Opinion

PENALTY SHOTS: Small and mighty on the big stage

Posted March 30, 2017 11:00 pm

By Pete Spitler Editor@heraldtrib.com

In a way, I'm still geeking out about it.

Watching the St. John Lutheran Hornets last Saturday during their run through the SIJHSAA Class S state volleyball tournament was inspiring.

It was also a reminder about a lot of things - grit, leadership, resilience and believing in oneself.

Coming into the tournament, the Hornets faced all the typical questions of a state-bound team: "How would they respond on the big stage?" "What kind of competition would they face?" "Who would step up in critical moments?"

Keep in mind the last time St. John had won a regional title in volleyball, prior to this year, was 1979. Head coach Andrea Luthy, in her fifth season with the Hornets, wasn't even born yet at that time.

So any comparisons to past history go right out the window.

In a way, that's a blessing and a curse. Avoiding the distractions of being measured up to yesteryear is a plus, but there's also no baseline to establish how to think, act or feel.

But a healthy contingent of St. John fans made the trip to Herrin High School to show support for the team, enthusiastically shouting "Let's go Hornets!" and "SJS let's go!"

One win became two. St. John's 30-28 win in the second set against Selmaville in the quarterfinals was perhaps its most crucial of the early going.

Despite seeing a 16-4 lead dissipate to a single point, the Hornets never gave up the lead. Lessor teams may have folded in that situation, but in true Rocky fashion, they got up and punched back in taking the match in a sweep.

A three-set battle with Woodlawn in the semifinals gave St. John a chance to go to a place it had never been in school history - a state title game.

The Hornets had leads in both sets against Germantown, which is located southwest of Carlyle in Clinton County, but the physical advantage of the Bulldogs was just too much to overcome.

A fun fact about Germantown is it is said to be one of the first German settlements in Illinois. A further look around the internet and Germantown Elementary is a feeder school for high school volleyball powerhouses Breese Central and Breese Mater Dei.

The Bulldogs also won the SIJHSAA Class S state championship in girls basketball this winter, finishing 30-0.

So safe to say Germantown was more familiar of the SIJHSAA state stage than St. John, having been there less than two months ago.

But the Hornets should be honored and remembered for playing the game the right way and demonstrating all aspects of the word "team."

Luthy described her players as "small and mighty," but I believe they played big on a big stage for big stakes. All of them are eighth graders, meaning some big talent will move on to the high school ranks.

As the old cliche goes, it's not the size of the Hornet in the fight, it's the size of the fight in the Hornet.

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