Thanks for all the great high school sports memories this past fall

SALT LAKE CITY — Thanksgiving might be an excuse to eat too much, laugh too hard and watch way too much football, but it is also one of the few holidays that cause us to take a moment and just be grateful.

In that spirit, as we prepare to leave fall sports behind, I thought it was the perfect "moment" to stop and reflect on some of my favorite stories of the season.

The thrill of victory

For generations, all Hurricane football knew was frustration. Since 1983 the boys (and their coaches) in the program had worked hard enough to play in the state championship but never found a way to win that title. For the last three years, they'd lost to the same team — Juan Diego.

But on a snowy night two weeks ago, the Tigers did what their fathers and brothers only dreamed about — they earned the southern Utah school's first football championship.

"It means so much," said linebacker Jared Edwards of putting an end to generations of disappointment. "You can't understand how much it means to us."

Just a little extra effort

Running isn't usually a spectator sport. But watching Kanab's Yanni Gallagher win the 2A state cross country title in October was a thriller. He was trailing Rowland Hall's Ryan Westerman by 100 yards as they approached the track at Highland High. He sprinted to the finish, leaned forward so far he fell to the ground, and claimed the title.

In addition to providing the most exciting finish of the day, he proved why it's important to keep running. Last year he finished in 27th place.

Never, never, never give up

Logan defensive back and wide receiver Jameson Hartman's world was shattered when he broke his leg in a soccer game last spring. Surgery would prevent him from training or playing most of his senior football season.

He didn't cry from the pain; he cried because he was losing something he knew would be special. He worked as hard as he could to get healthy, and was finally cleared by doctors with five games left in the season. He couldn't however, have his starting position back, so he took the minutes he could get.

What he got was a moment worth almost as much as an entire season. With just a few seconds left in the 4A state championship game, he caught the game-winning touchdown.