One of the very best parts of my job as a school superintendent is that I have both the privilege and the honor of having a front row seat to the accomplishments of our students. Those accomplishments come in many forms, from academic to athletic, to co-curricular events and activities. For the sake of this article I will focus on our recent 6 Man Football State Championship.

The word on the street when I moved to Big Sandy in June was that our football team was pretty good but unfortunately they had fallen short in the playoffs in previous years.Throughout the year, even in winning every game, often times by a large margin, I would still hear, “they are doing really good but…” This is not just a Big Sandy phenomenon, as many fans in many towns throughout Montana and America are cautiously optimistic about their team’s chances of having a perfect season and winning it all. To the credit of the team and their coaches, that cautious optimism was never evident in their performance.

Sometimes in life the story can get lost in the accomplishment but in this case, I think it is their story of perseverance through adversity that makes this story so riveting. It was falling short time and time again that ultimately led our team, its members and coaches, to their ultimate success. For years they were so close, only to watch other teams win the coveted state championship and hoist the championship trophy. Not this year. They simply would not allow that to happen to them again, as this year belonged to the Pioneers and their desire to write a new and better ending to their storybook season.

Thank you to the players, coaches, managers, and all who supported the Pioneers on their road to a first ever Class C State Championship for our school and community. Thank you to our community members, who have supported our team and their perfect season. And lastly, thank you to our student-athletes for representing our school and community with class as you wrote your story and earned your first ever state championship.