For the second year in a row the Muscle Shoals High School basketball team has made it to the Elite Eight in Alabama’s class 5-A! That in it’s self is an accomplishment, but consider this: seven seniors graduated from last year’s Elite Eight team of which four were starters! That is a compliment to the skills of the coaching staff (Dennis Conner, the head coach, is a Deacon at a local Baptist Church.) Also, on this year’s team a Freshman and Sophomore are starting.
In the Sweet Sixteen game MSHS defeated Walker. Saturday (God willing) the Trojans will play Russellville who is 27-1 (The one loss was negated when Wenonnah was ruled to have used an unqualified player).
It is a blessing as a pastor to see the impact Dennis Conner is having on the kids of MSHS as he teaches them life lessons and lives the example of Christ before them daily. MSHS is also blessed to have two more coaches (Derrick Gargis and Jody Lanier) who love the Lord and seek to honor Christ with their life. It is rare that a public school system has coaches who model the faith before their kids the way Dennis, Derrick, and Jody do.
I don’t know what the outcome of the game will be tomorrow, but I can tell you two things I know will happen… First, those kids will play their hearts out and leave everything on the court. Second, win or lose… they all (Coaches included) will model Christ from beginning to end.
M-U-S… M-U-S-C-L-E-S… M-U-S-C-L-E-S-S-H-O-A-L-S T-R-O-J-A-N-S… TROJANS! TROJANS! GOOOO TROJANS!