Bo Nagahi, who won a Fiesta Bowl with the U., said he'd give up his college glory to have another chance at feeling like he did as a Skyline Eagle.

"You don't understand it yet," he told current players flashing his Fiesta Bowl ring. "I would give this back because it's not even close to what I had here at Skyline. Why? Because of my friends and the chance to play together for Skyline. There's nothing greater than what you've got right now."

Rob Sirstins was a bit tough on this year's team, asking them why they all hadn't shaved their heads — something that is now optional.

"When you put on the gold dome, you're representing me and my team," he yelled.

Afterward, a clearly emotional assistant coach Brodie Reid said even the 1999 team had help.

"They were ranked nationally because the teams in the four years before them won state championships," he said. "Every team is special and part of that tradition."

One thing coaches attempt to do is convince all the players — whether they ever get in a game or not — that they are an important part of every aspect of the season.

At a recent team meeting, coach Brodie Reid's eyes settled on Bryan Forbes. "I'm going to miss watching Bryan work his butt off," he said choking back tears.

The senior running back is on the punt team, which means when Skyline's offense is clicking, he doesn't get in the game. Yet, coaches and teammates say no one works harder in practice.

"Whatever they ask me to do, I'll try harder," Forbes said.

Without players like him "the team would never get anywhere," said quarterback Matt Marshall. "He's just as important as any starter."

At halftime during the team's loss to Alta, Dupaix asked the junior varsity players to wait in the hall because it's so crowded. Assistant coach Beau Marlowe walks into the hall with them and paces up and down talking to them, while Dupaix talks with the varsity players. "When I was a junior, the seniors on our team came to us and said we need your help," Beau Marlowe said through tears. "These guys need your help. They need you on the sideline. They need to hear you."

The juniors chatter loudly on the sideline the rest of the game. Marlowe walks up and down the sideline commending their efforts.

It's another kind of support, community and school support, that Marshall believes is the foundation of the program's strength.

That support takes many forms at Skyline, but one of the most visible is Mary Springer. She began her association with Skyline football when her oldest son, Jeramy Spenst, opted to attend Skyline High.