They’re fierce competitors. When they step onto the court, they step up to the challenge. If their “A” game translated into grades, they’d all be going to Harvard or Yale in a few years — full ride. And, at the high end, they’re only 14.

There are few things this paper enjoys seeing more than local kids succeeding and having fun doing it. It’s exciting stuff, not just watching them grow up and become our young heroes but also knowing that if they can accomplish a few great tasks early on, they can do so much more later in life.

So seeing the Kingston Junior High girls put their second undefeated season in the history books was more than a treat. It was a thrill.

Following the 2004 season, the Cavaliers seemed to pick up right where they left off — showing both a competitive edge and maturity in the game that comes from working with pros like Tony Chisholm and Melody Ejde.

The squad is fortunate to have such role models. The community is fortunate to have such people.

While the score of Thursday’s game might have been a tad lopsided, the team play was anything but. As coach Ejde pointed out after the confetti flew, everyone played.

We’d like thank our young Cavs Amber Hoak, Aubin Duncan, Chelsie Brann, Joi Niemeyer, Kendal Peiguss, Kira Markey, Stephanie Eadie, Tonya DeMoss, Jamie Heggenstaller, Riley Watts, Erin Nicol and Arissan Ugles for giving us all something to cheer about.

And their coaches for giving us something to think about. While neither lost faith in the team during the season, both agreed that it will truly be hard to see the majority of the squad moving on next year. But as Ejde pointed out: “Coaches don’t leave their players, players just leave their coaches. We’ll always be there.”

We couldn’t have said it better ourselves.