Pascagoula lost a heartbreaker to West Jones in the 2020 South State Championship. 

It was a game defined by a downpour of rain that lasted the entire game and only strengthened with time. 

Being a high school student in the fall is an intoxicating, romantic experience. As the week moves forward, the tension and excitement rises.

Normal students become heroes - unable to fall. That weight is real, and it is devastating when it comes crashing down.

But that crash doesn't negate the beauty of the ride. And this ride ended on a night that belonged in a movie. As the rain got heavier, the student section got louder. When the odds weren't in their favor, the Panthers swung big.

I can't help but think back to my senior year and those Fridays in the fall. I would hop in my car and drive to the high school, blaring "Baba O'Riley" and screaming the line "Teenage Wasteland" while I parked outside the stadium. 

Friday night, I experienced that feeling again. 

During the final team breakdown, a player interrupted. He spoke on how this team was his family. I asked Coach Lewis Sims what that moment meant to him.

He broke down into tears before he choked the answer out. 

"It makes all of this worth it."