June has arrived for the class of 2026 which brings so many different excitements into play. Graduation, college coming up, pursuing dream careers, and hitting so many new milestones as we entire the adult world. One thing that ends for many though is sports, senior year for athletes is something so bittersweet and something only a high school athlete can understand. The word sport, or game, I feel is an understatement to what these athletes were truly participating in. These seniors over the seasons have built true bonds with the sport they play, which in my eyes makes it more than just a game. A key word in high school athletics is “participation” meaning no one forced these seniors to play in these athletics, they chose this because this is how they wanted to spend their time in high school. A true dedication, and such honorable decision to put the blood, sweat, and tears that it takes to succeed in these high school sports. Many of these senior athletes have been playing their sport or sports since they were kids. “I’ve been playing baseball since I can remember,” Jake Larcher said.
These athletes have poured countless hours and dedication into their athletics, and for it all to be over so fast is such a quick and brutal change. The senior class of 2026 has had many accomplishments this year. The football team made it to the second round of the playoffs, boys basketball defeating Sandpoint in the Battle for the Paddle rivalry game, girls basketball making a deep run in the state playoffs, and many more great accomplishments from every Lakeland sport. The Senior class of 26 athletics is one for the books, this class has broken records, won big games, and truly represented what it means to be a Lakeland athlete.
When you’re a young athlete, taking your sport for granted is common. It’s hard at the moment to wrap your head around the fact that one day all these practices, games, tournaments, and good times with your friends will all be memories at one point. Coming into your freshman year you feel like you have forever until year 4, but eventually it sneaks up on you pretty fast. No matter how many times a coach or family member tells you to take these moments in, it’s hard to really put into perspective that you don’t have forever.It’s important to take good times in, because before you know it it’s time to graduate, and just like that it’s all over. Some are blessed with the chance to play in college, but nothing quite compares to playing alongside the friends you grew up with, those are priceless memories that are what it’s all about.
“If I could go back and play that last game one more time, I would,” Football player Jace Taylor said.
Taylor then spoke about the locker room memories he made over the years, “After a win, once you get off the field all your thinking about is that locker room celebration,” Taylor said.
It’s a feeling that could never be recreated and almost impossible to truly describe, he stated.
Players tend to lose sight of the moment, you’ll think about the next game, the next practice, and maybe you don’t wanna go to practice because of how exhausted your body is. But one day you’ll crave that exhaustion, the grind, the long practices, and the high intensity games. It’s a void that over time is filled with work, starting a family, and so on. Although the memories never fade, and that feeling of competitiveness still burns in your heart.
According to NFHS “There are approximately 1.9 to 2.0 million high school athletes in the United States graduating in the Class of 2026.” Many say that about 6% of high school athletes go on to play college sports and that’s pretty much a ballpark number. The rest are forced to move on, and the title they once owned, “Athlete” starts to fade.
“I’m definitely gonna miss playing with the guys,” Hunter Avriett said. “I’ve built lifelong friendships through sports and I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he added.
The saying is “It’s just a game” but at the end of the day it was always more than just a game, it was a lifestyle that helped guide many of these athletes into the great people they are today. These sports teach more than just how to win, it teaches life skills and lessons that can be applied in so many different ways. The ability to work hard is something that has to be taught, and sports do a great job of that. You can’t take your old stats from a game into a new career to help you get a job, but I can tell you what you can take from sports, and that’s hard work.
The bond between coaches and athletes is a different kind of relationship, at times during the season players are spending more time with their coaches than family. With going straight from school to practice sometimes this is the case. In your senior season you tend not to think about how much time you truly have spent with your coaches, and when your career comes to an end, it can weigh heavy on your heart. Although some of this may seem like an overexaggeration, and that sports are simply just an activity that some participate in, sure it can be seen that way, but when an athlete falls truly in love with their athletics, it becomes more.
“Football has always been more than just a game for me,” Noah Bodak said.
“And I will never forget those days, football will forever be a part of my memories” He added.
What once was an everyday thing, now turns to something that’s simply just a memory, a thing of the past that once was your whole life, something that you looked forward to every year. While most students found fun in different ways, these athletes put countless hours in the off season to succeed during their season. A truly remarkable achievement, to dedicate so much time and effort to one thing, and continuing to love it like no other. Through the hard practices, the heartbreaking losses, the crowd stunning wins, and the celebrations of a lifetime with teammates, the senior class of 26 athletes thrived and stayed true to their sports. All good things have to come to an end at some point, but no one ever truly sees how quick it comes. In life time flies, and they said it flies even faster when you’re having fun, which might explain why these seasons come and go so fast and it’s over before you know it. The word fun is where it all started for these athletes, as a kid you started playing your sport because it’s how you found fun. These seniors will soon be released into the big world, some will start a family, grind and work hard at a job, go to college, and so on. One thing is for sure though, these seniors will never forget the times they had for these 4 short years, these 4 seasons will forever be embedded in their memories. One day if they’re lucky enough, they’ll be able to pass their old passion and love for their sport to the next generation of athletes, and spark that same love they once had when they were kids too. The cycle continues, and keeps going, but in a way that’s the beauty of it all. The sports although they come to an end, they find a way to live on, memories that last a lifetime and more.
“Finifugal”, an adjective that stems from the Latin language meaning an aversion to endings, or a desire for something to go on forever. It can be used to describe not wanting to finish your favorite TV show, or avoiding the end of a good book or vacation, simply because you enjoy it so much you never want it to end. Everyone knows nothing is forever, but in a way I think that’s what makes things in life so special. I think this term fits perfectly for senior athletes finishing their final year as an athlete. All that’s left for these seniors is to walk across that stage and get recognized for their academic achievements, but it’s important to remember these seniors’ dedication to their sports for the last 4 years of their life.
