I know, sports fans, that you always read this blog first when it comes to keeping on top of all of the sports news in the nation.

OK, it is true that I don’t spend much of my time or energy following sports. I do occasionally watch a game here or there and I do enjoy watching young people that I know play. But I am in no way an expert when it comes to sports.

So it will probably come as no news to you that once again the Pahranagat Valley Panthers have earned the Nevada Division IV Football title. Last Friday, the Panthers defeated Spring Mountain to take home the trophy. They have winning ways. Friday’s victory was their 7th consecutive State Division IV title and their 81st consecutive team victory. Th Panthers are the current holders of the longest undefeated streak of any high school team in the nation.

For those of you who didn’t already know these things, where have you been? Haven’t you been paying attention to the game?

OK, I’ll admit it, I don’t follow Nevada high school football either - well, not much. I do make the pay attention to the notes I get from the proud father of Culen Highbe. Cullen isn’t the Panthers’ star player. That title would have to go to Wade Leavitt, who scored an incredible 312 points this fall, rushing for 1,515 yards and 31 touchdowns on 104 carries. He also caught 40 passes for 846 yards and 13 scores. Levant also was the Panthers’ leading defensive player with 68 tackles and 6 sacks. He intercepted three passes this fall. Not bad for a high school player.

But I’ve never met Wade Leavitt. I do know Culen Highbe. I’m thinking that you’ll be reading about Cullen’t basketball skills more than his football skills in the years to come.

But I am way ahead of my story.

You may know that I am not what many people call a tall person. I claim to be a whopping 4’ 18” tall, but that may be a half inch or so of exaggeration. Let’s just say, I don’t have to duck to walk under the ductwork in the church basement. The fact that I am not tall has not, however, prevented me from bumping my head a lot. There are plenty of obstructions short enough for a guy to me to raise a goose egg. And, being a little bit shorter than others, I am probably a bit overconfident in terms of not having to worry about branches, doorways, and other obstructions that hinder others’ passage. The fact that our camper doesn’t have 8’ sidewalls isn’t a problem for me.

I used to joke that I was updating the family gene pool by marrying a woman who is taller than I. The truth is that while I’ve always been attracted to Susan, height wasn’t a part of my conscious calculations when we were dating. It did give me an excuse to wear cowboy boots and I’ve long had a preference for the tall heels of the boots.

Susan has plenty of tall people in her family and none more than her cousin David. David was a high school basketball star and is a standout in every crowd. He’s the guy who is either head and shoulders above everyone else in the family pictures or kneeling in the front row, which puts him about eye-to-eye with me.

David’s son, Culen, inherited his dad’s height.

And, like his father, he inherited a passion for competitive sports. He’s good enough that it might be a very good way for him to earn entrance into the college of his choice.

Honestly, however, I haven’t been following the games, though high school sports form all states are readily available if you have a computer and access to the Internet.

I did attend two high school state tournaments in my time as a student, however. When I was a sophomore our high school team made it to the state basketball tournament. They were defeated in early rounds, but at least they had been the district champions. And because the team made it to the state tournament, the band had a series of emergency fund-raisers and we went along with the team. Personally I think our band made a better showing than the basketball team. We weren’t bad in those days.

That same year, I went out for track. Since no one else was doing it and since our school owned one pole for vaulting, I gave it a try. I learned to vault a little bit and at the regional tournament, there were only four competitors in the pole vault. One never cleared the bar at any height. The other three of us all cleared the lowest bar. Two more cleared higher bars. That made me third in the tournament. That pretty much was the height of my high school sports.

Oh, I did drive the team bus for a championship high school team when I lived in North Dakota, and I ran the travel board for the local radio station’s play-by-play announcer during the games.

I’m not anti-sports. I just find other things to occupy my attention most of the time. When I am with people who are watching a game, I can get into the activity and enjoy myself. I’ve been privileged to attend games in many cities around the country during my travels and I usually pay attention when the various championships are near just to be able to engage in semi-intelligent conversation with others who are far more interested in the game than I.

So don’t expect me to be the one with the latest news about what is going on in the world of sports. I probably will not be paying as close attention as other writers. After all, Pahranagat Valley won the championship last Friday night and it took me until today to get around to writing about it.

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