Last Friday’s tragic shooting at Marysville-Pilchuck High School was devastating for more than those who were directly involved.
It was chilling for every parent and child to hear the news reports of a freshman football player gunning down friends in the cafeteria.
It reminds us that the unthinkable can happen here.
As Sept. 11 showed us, it’s the worst moments in our history that can bring out the best in each of us.
The Oak Harbor Wildcats football team and coaches showed great character and selflessness when they decided to forfeit last Friday’s game against the shocked and grieving Marysville-Pilchuck Tomahawks.
Oak Harbor’s head coach, Jay Turner, a 1990 graduate of Marysville-Pilchuck, met with his staff after school Friday. It quickly became clear that the Wildcats should forfeit the game, he said.
Given the extraordinary events of that day, Turner and his staff knew there was no way Marysville-Pilchuck would be ready to play football in the next few days.
How could they be?
Turner subsequently met with his football players, and the players agreed it was the right thing to do.
Turner called Tomahawks coach Brandon Carson, telling him of the decision and said the Wildcats didn’t want the Tomahawk players to worry about a game when they had much more pressing matters to deal with.
The game between Oak Harbor and Marysville would have decided the divisional championship. Both teams had already qualified for the playoffs, so the forfeit doesn’t prevent the Wildcats from making the playoffs.
It could, however, cause Oak Harbor to enter a more difficult matchup in the first round. A small price to pay for a gesture of incredible magnitude.
A small handful have been critical online about the decision, comparing it to the notion that every player should get a trophy just for turning out.
We see the sacrifice of the Wildcats as a human sacrifice of great empowerment that all of us can learn from. The Tomahawks have a tough road ahead of them, and, for the moment, rivals on the field have become brothers’ united.
And that’s a part of sports that is sometimes forgotten — the most important lessons aren’t necessarily decided on the playing field.
We have great respect and admiration for our Wildcat coaches and players. Each and every one makes the Whidbey community proud.
