American author Napoleon Hill once said that “effort only fully releases its reward after a person refuses to quit.”

The regular high school football season wrapped up Wednesday, and a look at the Herald’s sports headlines indicated the local teams did well.

Lyle/Pacelli won 40-0 over Glenville/Emmons; Blooming Prairie outlasted Randolph 35-21; Grand Meadow cruised past Leroy/Ostrander 41-0, while Southland topped Kingsland 20-6.

Then there was the Austin/Albert Lea game that could have easily gone either way.

The Tigers ended up edging the Packers on a 25-yard score with three seconds left in the contest.

While it’s always nice to win, it’s the effort and the dedication that’s most important.

Students have a full academic slate already, with classes, extracurricular activities, homework and projects keeping them busy. Some students even have part-time jobs.

Add on top of that the long hours it takes to participate in a sport, the practices, the games, the traveling and the burden could be enough for anyone to say, thanks but no thanks.

We commend our student athletes in Austin and its surrounding communities for their this sports season. It takes a lot to put in the work and get out on the field or court and give your best day in and day out and be prepared to win or lose.

With playoffs and state tournaments right around the corner, we want to let our teams and athletes know that you have our support, and that for your dedication and efforts this season, you are winners already.