Sure, it’s nice to have lots of fans in the stands and place in the popular crowd at school. That’s what participation in one of the more recognized high school sports can do for you.

But the two most important things these sports can do for students are, first, earn the student an opportunity to continue their careers at the collegiate level, and, second, to allow the student to enjoy success as a result of his or her hard work, thereby establishing the importance of work ethic for the rest of the student’s life.

Don’t look now, but some less recognized sports at Chilton County High School are providing just what athletes need.

The CCHS soccer team opened its season Tuesday evening, and among the Tigers are at least two players—Hunter Bennett and Noe Chavez—that could be playing for college teams next season.

Even if there was never a pep rally held for the soccer team as is the case for each football game, Bennett and Chavez are playing for something much more important.

Also, two CCHS wrestlers, Dylan Jackson and Colby Bernier, are competing in the state meet this weekend. While the school’s wrestling program is still growing, these two athletes have reached a level of competition most of their baseball and basketball counterparts dream of.

Soccer and wrestling might not be the most talked about sports in the CCHS community, but, in the case of these four young men, these sports are helping students better themselves.

That’s what high school sports are all about.