I found myself thinking about that Tuesday morning after the Adel-DeSoto-Minburn boys' basketball team was beaten by Norwalk in the Class 3A Substate championship game at Johnston on Monday night.
That was the latest of several post-season disappointments, assuaged only by the Waukee girls' upset of No. 3-ranked Des Moines East in the Class 4A Regional championship a week ago, earning the Warriors a second straight state tournament berth this week at Wells Fargo Arena.
Over the past five days, three area teams lost bids for state berths. Last Thursday, Waukee fell to Southeast Polk in the Class 4A Substate semi-final, then on Saturday night, Van Meter's boys dropped a heart-breaker to unbeaten Adair-Casey in the Class 1A Substate championship game at West Des Moines Valley.
The Dallas Center-Grimes girls came up just a game shy of a return to the state meet, losing to Harlan in a Class 3A Regional final in Adel.
West Central Valley's girls put another great season in the books, but came up short in a bid to play in Des Moines.
And, how about those Van Meter girls? After a season that produced a meager six wins, the Lady Bulldogs held three straight post-season foes to fewer than 20 points in reaching the Class 1A Regional final before losing to tough AGWSR in the regional championship game.
Yes, in some respects, it is disappointing to get just one area team into the state tournament.
But, if you look back at more recent history, all that means is that we've become spoiled. After several years with no teams, and sometimes few wrestlers, heading toward the state's ultimate tournaments in Des Moines, we've been blessed.
Last year, four county teams played at state - A-D-M's boys, DC-G's girls, and both the Waukee boys and girls. And, so in some respects, I guess, we expected a repeat this season.
Reality tells us, though, that you don't always get what you expect, or even hope for. And, we should celebrate the successes and not dwell on the disappointments.
County athletes had some great seasons, both on the wrestling mat and the basketball court.
Coaches are, by nature, an optimistic bunch. Talk to them now and you'll probably find them looking ahead to next season and assessing the talent they have returning and not dwelling on the talent that graduation will take from them.
As fans, we should do the same.
That doesn't mean we should quickly forget the great plays and the great memories the current crop of athletes have provided. There certainly have been plenty of those.
When it comes to the sports scene, I've been blessed with relative longevity.
I look forward to every new season, but I don't forget the past.
I still recall a freshman Dan Gable scoring a wrestling win for Waterloo West High School, a young Tom Goodman's basketball wizardry at Fort Dodge High School and Mike Webster's dominance on the football fields of Northern Wisconsin in the late 1960s.
I'll remember these current athletes, too. I'll recall these late-season disappointments on the scoreboard, but not for long.
That's because I'm already looking forward to next year.
That's the beauty of sports. There's always next year.
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