A comment on dollars per pupil--this is purely a school size issue. Wando has the least money per pupil and Lincoln has the most. Economies of scale: the cost of administration, building upkeep, etc. is higher per pupil when there are very few students and lower when there are many. The "comparable schools" listed by ccsoccerfan are all 3A or bigger. Also, as a failing school three years ago Lincoln has received a lot of state help which inflates these numbers with several extra administrative/specialist positions. The small size and academic hurdles have only been other roadblocks we have had to overcome to be successful--Not only have we been successful on the field, but we have also demonstrated success in the classroom so that we have gone from an "unsatisfactory" rating to "good."

While I am discussing the adversity my team has faced I will bring up a sensitive subject. The racial makeup of my team is unique to any other team we have played in the state, and along with that come some expectations by others which while perhaps unintentional have been unfair. Some coaches and athletic directors have sent clear signals when our team leaves the bus by practically rushing to me to let me know that soccer is a clean game and there will be no tolerance of fouls or rough play--the signal is that my players must be "thugs" that cannot play the game as it should be played. This signal has also come from the predominantly white officiating. While it is hard for a coach to objectively comment on refereeing, over the season it has appeared to me that when my player and a white player are side by side, if the white player falls it is usually a foul and if my player falls it usually isn't. As our team has succeeded and gotten recognition this problem has lessened, but it is another challenge that my team has overcome that most teams do not have to face.

At any rate, my team has earned everything they achieved and I am extremely proud of them.