Some of the best things that come with playing sports don’t come during the game–statistics, recognition and awards–but it’s what comes after. The life lessons that come out of sports provide student-athletes with invaluable experience that they can take with them for a lifetime.

There are so many ups and downs, countless hours put in and sometimes sacrificing something you really like or love, for something else you really like or love more. And that doesn’t always guarantee a win.

But what can be guaranteed is that kids are able to grow from the success and sometimes the pain of the day-to-day work they put in. The epitome of sports is being able to grapple with the success of reaching your end goal or falling short of that goal. It’s about sitting with that stinging feeling and then moving on to the next thing while letting that stinging moment shape you.

That’s what sports are all about. It’s why parents travel far to games and cheer their kids on so much due to the time commitment and sacrifice kids put into what they love to do.

Just as much as parents are cheering their kids on during the good moments, they should be helping them hold their heads up on down moments as well. Not because anyone looks forward to losing, but because it’s a prime example of showing a young adult how to grieve with something not going your way.

Take, for example, Bald Eagle Area softball’s Thursday afternoon loss to an undefeated Everett team. The Warriors completed an undefeated season, and the Eagles played a remarkable season, falling short of the title.

That doesn’t diminish what the Eagles had to go through to get that point–the morning workouts, the hitting workouts. It just proves that someone has to lose, and in life, not everyone wins. Following Bald Eagle Area’s loss on Thursday at Penn State, Bald Eagle Area coach Don Lucas reflected on that.

As a coach for over 40 seasons, he understands that losing in the state championship game is disappointing, but it doesn’t define a career or life for any of the girls on his team.

“Softball in their life is about (this small),” coach Lucas said after Thursday’s loss. “It’s a long season and this was a big game, but I’m hoping that I’m giving them more than how to field a groundball. They should have fun; they should enjoy the experience. We’ll work hard to win but sometimes that’s not how life goes.”

He’s spot on. The game of softball–the game of any sport out there, including life–has its ups and downs. An interesting note to point out is that every girl on that Eagles team is coming back next season. There is a lot more softball being offered to Bald Eagle Area.

Moreover, there’s a deal of pressure that individual players and teams in deep playoff runs or with good track records put on themselves. The pressure to perform well, to attract college coaches and that they have to be near-perfect. But they must remember–they are still young teenagers. It’s great to win a state championship, but the crux of a person’s life isn’t defined by team hardware or a medal around your neck.

Some of the kids that are playing softball now may play in college, some may move on to become the next surgeon. Either way, there’s much more life in front of them than just one loss in what seems like the biggest game of your career.

“They’re 14-15 years old, that’s not very old and we expect a lot out of them,” coach Lucas said.

Bald Eagle Area had a tremendous season. The team from Wingate finished with a 20-3 overall record, including an 8-1 finish in conference to claim first in the conference. The Eagles have multiple weapons that will all return next season. From Ava Stere and Rachel Bryan to Alyssa King, Kailey Eckert and Sydney Thompson, this squad is bringing back a loaded roster.

Not to mention hurler Sierra Albright who will return to the mound as a junior. Albright threw over 270 strikeouts on the season and threw multiple one and two-hitters to dominate many opponents this season.

“I’m super proud of the effort they put in, and we made it here,” coach Lucas said. “A lot of teams didn’t–a lot of teams would love to walk onto a collegiate field and play in front of a great crowd.”

That’s what the Eagles have to hold in their back pockets until January 2024 comes around, when this team gets back together for preseason work that precedes what they hope leads to another state tournament run.

Bald Eagle Area was faithful throughout the whole season and supported this group of girls day-to-day and game to game. That crowd that’s been there all year showed up big time at University Park, but it just wasn’t the result they were hoping for.

The goal in sports is to win, but that’s not how the game, or life, goes. More importantly, that’s not how coach Lucas coaches his teams. The veteran coach wants to show the girls that there’s more to life than winning a softball game, even if you’ve put in the chunk of the work to do so.

Different Eagles players will commit to travel leagues to showcase their talent to reach goals, put in work in batting cages and so forth to prepare for the big outlook in 2024. No matter the result is this time next season, coach Lucas’s motto will stay the same.

“At the end of the day I hope we’re teaching them more life lessons than softball,” Bald Eagle Area coach Don Lucas said after his team’s loss in the AA state final. “In a loss you learn a lot–you learn that things don’t always go your way. It’s a game that has a lot of ups and downs.”

Zach Powell is the Sports Editor at The Express. Follow him on Twitter @RealZachPowell.