Engines from the Fallon Churchill Volunteer Fire Department lead the football parade.
As they have done for each high-school team winning a state title under Mayor Ken Tedford’s tenure, the community thanked the Greenwave’s Division 1-A football players and coaches Monday with a special night to remember.
Beginning with the traditional dyeing of the downtown fountain and a parade, the evening concluded at the Venturacci Park gym with Tedford thanking the team and community for their unwavering support of the football team’s achievement in winning a state championship, the first for the program since 1978.
“We want to congratulate these coaches and players in their wonderful win, but not only this year but also the build up to this year to get where they are,” Tedford said. “It takes a special effort, but this class made a lot of sacrifices and had a lot of discipline and confidence.”
Tedford said the players have been together for many years, winning their first championship together as members of Fallon’s Sierra Youth Football League team. Ironically, they won their first SYFL title at Reno High School, the site of this year’s state high-school championship where Fallon defeated Moapa Valley, 34-27, on Nov. 21.
“I can’t say enough how hard it is to win a state championship, so difficult to do the hard work to get to that final game,” Tedford said.
In order to involve the community when the team returned from Reno 10 days ago, the first responders were part of a two-mile procession that escorted the school buses carrying the team to Churchill County High School.
Tedford thanked law enforcement officers from Fallon, Churchill County, the Nevada Highway Patrol and Fallon Paiute Shoshone Tribal Police, along with the fire department and paramedics from Banner Churchill who participated in the procession.
Tedford, though, told the players, their families and friends that the city would have still been proud of them, win or lose.
“You represented Fallon in a good way,” he said.
Tedford, who played on several state championship teams when he attended CCHS, said winning a state title is very special and the bond of capturing the coveted trophy will be the bond that keeps many players together for years to come.
“They will remember the championship for the rest of their lives,” Tedford said.
Coach Brooke Hill thanked the parents and community for the support the team received at the state Division 1-A game.
“Coming home after we had won it was a special thing,” he added. “We talk about it every single year, but we got to experience it (the state championship) this year.”
Offensive lineman Wyatt Hampton said the parade, the rally and championship have all been “awesome.”
“It’s like a realization of dreams when we were little,” Hampton said.
The Fallon senior played in the championship game two years that Fallon lost to Faith Lutheran, but winning the title this year was great.
“Every thing this city has done has been awesome,” Hampton said.
Yet, Hampton was just as impressed with the procession that welcomed the team from the state championship game.
“I have never seen anything like it,” he said. “Coming into town and seeing the fire trucks and police cars was really cool.”
“Tami Richardson can relate to the players who won a state championship, including her son Connor, the Greenwave’s starting quarterback.
“It’s surreal … our community is amazing. I love that they care,” Tami Richardson said. “They support all the kids and all the sports. It’s very unique because I don’t know of any other town that has done this.”
She also related to Tedford’s comments about the bond a state title brings to all the players.
“Those are memories you all remember, of friendships you never forget,” she said. “It’s one of those situations that’s pretty special but not everyone will experience.”