While sitting in the postgame news conference following Hamlin’s 25-20 loss to Mart on Thursday, I half expected the Pied Pipers to arrive with coach Russell Lucas barely able to speak. 

They had just given the defending state champions all they wanted and could very well have dethroned the Panthers, had it not been for four turnovers. They had every reason to show up stone-faced and heartbroken — like so many other losing teams at state we’ve seen in the past.

That’s understandable. 

Nobody goes to state with the goal of finishing second. And after 16 straight weeks of sweating blood, it’s difficult to get your emotions to turn on a dime. 

ARLINGTON — Leading Hamlin in its first state championship game against a Mart squad that was making its 12th state appearance, coach Russell Lucas just wanted his Pied Pipers to block out all external noise and be themselves.

If it could play loose and with poise, as it had done in building a 12-2 record and earning Thursday’s historic opportunity, Lucas was confident his team could compete with the two-time defending champion Panthers.

The Pipers did all these things Thursday in a game that was tight to the finish. And though they came out on the losing end of a 25-20 slugfest, they left with their heads held high, knowing that the game was decided by their execution between the lines and not outside factors in a moment that was too large for them.

ARLINGTON — While prepping for Thursday’s Class 2A Division II state championship game against Mart, Hamlin coach Russell Lucas cited limiting big plays, winning the turnover battle and blocking out distractions as the top keys for the Pied Pipers to dethrone the defending state champions. 

As it turned out, Hamlin achieved every key but one — losing the turnover battle (4-0) and eventually, the game, falling to Mart 25-20 at AT&T Stadium. 

Roddrell Freeman rushed for 173 yards and three touchdowns and Klyderion Campbell rushed for 60 yards and added a pick-six to lead Mart (13-3), which claimed its third straight state title with the win. 

LAST WEEK:  0-2, .000

OVERALL: 486-97, .834

Picking .834 for the season but missing both state semifinal selections is akin to batting .400 for the year but striking out twice with the bases loaded in the seventh game of the World Series. 

Well …. not exactly. But you get my point.

What can I say? After being on fire for 14 straight weeks, this column has hit a late-season slump, going 3-5 over the last two weeks and whiffing twice in the state semis. Nonetheless, I’ve got one more game to pick and it’s a biggie. 

The Hamlin Pied Pipers (12-2) will square off with perennial powerhouse Mart (12-3) for the Class 2A Division II state title, officially closing the books on the best picks season I’ve ever had.

That said, let’s dive in.

Here’s this week’s forecast and we’ll see you in Arlington.  

Everyone who regularly attends sporting events loves the sights, the sounds and the smells associated with simply being there. We soak it all in, take the images that are most notable, then splash them on to our memory like a fuzzy Leroy Neiman painting.

But imagery isn’t what keeps us coming back. That’s just the icing.

It’s the drama surrounding athletics that draws us in like a magnet. The human stories behind each team, each player and each coach are what capture our imagination and inspire us to root for one side, even if we have no vested interest in the outcome. 

PLAINVIEW — When Hamlin and Stratford met the first time this season in a late September nondistrict game, the result was a forgettable one for the Pied Pipers. But the HHS players made sure to remember how they felt at the end of that 39-6 drubbing.

Playing the Elks again in the Class 2A Division II semifinals, the Pipers reversed that outcome Thursday night, riding a flawless start to 56-23 win that was even more dominating than the 33-point margin might suggest.

The victory, which improved Hamlin to 12-2 on the year, has the Pipers in their first state title game in school history — realizing a goal the HHS seniors set for themselves in junior high.