Galley and his players were grateful to look up from their bench at the thousands of fans feeling their pride and their pain.

"It just makes your heart pound," Galley said. "It makes you want to smile to have so many people pulling for you. It was very inspiring."

Only those who have played for a title know just what it can do for a team, for a school and for a neighborhood and for a city.

"It brings the whole school, the whole community together," Park said. "It's just an awesome feeling — just to see the kids, the support, the pride they have in the school . . . It's the first time we've ever had the experience of playing for a championship in the history of the school."

Galley said he saw a Bingham T-shirt on his way into the E-Center that said "Established 1908."

"Ours says 1999," he added. "There is a lot of Riverton left . . . We'll be back. This has been the greatest season in our young seven-year history."

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E-mail: adonaldson@desnews.com