“A testament to all the things coaches revere: commitment, dedication, hard work, sacrifice.”

Star Tribune sports writer Jim Paulsen wrote that sentence in his story last weekend on the Minneota football team capturing the Class 1A championship Friday at U.S. Bank Stadium. Paulsen contributed those player qualities to explain Minneota’s eight state titles — five straight back in the 1980s.

Minneota defeated Springfield 38-21 and then packed the championship trophy on the team bus for the victorious drive back to Minneota. Proud Minneota parents and residents young and old waited impatiently for that team bus to arrive in front of the high school gymnasium to hold a glorious celebration.

However, those qualities that Paulsen wrote about can easily be used when talking about other schools in the Independent readership area.

A couple weeks ago, volleyball teams from Minneota and Marshall also took that route back from the Twin Cities with championship trophies in tow. Both programs have also built deep histories with many championships.

So it’s no surprise to us here in southwest Minnesota that our athletes are known for the qualities mentioned by Paulsen’s article: These are the qualities instilled in them by hard-working and dedicated families and friends. That’s why our athletes are so successful on the playing field and in the classroom.