Page 21 - Flathead Beacon // 11.2.16

CLOCKWISE FROM
TOP LEFT Trevor Paro rushes past North Star defenders; Hot Springs defeated North Star 66-0 on Oct. 29; A sign in support of the Hot Springs athletics near the entrance to the town; Tyler Knudsen celebrates after successfully ipping a Gatorade bottle in the locker room before the game.
surpassing the previous all-class record of 119, set by Travis Bertelsen of Wibaux from 2005-08, according to the Montana High School Association.
“It’s pretty cool knowing how many people have come through the state of Montana and knowing I’m the leader,” Paro said after last Saturday’s win. “The biggest thing now is making sure we get three more wins.”
This season, Paro has scored about once every three times he has touched the ball.
“His speed changes everything,” Law- son said. “O ense, defense and special teams, it’s tough to corral a kid like that.”
Paro joins the list of notable small- town athletes who achieved greatness despite playing in relative obscurity, a storyline many Class C stars, such as NFL running back Chase Reynolds of Drum- mond, have had to overcome. Before the success of the Savage Heat, the pride of Hot Springs was most notably Todd Riech, who graduated from high school after a standout athletic career and became an Olympian. He threw the jave- lin at the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta.
Last weekend’s record-setting score was punctuated by the raucous home crowd that has supported the under- sized athlete and his teammates from the beginning.
“Once I broke (the record) it took me awhile,” he said. “It nally hit me that I broke the all-time record when I looked up at the fans cheering. I thought, ‘This is crazy.’ It was de nitely a moment to live for.”
These games, perhaps more than most others in larger towns, end up being a community event and a vibrant display of hometown pride. In early October, when White Sulphur Springs traveled to Hot Springs, there were nearly 500 people in attendance between the two towns.
“Most of the time, all of Hot Springs will be here,” said Mike Perry, the school superintendent and activities director.
“It’s the one place where the farmers and ranchers can get together and see each other and talk about old times.”
It’s not uncommon for Paro and other players to run into residents at lunch or the grocery store and hear well wishes or questions about the latest opponent.
“We have one of the best fan bases, not only in six-man but in the entire state of Montana,” Paro said. “It’s just awesome.”
The pools of geothermal groundwa- ter bubbling up around town may be the most well-known source of respite and healing, but the high school and its sports
teams are inextricably tied to the com- munity’s identity.
In many ways, this town and its resi- dents have seen better days. In a county with one of the highest unemployment rates in the state, Hot Springs ranks at the bottom of the state for median house- hold income per capita, at barely $22,000 annually. According to the latest U.S. Census data, nearly 28 percent of the town’s residents live in poverty. Jobs in the timber and mining industries have largely vanished.
Yet visitors will be hard-pressed to nd a community as diverse and tight- knit as Hot Springs.
“Hot Springs has a huge demo- graphic, from farmers and loggers and retired people and the old hippies,” said Randy Woods, a Hot Springs native who has served as the town’s mayor the last nine years and chief of the volunteer re department since 1994.
“Everybody here lives and does every- thing together,” Woods continued. “And the town of Hot Springs and the sur- rounding area has always been very sup- portive of the schools, whether it be for all the sports or all academics. The town is always behind the school system, no mat- ter what. Whether it’s a winning or losing team, there’s always a good crowd.”
dtabish@ atheadbeacon.com
TREVOR PARO
SENIOR, 5’8”, 175 POUNDS
YEAR TDS YARDS FROM SCRIMMAGE
2016* 41 1,071 2015 43 1,506 2014 28 1,410 2013 11 664
TOTAL 123** 4651
*THROUGH 10 GAMES
** ALL-CLASS STATE RECORD IN MONTANA HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL, SURPASSING PREVIOUS RECORD OF 119 SET BY TRAVIS BERTELSEN OF WIBAUX FROM 2005-08.
NOVEMBER 2, 2016 // FLATHEADBEACON.COM
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