The Garden City Telegram
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MARSHALL: Beavers are still winners
Published 11/17/2009 in Sports
A s a journalist, we're supposed to be unbiased, and, as a result, write our stories in such a way that we are reporting the facts and not injecting our own personal feelings or thoughts.
Such was the case Saturday when I was in Wichita for the Scott City-Collegiate Class 3A sectional football game between the two previously unbeaten teams.
It was a much-anticipated contest with the high-flying passing game of Collegiate going up against the powerful defense that the Beavers had employed all season in rolling over all but one of its 11 vanquished foes.
However, when you go into unfamiliar territory such as Collegiate and not having seen them play, met any of their coaches or players, even the most-seasoned journalist may have his objectivity challenged. That's the situation I found myself in as I walked the sidelines of this playoff game.
For the second consecutive season, I watched the Scott City Beavers lose a gut-wrenching quarterfinal game in the final 90 seconds. One could see the agony written on the faces of the players, coaches and fans as they milled around the south end of Collegiate's football field in the moments after.
As a reporter, you get somewhat comfortable when you've covered a team and coaches on a regular basis. That's how it has been with Scott City over the past two seasons. Glenn O'Neil and his players all have been more than accessible after games, be they wins or losses.
In having to go through the agony of another tough playoff loss (19-17) in the closing 90 seconds, seniors Morgan Numrich and Jorden Funk took time to talk about the game. For those two young men to be able to gather themselves emotionally to talk with a sports writer says much about their character.
It wasn't easy. Funk, a powerful player who stands 6-foot-4, was wearing eye black and it was tear-stained and dripping down his sweaty face. Numrich, who is also a state-caliber wrestler, gets as much out of his 160-pound body as any player I've seen all year. In addition to being his last game at Scott City, it was likely his finale as a football player.
There's always a challenge of remaining unbiased when you follow an area team closely and deep into the state playoffs. That's why, objectivity aside,
there was a part of me that hoped Scott City would win and keep its wonderful season alive. And that's why even for an objective sports writer, it was gut-wrenching to see them come up short again.
But in the case of Saturday's heartbreaker, O'Neil and the Beavers once again showed what western Kansas people are all about. In the face of such agony, they still remained courteous. When one of the Collegiate players went down with an injury in front of the Beavers' sideline, they all dropped to their knees, took their helmets off and waited out of respect. They then stood and clapped when the player was able to stand up and walk off the field.
In the final analysis of Saturday's game, the Scott City Beavers still came away as winners. They have classy coaches and players and everyone in Scott City should be proud of the way they were represented. I'd take the Beavers in a heartbeat any day.
Sports Editor Brett Marshall can be reached at bmarshall@gctelegram.com.
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