The first game in the midst of the cheering student section, the first homecoming game, the drama and wordless emotion inside a young player’s mind as he races off the field at the end of that first season, the glory of the Friday Night Lights. Being a varsity football player puts these talented young men at the center of a stage that is theirs for as long as they can grasp this privileged opportunity.

All the sweat from the hard practices, and the countless hours in the weight room, turns into something much more bittersweet.

On a night dedicated to the 17-18 year old young men who wear the Puma crest for the last time, a heartbreaking loss brings agonizing sadness to everyone involved. That’s the easy ending to this story.

Two big flaws with that sentence: the use of the words “easy” and “story”.

Puma Pride involves neither.

This season was one to remember, surely, as every one is. Each year holds something special, and whether that “something” is positive or negative depends on one’s perception of the phrase “Pride, Progress, Purpose: Perry Pumas”.

Head Coach Preston Jones was quick to point out the obvious successes, the “efficiency…our offense did really well moving the ball.” Senior receiver Dallas Kreil believes the team’s regular season record of 4-6, “doesn’t really reflect on how well we’ve been doing”. This opinion is shared by senior Gabe Tomaszewski. The versatile quarterback was quick to recall the bittersweet loss at Brophy Prep, saying, “I don’t want to say it was a moral victory, but it shows that we can really run with the best of them.”

Senior Brett Mullenaux remarked, “I don’t know if it’s just one person, but it’s mainly the team. We’ve been working really well together”.

Coach Jones summed it up in that perfect, concise way only a coach can. Prior to playoffs, he stated, “these seniors are hungry; every game…is potentially their last one.”

But those memories, even when they’ve passed, will never go away; they will last a lifetime.

Records and standings show mathematical success. The support and pride from the students, staff, and players, involves nothing less than a family bond and determination. That is what should be taken away by everyone involved in this year’s football season, whether they be a devout fan, a dedicated mother, or the players who made them all proud from the first steps in John Wrenn Stadium, to the last teary smile as that locker room door closed one last time.