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EXETER — The true mark of a champion isn’t in the accolades they receive, but in the strength of their character and their determination in the face of adversity.
The Wyoming Area Warriors football team didn’t need anything fancy to symbolize them as a champion — they did that on the field.
But gold medals are cool, too.
The Warriors received their state championship medals as part of a special ceremony honoring the team at the Wyoming Area Secondary Center on Tuesday night.
“I’m incredibly proud and appreciative,” said Wyoming Area head coach Randy Spencer after he was presented with his medal. “It’s still an incredible feeling, all these days later.”
The feeling still hasn’t worn off for the Warriors, who won the first team state title in Wyoming Area history with a 21-14 win over Central Valley on Dec. 7.
It was evident in the huge gathering that took place after the state title game that this team had the full backing of the Wyoming Area community, and the community again showed out in large numbers to support the Warriors as they received their medals.
After a few words of praise from secondary center principal Jon Pollard, school board president Gerald Stofko took the mic.
“This team used every minute of practice, games and scrimmages to bring the program to the pinnacle of success,” Stofko said. “Now they can call themselves champions.”
The coaching staff, led by Spencer, were first to receive their medals before the players got their chance to take the stage.
Parents, teachers, school board members and everyone imaginable cheered and applauded as this team etched its name in the history books by receiving state championship medals for the very first time.
At the center of it, do-it-all senior Dominic DeLuca, dressed to the nines, could be seen embracing fans, even letting one lucky young lad wear his championship medal.
“It’s amazing, we’ve been working so hard for this,” DeLuca said. “The hard work paid off.”
But DeLuca couldn’t do it alone, and each young man that strode across that stage to receive recognition truly deserved to wear that medal, and be called a champion.
For lineman Sammy Solomon, a transfer from Wyoming Valley West, the love and support from his teammates and the community really set this program apart.
“It’s a family here,” Solomon said. “It’s a lot different from where I was before.”
The Warriors will see an immensely talented senior class walk out the door for the final time, and Spencer had glowing remarks for his seniors.
“They’re very special, they represent the best of what’s represented in every senior class,” Spencer said.
“It wasn’t just what they accomplished, but the fact that they’re aware of the fact that they accomplished it for so many people out there.”
