Sports
River Valley’s No. 1
By: Clark Wooley, Marisa Oberle
Posted on:
While a high school football game may only last 48 minutes, certain friendships last forever. This has never been more evident than the friendship between River Valley’s Tyler Twyman and Dayton Hardway.
Unfortunately, a season-ending knee injury has forced Twyman to sit on the sidelines this season, a feeling that Hardway knows all too well. He himself sat out his sophomore season with an injury while Twyman went out and played.
After Hardway injured himself, the team was struggling to find his replacement; and when his backup decided to quit the team, Twyman stepped up and assumed the role as the team’s leader. While it may come as a surprise to see teenagers perform such mature acts, the parents of those involved were not surprised whatsoever.
“This is one of the first groups to have as much pride as they have, that I’ve seen, since we moved back from Louisiana,” Tyler’s father Brandon Twyman said. “It’s a true testament to the way the community has grown together.”
No one benefits from injuries, and when a friend or teammate is injured it is our natural instinct to assume the worst. The sense of community in River Valley is strong and the mentality seems to convey injuries aren’t a huge obstacle, but rather a small bump in the road.
“A lot of injuries are mental, it’s how you fight through that adversity and if you’re going to give up then you’re not going to accomplish anything,” Brandon said. “But in order to be a champion you have to run, and you’ve got to run towards the finish line.”
Despite the loss of Twyman, Hardway has led the Raiders to one of its best seasons in program history, putting the Raiders in the mix for a conference title and playoff spot. However, wins and losses come and go, but bonds like these are difficult to break.