Our view: Championship Tigers do Princeton proud

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June 8, 2012

Our view: Championship Tigers do Princeton proud

Anonymous Princeton Times The Zope Gazette Fri Jun 08, 2012, 05:02 AM EDT

PRINCETON — What does it mean to win? Just ask the Princeton Tigers baseball team this week, and the state champions are sure to have an answer.

On the surface, winning means finishing on top — with the most points, money, honors, accolades.

In reality, however, it means more. Real winners may gain all of those things, but they also carry the joy of each experience, the camaraderie of being part of a team so much bigger than the individual, and the life lessons inside each milestone of the journey.

At home, we’ve always known the Princeton Tigers baseball team is full of winners; this week, the squad that refused to quit showed the state exactly what they are made of.

And, with the hopes of their community riding on their young shoulders, the Tigers brought home a state Class AAA championship trophy.

Over the last week, their story has been shared many times over, but it’s worth revisiting, because it’s that good.

This amazing team that beat the odds traces its roots much farther than the four years of high school. Many of the nine seniors played together ever since they could pick up a glove and balance a bat in Little League.

Their style of play and their friendships are pure, and that makes their play that much sweeter. The experience they gained all those years ago and every game since has ensured that they don’t have to guess at their teammates next move. They know.

They’ve known for a long time that the bond they shared and the talent they carried into competitions were special.

In 2010, the rest of the state got a glimpse, as the PSHS Tigers made a run for the state title game and fell just a little short. They faced Nitro in the semifinals, and with the 3-2 loss, the championship hopes dimmed — just a little.

Undaunted, the Tigers planned to return to the tournament last year, but it wasn’t meant to be. They lost early in the post-season to Greenbrier East — a team that made its way to the championship game before falling short of the win.

Then, this year, in the last chance most of these seniors will have to play on the same team, the Tigers refused to be denied. All season long, this team played like their dreams depended on it, because they did.

They finished the season with an impressive 26-8 record, including a six-game season-ending win streak.

The players, Coach Josh Wilburn and even Principal Jack Parker all pointed out that these players refused to accept anything but the best possible play from each other individually and from their team collectively.

Even when the bats fell silent for the first four innings of the championship game — facing a familiar opponent in Nitro — the Tigers refused to accept anything but success.

When it hit, it hit big.

The Tigers scored seven runs in two innings to win the state Class AAA championship by a score of 7-4, and they brought home the first baseball title and the first athletic championship for Princeton in 31 years.

The Tigers have proven time and again that they are winners on and off the field.

In the words of Parker, “Even though they got behind, they never gave up. That’s indicative of what we want kids to do — to never give up.”

Indeed. Congratulations Princeton Tigers!

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