Melanie Brubaker Mazur
Times opinion
Speaking of not always getting what you want, Bayfield High School's football season came to an abrupt end on Saturday when Faith Christian dashed the hopes of the Wolverines for another 2A championship repeat.
Listening to the game on the radio Saturday while trying to recover from a terrible cold, I had a sinking feeling this wasn't going the way we wanted it to.
I still congratulate our boys and the coaches for making it into the post-season and capturing another IML championship. That's no small feat.
And we have some other recent successes to point out.
Three of our cross-country runners competed in Colorado Springs on Oct. 27 in the state meet. For a freshman, Avaleena Nanatoe, to qualify for state during her Ignacio team's inaugural year is quite incredible. Congratulations to her, her teammates and Coach Marissa Duffey for all of their hard work.
For Bayfield, Elco Garcia, Jr. and Jonas Nanatoe ran in the 3A boys competition, both setting personal records, and Jonas cracked the top 50. That's an impressive feat for juniors! I'm looking forward to watching these boys run their senior year. Also, the BHS boys came oh-so-close to qualifying as a team for state this year, and with everyone returning next year, they should make it!
Then on Nov. 3, the Bayfield fifth-grade football team won their second Four Corners Super Bowl in the Young American Football League.
This group of boys has been outstanding since third grade, when they won their first Super Bowl, and I'm a football fan, so I enjoyed talking with Coach Justin Ross after the game.
Why coach football? I asked, understanding the concerns of many parents about having their kids get hurt in what is a really tough sport.
Ross said with the new concussion protocols in place, plus tougher penalties for helmet-to-helmet contact, he thinks football safety has improved in recent years. And I still remember a coach telling me years ago that as kids playing flag football grow older and bigger, they almost can't help tackling each other, and he would rather have them in helmets and pads than not.
In his 11 years of coaching youth football, Ross's players have had one concussion and one broken arm, which is pretty amazing when you think about it.
Football is the ultimate in team camaraderie, Ross added. "You have to work together," he said. "Everyone has to do their job to succeed."
Obviously, football isn't for every kid. Ross's oldest son is now an accomplished runner, and as the mother of a now-graduated BHS runner, I can give you a whole list of injuries that afflict kids in this non-contact sport.
And obviously, sports aren't for everyone, even in football-obsessed Bayfield and basketball-crazy Ignacio. If our kids are succeeding in Knowledge Bowl, at the state science fair, or on the stage or in band, I work to bring you those stories as well so we can celebrate those achievements.
Up next, Bayfield's cheer and dance teams have some legitimate shots at state titles, and wouldn't it be awesome for dance to repeat their state 3A poms championship?
Enjoy your Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, and I hope you'll join me in being thankful for having kids working hard in school and activities to help them succeed later in life.
Thanks for reading.
