State Title or Bust: Big Sandy Focused on championship in 2019

Sometimes, we find our greatest motivation in our biggest disappointments, and for the Big Sandy Pioneers, this statement was all too true last season. “You know, we lost in the Quarterfinals to Wibaux, and a lot of the kids really went to work hard in the weight room, and doing stuff in the offseason to get better,” said Pioneer head coach Larry Jappe. For Jappe and his squad, 2019 was their chance to turn that motivation into results. “The attitude from the first day of practice was we want a State Championship, or nothing,” said Jappe. “They knew the offense, they knew the defense pretty well, and we were able to just to walk right in and get after it.” That early preparation set the precedent for one of Pioneers’ best seasons. One by one, Big Sandy took down teams, climbing the state 6-man rankings until they finally reached the number one spot. And maybe, this is the year the Purple and Gold make history, by bringing a State title back to a community who’s been waiting for this moment for years. “We’ve come close a couple times. We’ve been Runner’s up twice, but that’s it. We’ve never won a State Championship in football,” said Jappe. “The whole town is really excited about this team, and it’d be a big deal for Big Sandy if we could bring one home.” The fight for the ‘ship continues this Saturday, as the Pioneers welcome Roy-Winifred to town, and while the team has high expectations - both from themselves and from the community - Jappe said they’ll continue to play pioneer football. “Line up in “I” formation and pound the football. Make them try to stop us, and so far, no one’s been able to.”