By Steve Adcock (@swadcock)

I had the pleasure of officiating quite a few games at University City High School this season, as well as some of their games at other sites. It gave me the opportunity to get talk with coach Tony Thomas a great deal. I was able to get to know a very good coach and an even better person. He is always there on time with a smile on his face and a warm handshake to greet everyone involved.

I also got to watch his team play from the beginning of the season to the end. Sometimes it was hard to watch, especially at the beginning of the year when all but a few of his players had never taken part in a water polo game before. The things I immediately noticed about the team was that no matter what the score or how much time was left, they were always trying hard, playing with respect to the other team and trying to learn the game better. They continued to learn the game throughout the season and every team member was much improved  by the last time I saw them play.

So, I guess my point in writing this is that a lot of people would look at their 0-17 record and think the season wasn’t very successful. I think just the opposite. Tony and his team accomplished what high school sports are all about. They worked hard as a team, got better as a team and competed with a lot of class as a team. My hat is off to them for their successful season. I’m also proud to be part of a sporting community that awarded Tony as coach of the year in the Suburban South Conference.

Congratulations University City Lions!