Support one thing Redmen can't lose
By KALEY CONNER
It was a close game.
But Centralia High School's football team scored in overtime, winning the Class 2-1A state championship game and ending Smith Center's 79-game winning streak.
The Smith Center Redmen had won the state championship five consecutive years and were battling to defend their title this weekend. After the final score was announced, hundreds of red and green-clad fans stood in what seemed to be a stunned silence.
But that only lasted a few seconds. The crowd burst into applause, a sign of the community's unwavering loyalty.
"We love those kids, those boys and girls," said Belinda Arnold, a Smith Center resident who traveled to Hays for Saturday's game. "You just really feel that in this community."
For the approximately 1,600 Smith Center residents, football is more than a game. It's a source of community pride and a tradition that transcends generations.
A half hour before kickoff, the stands were filling up fast. Julie Molzahn held her 2-year-old nephew, Kyler Elliott, up on a limestone wall so he could get a better view of the team's warm-up exercises. A teacher at Smith Center High School, Molzahn said the team long has enjoyed "amazing" community support.
When travelers left for Hays via U.S. Highway 36, there were 80 signs posted between Smith Center and Athol.
The signs boasted the scores of the team's 79 consecutive wins, with the last one encouraging them to get one more.
And when there's a big game, nearly everyone is there to watch, Molzahn said.
"Look," she said with a laugh, gesturing to the nearly full bleachers.
Jim Stansbury and his family had gathered to support his nephew, quarterback Shawn Stansbury. Jim Stansbury said he was hoping the team could win another championship -- his nephew is a senior this year, and his father is battling cancer, he said.
"But it's got to end someday," Stansbury said. "We lost to a good team, too."
But despite the loss, the community's tradition of support is sure to continue, he said.
"You're not gonna take football out of Smith Center," Stansbury said. "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."