Glenn Price

Bryan County sports fans, you are lucky. Or I could say, all Bryan County residents are lucky. It is so refreshing to see good, clean competition in the basketball games among small high schools in the area.

It has to be so exciting to each of the players to be able to play in front of their town, teachers, and friends. It has to be so much fun for friends to come up after a game and tell the player that it was neat the way they played, making those free throws to win the game.

The games themselves, in front of the local townspeople, are many times a social event for the town. Isn't it fun to listen to one of the high school girls singing the national anthem?

I find myself pulling for them to hit every note. Don't they have courage to be able to get in front of all those people and sing without any music? I sure do admire that.

Recently, at a Caddo game, the announcer couldn't find the CD that had the national anthem to play before the game. The announcer and scorekeeper were looking in the crowd for the girl who sometimes would sing. She was not there.

What could they do? Well, they were very resourceful. The scorekeeper, who was also a teacher, led the gym in the Pledge of Allegiance. When was the last time you said the Pledge?

I'm sure it was high school for me, at least 40 years ago. I still knew all the words. It sure was neat to say it again. It made me feel good. Bryan County, you are lucky.

The recent Bryan County Basketball Tournament (sponsored by Landmark Bank) is another example. How many areas have a mid-season tournament? The answer is not very many.

This is a tournament that has a consolation bracket. It was a good experience even for the teams that didn't win any games What an experience it is for high school athletes to compete in a university environment! This was for bragging rights for all county schools for the winner!

The games were in front of many townspeople from around the county. Many of the folks wanted to see the Achille girls play against the best competition in the county schools. They did. The same goes for the Caddo boys.

Both of those excellent teams are to be congratulated for their superlative effort in winning the championship. For that matter, all of the teams should be congratulated for their efforts.

SOSU's Bloomer Sullivan gym was packed to see the finals and many of the other games. It is so nice to be in an area where the local university and the community have a nice relationship.

Wasn't the tournament great? Competing in high school sports means so much to each player (but that's another topic). Bryan County, you are lucky.