On March 4, 2023, the Panguitch boys basketball team celebrated with friends and family after winning the 1A state championship. After a hard-fought game with the Piute Thunderbirds, the Bobcats met their ultimate goal — by trusting in and relying on one another. Throughout the season, it was understood that the “T” in “Title” does in fact stand for: TEAM!
I, too, was able to develop an understanding of just how important teamwork really is by asking each of the five starters the following questions:
- What did you feel was your greatest individual strength as a player? How did your team amplify this?
- What do you feel was your team’s greatest strength?
- What do you learn by being on a team?
Understanding from These Boys’ Perspectives
Their answers to these questions included a few of the following:
“I learned that having great teammates not only makes the game more fun, but also a lot easier! Trying to defend a team with five or more solid options is a lot more difficult than a team with one or two ‘superstars.’ I also learned that building lifelong relationships with teammates, coaches, fans, and even our competitors, is really what high school sports is all about!”
– Klyn Fullmer (Sr)
“I think our greatest team strength was our defense as a whole and our ability to knock down big shots when needed. I learned a lot from being on this team. This included learning how to be a leader and better ways to run an offense — helping my teammates out.”
– Justin Osburn (Jr)
“I feel as though one thing that separated us from the rest of the teams is how well we played together. As a group, we all amplified each other’s strengths and helped to reach each other’s full potential. We also got along well, which helped to build team chemistry and overall made playing much more enjoyable. One of the best qualities of our team is that we had a lot of experience. When we had a bad game or were struggling, we were able to pull together and find a way to win.”
– Spencer Talbot (Sr)
“I feel like defense was our team’s greatest strength. Each one of us was capable of having a great offensive game on any given night. However, when there were times that scoring didn’t come as easy to us, our defense compensated for areas in which we lacked. Because it was always solid, it would even lead to our offense on some nights, which then got us going.”
– Cache Eyre (Jr)
“I learned that I needed to give all my heart in order to reach our goal — reaching like there was no tomorrow. Whatever I did, I still felt like I could do more for my team and myself. Being on a team taught me how to work hard.”
– Tucker Chappell (Sr)
The ‘T’ in ‘Title’ Stands for ‘Team’!
Thanks to their teamwork, four of Panguitch’s players made the all-tournament team.
Clearly, these boys understand that no player can shine without the help of their team — on and off the court. Everyone must communicate, lift eachother up, and work together to accomplish their goals. The ultimate goal is to win the title … but for these boys, the “T” in “Title” will always stand for “team”!
– by Hailee Eyre
More Pictures
Feature image caption: Spencer Talbot (Panguitch) catches some air in the state game against Piute. Courtesy Hailee Eyre.
Hailee Eyre – Panguitch
Hailee Eyre is a journalist at The Byway. She attended Southern Utah University in the fall and is pursuing a career in the medical field. Her favorite topics to write about are those that intend to inspire others, providing motivation as means to better yourself or the world around you. In her free time, Hailee loves to be outdoors, whether it be hunting, fishing, boating or hiking.
Hailee is currently serving a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Pennsylvania and New York Church History Sites Mission.