RACINE — Racine’s Washington Park High School’s boys’ basketball team got not one but two school sendoffs Thursday to mark their first trip to State in decades.
Players made their way through Park’s hallways, as hundreds of students, cheerleaders, staff, and the school’s mascot cheered them on ahead of their drive to Madison.
Watch: Racine Park's basketball team headed to State after 65 years, lively sendoff
"It feels great,” Senior Isaiah Robinson said. “I haven't fully grasped it yet. It's like stuff you dream about.”
Following the sendoff at Park, students at nearby Fratt Elementary lined up outside their school and roared with excitement when they caught a glimpse of the team bus and police motorcade sending the Panthers off in style.
The last time Park competed at the state competition was in 1960.
"It's crazy I wasn't born,” Head Coach Casey Robbins joked. "It just shows how hard it is to get to this point."
Robins told TMJ4’s Tahleel Mohieldin that after a tough loss last year in the sectional finals his team worked even harder to earn their place at State.
"Right away everyone dedicated themselves to the weight room, to the gym—everyone got stronger,” he shared. ‘It wasn't just two, three people; it was everybody on the team."
Park Senior Robinson said their success is also built on a dedication that went beyond the regular season.
“The hard work that we have been putting in throughout the summer and throughout my past for years has been great, “Robinson said. "It's just working out."
To keep up the excitement, Washington Park High School will send four buses full of fans to Madison on Friday to join the Panthers; 75% of the school staff also plan to attend.
"It's amazing,” Robbins said of the support. "A lot of our public schools don't go to State often. So, when we do it's like a full community thing."
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