[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 152 (2006), Part 18]
[House]
[Page 22816]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




           RECOGNIZING THE WATAUGA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL TEAM

  (Ms. FOXX asked and was given permission to address the House for 1 
minute and to revise and extend her remarks.)
  Ms. FOXX. Mr. Speaker, I rise to pay tribute to the Watauga High 
School football team of 2006. The Pioneers of Watauga High School in 
Boone, North Carolina, set out with modest expectations and ended up 
just one game away from the State championship for 4-A football. They 
won 12 games and lost 3, and set an example of character and 
perseverance that made a lasting impression on their school and their 
community.
  Frequently coming from behind in the second half to win their games, 
they won three times in the playoffs by one point, advancing further 
than any other team from Watauga County in 28 years.
  Success on the football team had to be built from the ground level. 
And as the success of the team gained momentum in this special season, 
it brought a new spirit and energy to Watauga High School and, indeed, 
to the whole community. In churches and stores you could hear excited 
conversations about the team's success.
  In the end, they did not capture the State championship, but achieved 
something of greater and more lasting importance, the values of 
determination, hard work and courage in the face of adversity. In 
proving that history does not have to be destiny, they provided a very 
real example of the best of the American Dream and they lived at the 
heart of the American experience. Their school and their community are 
the better for it.

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