Football field heroics cause for celebration
The last time Warren County’s high school football team won a game, the World Trade Center was still standing. Gas only cost $1.46 a gallon. And Barry Bonds was on his way to a Major League record of 73 home runs in a season.
That meant Friday night’s Pioneer victory over Bradley Central was cause for a full-blown celebration, and what a victory party it was. Students stormed the field and the Nunley Stadium goal posts came down — both of them — in a scene that was one for the ages.
Few things have the ability to ignite school spirit, and kindle community pride, like a high school football victory. That’s because high school football, particularly in small towns, is more than a game. It’s an event.
Friday morning and afternoon is spent talking about football. Come game time, the stands are packed with hundreds and hundreds of fans. The band plays at halftime. No other sport has such drawing power.
That’s why a football win is so uplifting. After the game, people were honking their horns and hollering for the Pioneers while riding The Strip. It’s why people were still talking about the dazzling performance of Pioneer quarterback Josh Paz on Saturday morning.
The Pioneers might not be ready to challenge for a playoff spot, but they can at least feel the satisfaction that comes with winning. And it appears this may finally be the core group of players that’s capable of carrying Warren County back to football respectability.
The brilliant play of seniors like Paz, Jevon Ramsey, Nick Cantrell and Jacob Bratcher grabbed everyone’s attention Friday night, but there’s also a solid nucleus of underclassmen coming up behind them. It’s reason to believe the county’s string of lean years on the football field may be coming to an end.
But the most notable accomplishment was getting that first win and slamming the door on a losing streak that had reached 39 games. May Warren County football never experience such a drought again.
A victory is fitting payment for a summer spent laboring on the football field. For all the practices in the 90-degree heat, for all the time spent studying plays and evaluating film, and for all the bumps and bruises that come with playing football, a win makes it all feel worthwhile.
Congratulations Pioneers for your historic win over Bradley Central. It’s a victory which brought down the goal posts.
It’s also a victory that impacts more than the football team and WCHS students. The whole community takes a little bit of pride from a high school football victory.
Good luck Pioneers in making it two wins in a row this week against DeKalb County.