I woke up on Friday morning and got a sign, a sign that this was going to be an amazing day! The reason, the 36 members of the Carl Hayden football team woke up as winners today according to the headlines in the paper. But in my book, the players on this team have been winners every time they took the field.
You see, the last time this high school football team in Phoenix Arizona actually won a game was back in 2002, 66 games ago!
Back when I was in high school, "back in the day", Carl Hayden was a force to be reckoned with. Their team was one of the powerhouse teams in the city. But something happened, and they began to lose. First one game, then another, then another. Before anyone knew it, their loss total was in the double digits, then 20, then 30 then 40, 50, 60, 66.
This was one of the longest losing streaks in the country. But these kids, and their coach were not losers. They kept trying. Even though some teams were bigger, or stronger, or more talented, these student's suited up every Friday and took the field.
They never gave up, knowing that one day they would stop this streak, and begin a new one. Well, that day came on Thursday night against San Luis. The Carl Hayden falcons won 44 to 21, and the crowd went crazy.I almost started crying watching the players jumping all around, and the crowd streaming on to the field!
Check out some photos.
Coach Cleveland Dansby, the man who took over coaching the team in 2005, finally got his win, telling reporters that he was relieved, and that the community and students deserved this night of celebration. But I think the lucky ones tonight are all of us who got to share in this celebration.
This reaffirmed for me that no matter how tough things get, you can't give up and stop, otherwise you miss out on the moment of finally reaching your goal. Congratulations to all the players and former players at Carl Hayden who didn't stop, and didn't give up!
Sue, Tempe
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