In 2008 I brought a classic New York-style cheesecake to a Super Bowl party with my fiancé’s brother and his family. My future brother-in-law was hoping to see history — the conclusion to a perfect season by the New England Patriots — but hours later I was happily eating that cheesecake and savoring the victory by the definitely not perfect New York Giants.

I like underdogs, but it turns out I like supporting the hometown teams a whole lot more. So, even though they held a double digit lead in the final minute, I kept my radio on to hear Scott Mangold announce Saturday night that the Powell Panthers had just secured a state title and a 26-0 season. Then I waited up to see the pictures our sports reporter Seth Romsa was sending over to me — pictures of joy and celebration.

In one sense it was a perfect season — all wins and no losses — but the Panthers also had to win multiple overtime games, win on buzzer-beaters and deal with roster disruptions. Saying it was perfect sounds too clean, because while in many games Powell won by a lot, the senior-led team also showed an incredible amount of grit.

And the Panthers made a lot of history, not just in having the best record in program history or the first title since 1998. Two seniors, Brock Johnson and Gunnar Erickson, surpassed the lofty 1,000 point mark to join a handful of former Panthers, and Johnson also put his name at the top of the program steals tally.

This was a team with top talent — three All-State selections — that won with incredible depth. These Panthers earned all 26 of those wins and it was great to see all of the people — our Mark Davis included — who showed up around midnight Saturday at the high school to welcome the Panthers home.

This Powell team has earned its place in the history books.