The boy’s basketball team and their state championship victory were celebrated on Monday, March 30 in the Van Es Arena. The entire community gathered, including all students from grades Pre-K through 12th, as well as faculty and staff. The entire team walked out to kick-start the event, quickly followed by a speech by head coach Nathan West, and a short documentary produced by junior Brooke Temple.
“I think the basketball celebration went very well. I think the little kids enjoyed it. And I think the team just enjoyed being with each other for one last time, since the seniors got to go off to college soon,” freshman Ethan Hight said.
Comparable to a pep rally, the celebration was something fresh and new for the school to enjoy, especially during such a stressful part of the school year. This celebration also meant a lot to the players to see everyone they knew recognizing their accomplishment.
“Just so the school, and everybody at the school can recognize, considering we played in Macon and everything, and just so everybody can be a part of that victory,” Hight said.
The team and coaches’ walkout was a special, movie-like moment for many on the team, especially for the seniors who were walking through some of their final times with their team.
“It was super cool walking out in front of the whole school at the basketball celebration. It felt really good to be recognized by the entire school for something that we worked so hard for,” senior Brent Bell said.
A few parts of the ceremony especially stood out to the players because they were personally significant and once-in-a-lifetime experiences.
“I feel like cutting the net will stick with me as I go on through high school and college and just something to look back on in like 30 years,” sophomore Tylin Lovingood said.
The final few seconds of the game were replayed on the Jumbotron during the celebration so anyone who had not already watched could view the winning moments.
“Still felt great to see it again and see everybody’s reaction to when the clock went off and we won,” Lovingood said.
The basketball players also enjoyed reliving the exact time they became state champions, a moment that encapsulated the season.
“Watching it back felt good. It was bittersweet because there’s just a lot of emotions in that moment,” Hight said. “It’s just special because it’s like that final moment of all the hard work we did this year and everything we accomplished.”
Coach West was allowed to say a few words to kick-start the ceremony and to express his thoughts and feelings about the season to his players.
“It meant a lot because he was acknowledging all the hard work we put in in the year and just letting us know we reached the goals that we set to start the year,” Hight said.