You would think a victory that snaps one of the longest losing streaks in high school sports history would be the source of a triumphant message. However, it wasn’t the wins but the losses that resonated, and the Huron Tigers girls soccer program taught us all something about perseverance, joy, and a reminder of why we play high school sports.
“All great things must come to an end”, that’s the old adage, right? It’s what we all say when a team who has won consecutive state championships gets dethroned, or when an astounding winning streak falls with a loss. Well, for the Huron Tigers, this is the opposite of those scenarios. What the Lady Tigers did Friday night rewrites that phrase to, “It’s a great thing this came to an end.”
The Huron Tigers girl’s soccer team had one of the most unfathomable trends going in high school sports across the country. Their program had an untouchable 111-game losing streak going into their Friday night contest against Douglas-New Underwood, one of the longest running streaks in high school sports history. And at long last, it became just that, history.
The Huron Tigers ended that near decade-long streak by not only securing a win but doing it in shutout fashion with a 2-0 victory. If you are going to end a streak like that, doing it the way Huron did it is the most satisfying way to achieve the feat. Although, one would argue not much is needed to feel satisfaction when ending a triple-digit losing streak.
Tigers goalkeeper Wai Wai Linn was responsible for the scoreless night, charting 8 saves while Hurons two scorers were Isabel Wipf and Keylliam Sotomayor-Ramos. The last time Huron put their name in the win column was back in 2016 when they beat Douglas, and 110 losses and one 2019 tie to Sturgis later, they did it again.
However, it is not often the lesson can be learned from the win, it actually comes from the 0-110-1 stretch that the Tigers endured. The way the Lady Tigers play the game, interact with each other, and the way they treat their opponents, you could be fooled into thinking they had won all of those games. When the Lady Tigers play, it is nothing but smiles, encouragement, love and camaraderie. There is no ‘woe is me’ with Huron, there is no pouting, kicking dirt or blaming one another. They simply play the game the right way.
To watch those girls compete, even in the midst of a monumental stretch of losses, reminds us that this game (and all high school sports for that matter) is not about the final scores, the wins, the losses or even the stats. It is about building character, pushing yourself to do hard things and being a better person by being a great teammate. The Lady Tigers embody those values to the highest degree. One parent from an opposing team said, “I am so happy for those girls. They are always smiling during and after games, every single time we have played them.”
If we can take away one thing from this, it’s that you can’t take away a Huron’s spirit. And, with Sturgis up next on the schedule, maybe they can start a new streak. This time, in the win column.
I did some digging and found some of the longest high school sports losing streaks, and now Columbia High School holds the longest active streak at 92 games. Some other notable streaks:
- 82 games – Glascock County (Gibson, GA), 1990–1999
- 80 games – Davis (Houston, TX), 1985–1993
- 79 games – Sturgis (Sioux Falls, SD), 1997–2006
- 77 games – Diamond Hill (TX), 2010–2017
- 72 games – Iberia (MO), 1965–1974
- 69 games – Red Boiling Springs (TN), 1986–1993; Edinburg (IN), 2002–2009
- 68 games – R.C. Hatch (Uniontown, AL), 1997–2005
- 66 games – Barbour County (CLAYTON, AL), 2013–2021
- 64 games – Savanna/West Carroll (LA), 1996–2003; Fort Wayne Elmhurst (IN), 1996–2002
Writers note: I have had the pleasure of calling Huron Tiger girls soccer, and what that opposing parent said is right on the money. Those games really stuck with me because of the level of sportsmanship and teamsmanship (I know this is not a word, but it is for the Tigers) that Huron displayed. They simply love playing the game itself, they don’t care so much about the score, but playing hard and being competitive. It was really humbling to see the joy of competition in their faces. So, congratulations to Huron, we are all so, so proud of you.
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