their high school diplomas may say Ardmore, they have no doubt what colors they will be sporting on Thursday and Friday nights.

“Let there be no doubt that we will be pulling for CHHS,” Gary said. “Ardmore is where we got our start, and Ardmore is where family we love dearly call home. However, for the last 10 plus years we have called Troy home. Troy is a community that accepted us with open arms. We have developed many dear friends in the community, our church, the schools, and on the ball fields.”

The Fox family’s ties to the Ardmore team do not end with Reilly’s cousin or their high school diplomas.

Sheree’s second cousin is Andrew Smith, Ardmore’s head coach.

“It’s fun to think about all that stuff, but in the end it’s about baseball,” Reilly said. “I know that Carson and Andrew are going to do all they can to win, and they know I am going to do the same thing. It will be fun to talk about later, but not this week.”

Charles Henderson head coach Derek Irons said it is neat for the Fox family to experience this event together.

“This has to be the match up they were all pulling for,” Irons said. “I’m sure there will be some mixed emotions as things crank up, but it is a really cool thing for all of the Fox family.”

Despite being proud Ardmore alumnus, Gary said his allegiance would not shift a single inch this week.

“Our family will talk about these games for a long time I am sure. However, the bottom line is this is about a team of great guys I love dearly, great coaches, a great school, and a great community the Fox family is proud to call home….go Trojans.”