Who wants the Silver Ball
Here at D1 Highlights we have been covering Tennessee High School Football for 6+ years now. Each year celebrating the end of the season by making the trip to Cookeville to crown the eventual state champions in each division, 9 total this year for 2017. The state champs receive their golden trophy after the game and everyone cheers, shouts and celebrates. The state runner-up receives their silver trophy and not as many cheers are heard across the stadium. We understand that the teams who are put that position have just come up short of achieving the ultimate goal of winning the state championship and rightfully so are a bit upset. Trust me when I say that we here at D1 Highlights and man others understand! 2017 is the 20 year anniversary of our 1997 Golden Bears falling short by 1 point in the state semi-finals to the Munford Tigers, Cougars or whatever they call themselves! (not bitter at all) I mention this to get to my ultimate point of that silver runner-up trophy is something to be appreciated just as much as the gold one. Many teams and members of those teams that receive that silver trophy may not realize this at the time…but…there are 300+ teams across the state that did not make it as far as you did and would love to be in your position! Myself and other members of that 1997 team that fell short of a chance to play the Riverdale Warriors in the 1997 “Clinic Bowl” would love to have a silver state runner-up trophy! Today it is fun to look back and reminisce on that season. We mostly talk about how we would have given Riverdale a better game then Munford did =) But the memories and brotherhood we had is way more valuable then what could’ve been.
We heard a story of a state runner up team from a few years ago using their silver trophy as a door stop for the door leading into the weight room! To the coaching staff of that team we say “if you can’t accept losing and the valuable life lessons that come along with losing just as you do winning then maybe your school should not have a football program!” Learning to lose and teaching the young people who compete in athletics how to handle temporary failure is MORE valuable than winning. Nobody wants to lose..but that’s the great thing about sports, somebody has to lose. The question is how will you handle it? Appreciate that silver ball…it is just as rare!
