"He just got better every game," he said. "I never expected him to be one of our best players ... It was fun to see this timid, awkward, unconfident boy turn into Tylan Jackson."

Hugentobler said watching Jackson develop both physically and emotionally has taught him a lot about not giving up, about determination and about not letting others define what you're capable of accomplishing.

It is also the story of unselfishness and of appreciating the opportunities of this moment.

Jackson is very good friends with the team's other senior, David Hugentobler, and together they offered the younger players the kind of leadership coaches pray for each season. David Hugentobler was critically injured in a motorcycle accident two years ago and likely never should have played sports again. He wrote, "We, not me" and "Brotherhood" on his tennis shoes this season, as he and Jackson led the Templars to a 2A state championship. "Brotherhood" was the way they broke the huddle and team meetings.

These two players offered their younger brethren a unique perspective on just why they should savor each moment they have on the court. They know already, at just 17 and 18 years old, that they don't control what goes on around them. Sometimes you're subject to someone else's judgment. Sometimes life will pummel you with injuries or illnesses that could keep you sidelined — that is if you listened to your body.

But what you can control is your reaction to these situations. What you can control is your effort, your attitude and your own heart.

"It is great to see kids work hard, overcome and sacrifice and have it be rewarded," said coach Hugentobler. And while many see the 2A title as the reward for these young men, Tylan and David will tell you differently.

They already know the real reward is wrestling with self-doubt, struggling to overcome physical and emotional pain and, ultimately, accomplishing what someone else wasn't sure you could.

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E-mail: adonaldson@desnews.com