BETHEL — Gary Wight had been looking forward to Saturday, just like a lot of football-hungry souls in Bethel and Newry.

Unlike all but a handful of those in attendance for the first football game at Telstar in 30 years, Wight could also look back on a rich pigskin history at the school and say he was a part of it. He was wearing his old white No. 80 jersey to prove it.

Wight wasn’t just part of Ol’ Rebel football, he was there at its most glorious, as a wide receiver and defensive end on the undefeated 1972 and 1973 teams. Those teams were  led by coach Dick Collins and standouts such as Larry Brown, Paul Farrar, Doug Brooks, Peter Blake and Randy Olsen, names that still aren’t forgotten in the western mountains, even though Telstar football folded in 1981.

Wight, who lives in Newry, recalls the intense rivalry with Mexico, the time Madison came to town right after moving down from Class B and was supposed to wipe out the competition, only to get shut out, 7-0. He remembers the huge crowds that used to follow the Rebels at home and on the road.

Those days could return, he believes, although the small crowd attending Saturday’s game with Winthrop, and the 41-14 final score, showed just how far the Rebels still have to go

“It will be a while coming,” Wight said. “They’ve got to get their act together and win some games.”

The reincarnated Rebels took their time getting back to varsity football. They spent five years building their foundation at the junior varsity level, a lifetime compared to many of the new programs in the state that rushed to the top ranks in the last decade.

Those five years gave them a long time to dream about what Saturday’s debut would be like, and about what glory might lie ahead if the program returns to its dominating roots.

They could wonder who would score the first touchdown, who would make the first interception, who would make the play that clinched a playoff game or a championship.

It was all in front of them. And it still is.

But a strong dose of reality hit the Rebels and head coach Tim O’Connor last week. Seven starters were found to be in violation of team rules and were suspended for the first game, taking some of the starch out of what was to be a memorable day for not only the team but everyone in the community who had worked so hard to bring football back to Telstar.

O’Connor hopes the incident makes his team stronger in the long run.

“We dealt with our problem and hopefully, it’s over,” O’Connor said. “I’m proud of the kids that stepped up and played and helped us out.”

Indeed. Led by a third-string sophomore quarterback, Jared Vermette, who took numerous hits from the physical Winthrop defense and kept coming back for more, the Rebels that remained looked a little scared at times but never backed down.

Watching from the sidelines in street clothes were a number of the suspended players, some no doubt wondering if they could have kept their composure like Vermette, or, if not for a mistake and some youthful short-sightedness, they could have been the one who scored that first touchdown, rather than junior running back Will Lyman.

If those players didn’t understand just how many people they had let down before, it hit home Saturday. One of them went up to O’Connor after the game, gave him a hug and apologized.

Saturday’s game was full of lessons. The Ramblers didn’t just deliver a harsh lesson in the speed and brutality of Campbell Conference football, they also showed what respect for the game means.

With a 41-7 lead, coach Joel Stoneton pulled his starters even though there was still 2:16 left in the first half. On the first play in the second half, Telstar running back Dylan Poland injured his right leg near the Winthrop sideline. When it was clear he would need help getting back to the Telstar bench, two Ramblers, Matt Smith and Robin Cook hopped off their sideline, put his arms around their shoulders and guided him all the way across the field.

Touchdowns, victories and cheering crowds usually come up in dreams about high school football. Sportsmanship and accountability to oneself, to one’s team, school and community don’t, even though the true value of athletics comes in the lessons it teaches about those qualities and so much else.

Perhaps in 40 years, when the current Rebels are Gary Wight’s age, they will slip on their old jersey and remember.

It would be nice if they could remember great wins, great rivalries, great seasons and great teams. It would be even better if they could remember Saturday, remember the lessons they learned that day, and remember how it made them better young men.

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