Much has been made of the four Delco high school hoops teams that convened in Harrisburg over the weekend in search in search of hoops heaven – and state titles.

All four teams – the Archbishop Carroll boys and girls in AAA, the Penn Wood boys in AAAA, and the O’Hara girls in AAA did just that. But only three captured championships.

O’Hara came up agonizingly short, but only after losing their most valuable player, center Stephanie Holzer, when the ankle that had bothered her most of the season simply gave out in the third quarter. When Holzer exited, O’Hara was up. Without her their dream of a state title slowly, agonizingly slipped away.

All of which is a roundabout way of explaining why I was at Springfield Country Club Tuesday night.

I was seated at a table for a meeting of the Springfield Lions Club. On my left were O’Hara Principal George Stratts and school President Dr. William McCusker. On my right were Springfield High Principal Dr. Chris Fulco and Springfield Superintendent Dr. Jim Capolupo.

I was surrounded.

I congratulated the gentlemen from O’Hara and told them how badly I felt for the school and team. The truth of the matter is that I was pulling for O’Hara. There are those who believe we have something against the school, that we never miss an opportunity to portray them in a negative light.

That comes mostly from their supporters. I will tell you I’ve never heard that kind of complaint from either Stratts or McCusker. They could not have been nicer, or more grateful for the coverage we offered the O’Hara girls this year.

Which brings me to Springfield. To be honest I wasn’t quite sure how I was going to be greeted, either by school officials or members of the community. Both Fulco and Capolupo could not have been nicer, even as we discussed some of the coverage the newspaper has offered Springfield in recent days.

Which brings me to the real reason I was there. Last fall I was speaking to a group of retired educators. I had the pleasure of sitting next to Tim Folkimer, a longtime educator in the William Penn District.

I told him of one of my goals as editor of the newspaper, something I have to credit to my wife. One of the hallmarks of this newspaper is the coverage we offer to high school athletes. Certainly the way we handled last weekend’s high school hoops extravaganza is proof of that.

But a long time ago, when I was bragging to my wife of the way we treated these high school athletes, she caught me off guard with a retort she has often repeated since: What do you do for kids who excel academically?

Good question. And one I’ve been working on ever since.

Last night Folkimer and the Springfield Lions honored 12 kids – six each from Springfield High and Cardinal O’Hara. Folkimer invited me and I gladly accepted. It was an evening worth savoring.

As I listened to Stratts and Fulco describe the activities of each group of their seniors, I realized how lucky these kids were to be in such enriching environments.

That environment of course starts at home. It is further cultivated in the classroom, by caring teachers and a positive administration.

This newspaper has had our differences with teachers, including those at Springfield. Bit there is no arguing with the fruits of their labors. I saw proof of that first hand last night.

Here are the names of the 12 kids honored:

Springfield High: Val Broussard, Julia Correnti, Ian Ferguson, Zia Islam, Ashley Kaminski, Kim Klaniecki, Jeremy Methven, Sarah Pelkofsky, Madison Poplawski, Michael Russom, Shannon Sell and Amelia Washington.

Cardinal O’Hara: Anup K. Bhattacharya, Stephen Bracconier, Caitlin Rose Galvin, Stephen Hackett, Peter Kane, Drew McGehrin, Mindsay McMenamin, Jamie Marie Peak, Robyn Oakley, Joseph Sacchetti, Carl Unger and Alysha Womack.

Listening to their achievements and activities in high school was reassuring to someone who often wonders about the world we are leaving to our children.

These 24 kids stand out in almost every endeavor they tackle, in the classroom, on athletic fields, and in the community.

They are a mirror of the way they have been brought up, and the way they have been educated.

And I was honored to be in their presence.