To the editor:

Dear Editor,

Yesterday, Thursday, Oct. 29, we made the long drive to O'Neill from Loomis to watch our Grandson and the rest of the Loomis Wolves football team battle the O'Neill St. Mary's Cardinals in a state playoff game.

We dreaded the long drive and the cold, wet blustery weather.

But, we were in for a very pleasant surprise.

Intitially we were greeted with a very nice and informative letter from a Ms Camille Ohri on behalf of the St. Mary's Booster Club. It told us about the field, it's location and the fact that the grandstand was equipped with a covered roof, usually reserved for the home team fans, but that they would be happy to share it with their guests due to the weather.

It also told us where to find food and fuel and included a map of your fine city.

After a long trek north, we arrived to be greeted by warm cheery smiles and wishes of good luck from the gate personel. They even said they would try to "turn up the heat" when we joked about the cold.

The game began and, happily for us, things went our way. But, the St. Mary's fans continued to cheer their team on to the very end. We saw nobody in red leaving early, despite the bitter cold. A tribute to the Cardinals and their fans.

Once, during the game, a time-out was called for an injured Loomis player. The stands fell silent and the O'Neill St. Mary's cheerleaders fell to one knee in salute to our fallen combatant. When he finally arose, thankfully not seriously injured, the Cardinal Cheerleaders and fans alike cheered.

The finally score was 50-14 in favor of our beloved Wolves but that didn't seem to effect the mood or good nature of the folks from O'Neill.

They wished us well and urged us to drive safely. My wife and I even got smiles and kind words from two of the Cardinal coaches.

Finally, after the game, the fine, hospitable folks from St. Mary's treated their guest adversaries to sloppy joes, chips and drinks. We weren't present for that but I'm positive that our team appreciated such consideration after a "hard day at the office" and that it was done with smiles a well-wishes.

The weather in O'Neill was cold and blustery, the hospitality was just the opposite. The fine city of O'Neill should be proud of it's fine Catholic School, it's talented football team, it's staff and fans. They are all an asset to your community and you should rightly be proud of them.

We Sincerely Thank You,

Terry and Darlene Clinch

Loomis, Ne.