The Estacado community had to wait about a week for spring break to come and go to properly celebrate the boys basketball team’s Class 3A state championship. The wait didn’t diminish the pride felt by all Matadors on Monday.

With Mayor Tom Martin, Lubbock Independent School District Superintendent Dr. Karen Garza and members of the school board among those in attendance, Matador Nation finally got to show its appreciation at the Estacado Gym for what the 34-4 Matadors did in capturing the program’s first state title on March 6.

“It takes good sportsmanship and it takes good dedication and patience, and it also takes a lot of good leadership to do what they’ve done,” City Councilman Floyd Price said. “Last year they missed it by one bucket, and they came back this year and won that state championship, so that shows you their character and their dedication.

“To have an entity, and I’m talking about the basketball team, to pull it through, when you do that, it’s not only uplifting to the school itself. … It uplifts the students and all the young underclass people who come to Estacado to see they can be champions and they can do great things.”

Wearing blue T-shirts proclaiming the 2010 state championship, the Matadors heard from both Martin and Garza as well as head coach Tony Wagner, who said the past week has been something special in the wake of the historic victory.

“It’s a great thing,” Wagner said. “You know how kids are if they feel they can get some extra attention they’re going to do everything they can and work hard to do it. It gave them time to get these T-shirts. I didn’t even know about them until (Sunday) or so. It gave us time to get this done and it’s very organized and everyone in the gym looked alike. It was great.”

Wagner started the event by giving the crowd, including the band and cheerleaders, a rundown of the season and what the team meant to him, telling the team, “Not only are you champions on the court; you’re champions off it.”

Martin congratulated the team and announced that each member would be presented with a special proclamation commemorating the state championship at Thursday’s city council meeting.

Also, a representative of U.S. Rep. Randy Neugebauer presented Wagner with an official United States flag that flew over the Capitol and read some official remarks made by Neugebauer that have been entered into the congressional records.

The Matadors also heard remarks from Garza and members of the school board before ending the celebration with a special acoustic version of the school song.

“It’s a great celebration,” junior guard Kevin Wagner said. “The whole community was here, more people than I thought there would be. I can’t go to United or Wal-Mart or anywhere without somebody congratulating me or telling me I did a good job.”

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