By NICK SCHWIEN

nschwien@dailynews.net

STOCKTON -- The sound was constant.

Buzzzzzz ...

It was the only thing making noise in the old gym at Stockton High School.

True, the buzz from the overhead lights in the gym could have represented the fervor around the small town in Rooks County.

And rightfully so. It was the first night the school and its team would experience eight-man football.

It was a time of transition. A time of change. A time of unity.

But that constant buzz of the lights represented only that -- a buzz.

The focused breaths of the players on the Tiger football team Friday night barely were audible amongst the buzzing, which grew louder and louder as the players' focused their thoughts on the upcoming kickoff.

Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.

Then, seemingly from nowhere, head coach Grant Smith emerged.

The sound of pads moving and helmets being pulled off the floor quickly overtook the sound of the lights.

Cleats quietly clicked as Smith called "bring it in guys."

The mood had changed. No longer was Ty Winters laying flat on the floor, hands cupped together over his eyes. Instead, his thoughts of what needed to be done were replaced by what he could do. He wore his blue jersey -- decked with the white No. 22 -- with pride.

No matter how the night would end up, it was that pride that so many players and people of the town were hinging on.

Smith pulled off his gray baseball cap with the blue bill sporting an old-fashioned "S" and squeezed the bill a few times, forming the hat as he had tried to form the team in the few weeks leading up to this season-opener.

Then, the 29-year-old coach spoke, allowing for a brief reprieve from the constant buzzing once more.

"This is what summer, all last year, and sitting around talking about all the changes we're going through are about," he said, beginning his pregame speech in a quiet tone. "Now's the time."

Then, there was a brief pause.

Buzzzzzz ...

" ... Take that desire, that need to want to win, that need to survive," he started again. "Take that and go out and play for this team, this town, this school. There are things going on in this town that you don't know about. This town is depending on you. They are expecting you to bring something back to this town."

Eyes focused on Smith, who has become tasked with helping bring back the football program in Stockton to what it once was. To the state titles. To the hundreds flocking to the football field on Friday nights to watch their warriors do battle. To bring back a buzz.

"It's time to write your own story. Start building your story up about how good you were tonight so you can pass it on. Go out and smack somebody in the mouth from the get-go. ... Write your story starting tonight."

Then a silence came over the gym. No longer could you hear the buzz. Instead, all you could hear was the future that came from the past.

The door leading out of the gym opened. The light from the outside world burst through, revealing what lie ahead.

What once was

It was mid-morning Friday, and Gail McComb and Kenneth Forssberg sat in the orange booths of J-Mart Food Shop in Stockton. Sip by sip, the coffee in their cups started to disappear.

Perhaps the coffee represented what had happened to the population base of the Rooks County seat. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, since 1960, the population has dwindled from 2,073 to 1,558, the latest figure coming from 2000.

The latest 10-year population survey is nearly 50 people more than the 1990 number, though.

"It's just been a slow and subtle change," Forssberg said.

"One of the big drawbacks was when they put I-70 through Hays south of here," McComb said about the highway that was completed in stretches from the late 1960s to early 1970s.

McComb thinks there's also another reason why the population has dropped.

"As the seniors graduate from high school and go to college, they go to bigger salaries," he said.

Both have lived many decades in Stockton. Forrsberg remembers the days when the football field was located inside the race track at the fairgrounds. Now, it's just west of the high school on the west edge of town.

Change has come, whether it's wanted or not.

"You're here because you want to stay here," McComb said. "Some people come because a job becomes available. Some stay, and some move on to other jobs."

But Forssberg knows the school is important to the community, just was it was many years ago.

"That's what's holding us together," he said.

It seems some things don't change after all.

Changing faces

There are new people in charge. Not only in the school district, but also in town.

The presumption that small towns in northwest Kansas are nothing but retirement communities is being shattered in Stockton.

Three new administrators are in the Stockton school district this year, and each offers a fresh perspective for the town.

But changing faces in the district hasn't changed the attitude about the school's importance to the community as a whole.

"It's everything," said Dale Winklepleck, senior vice president at Stockton National Bank. "Obviously, the school is very important. A lot has changed in the past year or two, but in a very positive direction."

Winklepleck is part of a new generation taking the reigns in Stockton. The Fort Hays State University graduate knows a key element to keeping the city alive is getting everyone active.

"One of the things you look for is the core things you need," he said about the attraction of moving to a smaller city. "It's having a grocery store, pharmacy, library, parks. We looked at what it had to offer. It's very important to keep those entities. We don't want to lose any of them. We want to be proactive and aggressive."

It's about finding what the needs are and filling them.

Just ask Mark Wildeman, another employee of the bank.

Wildeman also serves another role in the community as well. The WaKeeney native also is quasi-director of the local recreation commission.

"We wanted to raise our kids in a western-Kansas environment," he said. "My wife's a school teacher, and I was, too. Our first jobs were in eastern Kansas. ... But I guess the simple life is sometimes a better life out here."

Wildeman saw a need to help get a fitness center in the town to serve multiple generations.

And the support from the older generation has been overwhelming.

"They're the toughest ones to win over, probably because of change," he said. "But the rec program felt a void in programming. We wanted to try to keep the youth involved. This helps both the youth and the seniors."

The center, which is located a short jaunt east of the four-way stoplight on the main drag, is projected to open Oct. 1, and new technology will allow users to take advantage of a keyless entry -- thanks to a card-swiping machine.

"It's just another dream coming through for a small town, I guess," Wildeman said.

Busy business back home

Things are booming on the main street in Stockton. New stores recently have opened. The grocery store is thriving, as well as the pharmacy.

So to is Central Veterinary Services, owned by the husband and wife duo of Craig and Jessica Iwanski.

The clinic is nearing its 10th anniversary, and business couldn't be better. Expansion is under way in town, and the pair are hoping to hire additional help to fully man another clinic in nearby Hill City.

But the allure of the small-town life brought Craig and his wife back to Stockton, turning away the calling cries from larger cities such as Omaha, Neb.

"I think the people that appreciate it the most are the ones that moved away and decided to come back," Jessica Iwanski said. "If you haven't been away, sometimes you don't appreciate it."

Craig Iwanski has learned to appreciate it. And he knows a bit about the pride that oozes through the town.

"A lot of people have got negative attitudes about small towns," he said. "Some people think it's a welfare haven in a small town.

"But there's a group of people our age that are changing that. We're always doing something."

Situations aren't always ideal. Sometimes, inopportune things do happen.

But there always seems to be a silver lining.

"There's definitely been low points," she said.

"But by far, there's been no way we've thought about living elsewhere. ...

"People are very thoughtful. Sure, everyone has a bad day. But those are very few. People aren't pushing Stockton on others to get them to come live here, but we know we have something special."

Craig knows how special the bond between the city and school is. He starred on successful football teams in the 1980s. And he still can remember what newspaper articles said about his four-interceptions against Atwood more than two decades ago.

Then a mischievous smile crosses his face, and he breaks into his glory years of football lore.

"I remember the article saying something about Mike Hayden being at the game but all eyes were on me," he said, then reiterating his four interceptions -- although he shakes his head and says he should have knocked the one down instead of picking it off in not-so-favorable field position.

"But it really didn't matter," he said about grabbing the opportunity.

Grasping opportunity is something the Iwanskis have done quite well in the small town.

School ties

Ask most anyone in Stockton about the importance of the school to the town, and the answers will be the same -- just in different words.

"The school is the cornerstone of any community," said Mark Lowry, owner of Your Insurance Corner and a school board member. "It's one of the biggest employers in the town, and what in the community is more important than educating kids."

Lowry has three children in the school system, and he's seen a re-emergence in the district.

"Without a doubt, it's huge," Lowry said. "It keeps the community together, and there's pride. It's been flat a few years, but we have a surging administration and new teachers with great young families buying into the community."

Luis Cass is one of those new administrators. He's in his first year as superintendent of the district.

"It's the heart and soul of the town," Cass said about the school district. "When you get down to it, a small town lives and breathes and finds so much satisfaction through the school."

Cass came from a small town in Nebraska before settling in at Stockton. He knows that community support is vital.

"Typically, I've worked in small communities, for the most part," he said. "You get a chance to get out and see a lot of people. ... The people support the kids and the school with enthusiasm. ... The first Friday night is always exciting."

That tie to sports also is critical.

High school teacher Lucas Moll graduated from Stockton High School in 2000. Now, he's transitioning into a teaching role at the school, educating students in courses such as biology and chemistry.

"The youth here, there's a lot tied into sports," he said. "And when you don't do well, it can be tough. But the community is special."

'Restore the roar'

Not everything starts as a success.

Businesses take time to evolve and thrive. Parks take time to build. Change sometimes comes slowly.

And sometimes gains aren't measured in wins and losses.

But that doesn't mean there's not lofty expectations on the football field.

Only problem was those expectations didn't match the outcome of the school's first eight-man football game.

Sylvan Grove led 24-0 at the end of the first quarter, then 46-0 at halftime as the game was called due to the 45-point rule.

Still, the Stockton faithful stood tall and supported their team as the players made their way back up the hill on the east side of the field and through the fence before opening the door back to that old gym.

The players settled onto the floor, some laying flat, others taking a knee.

The lights provided the only sound as sweat dripped off the brow of players.

Buzzzzzz ...

Then, Smith opened the door and walked to the corner of the gym where the players were gathered.

Buzzzzzz ...

"I don't know what to say, guys," Smith said.

Buzzzzzz ...

"We can't get beat like this again. We just can't. ...

"It can't be that way every game."

Andrew Niblock was one of the last players to leave the gym for the adjoining locker room.

"It was probably the biggest crowd I've seen," he said. "The support was great.

"We just need to play more as a team. After they scored a couple times, it took the wind out of our sails. We can't have that."

Several minutes later, Smith was back at the field, making sure everything was picked up and accounted for. Then, he made a slow retreat back to the gym before stopping in the darkness of the alleyway between the high school and grade school.

"I've been at a school where the student body got so low, they closed the school," he said. "The community was in limbo for a while, and they didn't know what to do. But we have the community behind us in whatever we do."

The game was a reminder that change isn't always easy. Sometimes it takes time to see the successes of new opportunities.

Then, Smith continued the slow walk back to the old gym and the locker room.

Inside, there only was the constant reminder that the lights still were on and shining just as bright as they were before kickoff.

And there was the realization there still were a lot more games left in the season.

Buzzzzzz ...