Redmen pride
It took six years, 80 games, plus a little overtime before an opponent finally bested the Smith Center Redmen on the football field. Centralia accomplished the feat during Saturday's Class 2-1A state championship game at Lewis Field Stadium.
With the 20-12 defeat, the nation's current longest winning streak came to an end. The Kansas record for consecutive victories will stand at 79. And Smith Center will be one title shy of consecutive state championships with five (Hutchinson set the new mark with six on the same Saturday).
What an amazing run. Year after year, the hard-charging Redmen were reminiscent of Woody Hayes' old Ohio State Buckeye teams. Except in the case of the Smith County teens, it was more like eight yards and a cloud of dust.
Year after year, Coach Roger Barta would develop blockers to lead interchangeable 1,000-yard running backs through gaping holes. Year after year, the forward pass was used as a novelty play. The Redmen were old school. If common sense and state regulations didn't require them, padded helmets likely would have been left on the sidelines.
All kidding aside, the Redmen have been good. Really good. And even with only a runner-up finish in state this season, the graduating seniors should hold their heads high.
"I think our kids are disappointed, but they would be disappointed with any loss," Coach Barta said. "But we just start over now. It had to end sometime. I wish it wasn't today, but it was."
The loyal red-and-green fan base wished it wouldn't have ended this year either. But even die-hard Smith Center fans won't let disappointment about a loss cloud their focus.
"We love those kids, those boys and girls," said Belinda Arnold of Smith Center. "You just really feel that in this community."
"You're not gonna take football out of Smith Center," said Jim Stansbury. "Even though they got beat, you've still got to be so proud of them. We're behind them all the way -- win, lose or draw."
That is the spirit we appreciate.
When you win every game you play, it's easy to say it's how you play the game that matters. In the long view, it might even be good for one of the best 11-man teams ever to take the field in Kansas to lose every now and again. These young athletes were going to find out soon enough that life is never about winning every game. Centralia had a better team and deserves congratulations.
The Redmen also will find out soon enough life isn't even about playing football all the time. But Smith Center should be proud of the amazing past six years. Coach Barta and his staff have a system in place worthy of the national attention it's received.
We tip our caps to the Smith Center Redmen, current and former. This is one streak that will be hard to break.
Editorial by Patrick Lowry