Football team a class act

In this day and age, especially in this time of year, I hope the people of Whitefish are refreshed by a positive story as opposed to a negative political ad.

I am the football coach for the St. Matthew’s Catholic Junior High School. Because we do not have very many students, I am forced to mix a team of sixth, seventh and eighth graders. It just so happened this year I had quite a few eighth graders so we could mix in eighth grade football games as well as seventh grade football games so that the seventh and eighth graders would get as much playing time as possible.

In August, I scheduled a game with the Whitefish eighth grade team knowing that we would be severely challenged because of our numbers. On Oct. 11, we played the Whitefish eighth graders at the high school stadium.

Parents and citizens of Whitefish, you should be proud of your junior high football program. The coaches and your ball players are nothing short of the highest class.

First and foremost, the St. Matthew’s players were introduced to the crowd before the game. You cannot imagine how that makes a seventh- and eighth-grader feel.

Early in the game one of by better players who plays quarterback, middle linebacker and is the long snapper for punts and field goals was injured, severely fracturing his left arm.

The Whitefish coaching staff was very responsive. I immediately informed the head coach that a big part of my football team was gone. He understood and said do not worry.

The Whitefish team could have poured fuel to this problem, but instead acted with absolute class. The coach played his starters until he had a secure lead, then substituted in so that we had a competitive game.

The team turned an emotional event into a fun experience for my St. Matthew’s players. Not only were your coaches classy, but your players were as well.

Parents, you should be extremely proud. Thank you, Whitefish. You are top class in my book and in St. Matthew’s book.

— Thane Johnson