Celebrating high school sports championships

We celebrate all of our local sports teams and applaud them for their efforts. But when a team goes all the way and wins a championship, it's a special thing.

Recently the Perryville boys soccer team won the Class 2 state championship. Perryville (29-1) had a strong second half in the championship contest that included six goals. They won over Soldan International Studies by a score of 7-0.

This was the 25th consecutive win for the team.

There's no question: This was an impressive season. But even more impressive was the sportsmanship following the contest. A photo taken by Southeast Missourian photographer Glenn Landberg received much attention on Facebook. The image shows Perryville's Pablo Mattingly putting his arm around a Soldan player after the game in an act of consolation. It was a special moment. It's what high school sports should be about: good sportsmanship.

Congratulations to Perryville on its strong season.

Another local team will look to capture a championship on Saturday.

The Cape Girardeau Central High School football team will play Webb City this weekend for the Class 4 state title.

The Tigers (12-2) will make their first trip to the Class 4 championship, while Webb City (14-0) is a four-time defending state champion.

Now in its fourth year under coach Nathan Norman, the Tigers have made progress. Last year the team fell to Webb City in the semifinal. This year, the Tigers made it a step farther and have their eyes on a championship.

The game will be played at 11 a.m. Saturday at the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis.

We wish Central the best as they look to win the program's first state title.