Oak Harbor opened its Christmas present early this year.

Found inside the Tacoma Dome was a gleaming championship trophy, brought to us by the 2006 Oak Harbor Wildcat Class 4A football team.

Islanders can admire the trophy and the coaches and players who made it all possible for years to come. Names will become local legends over time, with young men and women of today recounting memories of the big game through the decades to come, even when they’re little old men and women.

State football championships come to most communities rarely, if ever. That’s why this is a moment to savor. Oak Harbor beat all comers in the state playoffs, from both sides of the mountains, overcoming adversity, questionable officiating, and the scoreboard which not infrequently showed them trailing late in the game. Nothing fazed these Wildcats who played with a quiet confidence and determination that was a joy to behold. They never got down, never complained vociferously about a bad call, they just went to work and got the job done, on the ground and through the air.

While the Wildcats moved the ball, they also moved the community. As the weeks went by, the stands swelled with supporters. Old War Memorial Stadium has never hosted so many excited fans in its entire illustrious history, and it is only fitting that the stadium will be retired after this championship season: it’s the perfect way to say goodbye to this beloved part of the community. Had an author written a story along these lines, readers would have thought it absurd. What are the chances of winning it all in an old stadium’s final season? Leave it to the 2006 Wildcats to make what sounds impossible become reality.

This is a championship for the whole community, for the many thousands who have supported the team, win or lose, through the years and for all the players past and present who gave their all on the gridiron. Many of them gathered together for the first time in years Saturday night in the Tacoma Dome. The Wildcats brought all those scattered alumni together to cheer on their team on its way to the state championship.

This year’s Wildcats set the standard and showed future generations that the impossible can be achieved right here in Oak Harbor. All it takes is outstanding leadership, hard work and some exceptionally classy players.

Congratulations to coach Dave Ward and his 2006 Wildcats. Oak Harbor will always remember.