No. 3 on my top-5 sports moments in Wells County in 2023-24 was a singular win. That’s right, one victory.
Some may already know which win I’m thinking of, perhaps a sound of a bell might ring a bell.
The Southern Wells football team defeated Elwood in the season opener 29-26 thriller. But that win was the first in three years and 22 games prior.
Fans rushed back home to Carnes Field and rang a victory bell that hadn’t been rung in quite some time.
Southern Wells has had quite the football history with plenty of wins and even a state championship this decade, but in recent memory, it’s been rough.
When I first got here at The News-Banner two years ago, I scoped out the football landscape with only two weeks to put together a preview for the readers. My first impression of the team was only looked at via online stats and records, and was easy to overlook. But now, watching and covering several games, it’s been a pleasure getting to know some of the kids, coaches and parents and the amount of love they poured into that program.
I remember coming back to the office after covering the Norwell game. I was trying to find a score, but it was nowhere to be found. Myself and others at the office knew this game was a chance at winning, so we eagerly waited. I finally found the final score on my phone, and I will tell you we celebrated as an office.
Yes, of course we were happy they won, but the joy for me was for a community full of supporting members behind the scenes. It’s a group of people that were there through every loss, and even a junior varsity 2020 campaign. The hard work and effort the Southern Wells community pours onto the school is inspiring and made the moment sweet.
I browsed the Southern Wells Facebook page and saw videos of the bell being rung and the rally outside of the high school. The celebration certainly warmed my heart and many others. That team, that community and those seniors deserved that moment.
ryan@news-banner.com
