Monday morning’s return to the workplaces near the path around the Falls should have found people rested and ready to fire up for the work week. At least one might think so, given an extra hour of sleep on Saturday night due to the return to standard time.
However, for a good number of Panther fans who watched the Panthers take on the Warriors from Waupun, the adrenalin rush from watching Saturday’s volleyball game at Seymour may have kept that from happening. Cruising through the first two games and earning a comfortable lead in the third may have put the Panthers in a relaxed mode. The Warriors took advantage of that lull and came back strong to win the third game.
The fourth game was a barn burner, with no clear favorite down the stretch until the very end when the Panthers won the match, the sectional championship trophy, and along with it, a ticket to the state tournament. The season has been a bit of a Cinderella story from the start with a number of outstanding seniors having their last shot as state champions in that sport. The unwritten rule was to never use the word “state,” since that just might jinx the journey.
The Waupun and Oconto Falls communities have some interesting educational ties that go back almost 50 years when both communities built a new high school in the 1960s. The districts shared an architect who used very similar designs for the two buildings with a central gym and classrooms that wrapped around that gym. A stage overlooked each of the gyms, with music rooms behind the stage which made for easy access when the pep bands played for games.
Over the years, each of the two buildings had additions which modified the original design. Eventually, Waupun built a new high school and Oconto Falls doubled the size of the original building.
The other thing that each community had in common is that both high schools experienced a major fire that started in the wall between the two music rooms behind the stage. No doubt a number of the grandparents from the two schools sitting in the stands could recall the excitement of moving into the new schools. Parents from both communities had memories of each fire and the disruption it caused. Now the volleyball players from each community shared the experience of a hard fought contest on a neutral volleyball court in front of crowded bleachers which were only on one side of the gym, since the bleachers on the other side of the gym were not opened for seating, but that is another story to be left untold.
Moving forward from that game may have caused a bit of restlessness for the Panther fans. That extra hour of sleep may have been missed as a result.
The Panthers move to the state tournament with a 4 p.m. start to their semifinal contest on Friday. There will be a two-hour early release from classes on Friday, given the anticipated number of students and school people who would like to show their support of the girls’ state title bid. This decision was welcomed by many and a problem for others as different childcare arrangements will need to be made.
High school athletics, especially in small town, rural Wisconsin, is about community pride. This week the community can relish the fact that its volleyball team is one of the four surviving teams in Division 2. Where it goes from here is a story yet unwritten. When the season started, there was great anticipation of what could be. As of right now, those dreams have not diminished.
Many of those connected with the girls wear shirts emblazoned with the theme, “One Team, One Dream,” which says a lot. There may be some outstanding individuals on the team, but the dream cannot become reality without a team effort. The ability to successfully work as a team can carry one very far in life.
Building on that concept, last week we heard a school administrator talking about quality teaching. She said the motto she uses with teachers is “The power to get better is within you.” That also applies in life. Regardless of the training, coaching or practice, an individual has to call upon that power from within. We hope that Friday afternoon each of the Panthers taking to the court at the Resch Center in Green Bay would call upon that power to get even better. We know the community is behind them.
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