Oak Harbor High School’s football team provided the community its greatest season in 20 years before losing in the state playoffs to Mountain View on Saturday.

“Losing,” in this case, refers only to the scoreboard, because otherwise the game at Goddard Stadium in Mukilteo was a credit to the team’s success this year. One side of the stadium was filled with some 2,000 Oak Harbor fans who happily made the long trip to the game, and the players on the field were tremendous ambassadors for their school and their community. Yes, they fell behind early, but they played hard the entire game and supported each other through the several miscues that hampered their game plan. There was no finger pointing on the sidelines, just support and encouragement that things would go better on the next possession. When the game ended, Oak Harbor players walked way with pride, knowing they had just finished a season for the ages.

The Wildcats handled losing with class. They certainly weren’t used to it. They finished the season with an 8-1 record in league and 9-2 overall. Only one team — the state champion — will finish the year on a winning note. But as Oak Harbor demonstrated, you can lose on the scoreboard without really losing if you play with pride.

The 2002 Wildcat football team got the town talking about its exploits and attracted hundreds of fans to the games who may not have seen a high school football game in years. Memorial Stadium was alive again, with thousands of fans cheering their team on. Friday night was football night in Oak Harbor, as it is in hundreds of similar towns across the U.S.A.

Those fans also learned that historic Memorial Stadium has a lot of shortcomings. It couldn’t even be used for the playoffs because it doesn’t meet state standards for the safety and convenience of players and fans. If voters approve a much-needed new stadium when they pass judgement on a bond issue in early 2003, much of the credit will go to the Oak Harbor Wildcats football team of 2002.