On occasion during my career as a sportswriter, I’ve had the chance to see historic events.

Maybe not the type of historic event that has changed the future of the planet, but those that have nonetheless been historic in their own right .

I sat courtside in Hammond at SLU when Alexis Rack buried free throw after free throw in the fourth quarter to almost single-handedly lead the Franklin Lady Hornets to the Class 3A state basketball championship.

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I was in the track-side press box at Bernie Moore Stadium at LSU when West St. Mary finished off a surprise showing by winning the Class 3A state track and field title.

I was in Lafayette when Jeanerette won the Class 2A basketball title, and I was in Sulphur to watch first Hanson, then Delcambre, claim Class A state softball titles.

I can vividly remember 1999 when West St. Mary football coach Andre Lockley shouted “We won the game” after the Wolfpack beat Westgate 19-6 for the first win in school history.

All those events came back to me in a flash Thursday night as I watched Highland Baptist Christian School win its first varsity football game ever in a thrilling 26-20 decision over Natchitoches Christian Academy.

In an instant, I realized exactly what those two words mean, first win.

Maybe not an earth-changing event for the world at large, but for 14 young men on the roster, it’s something that can never be taken away.

“Oh my gosh, it was intense and there were times I wanted to give up,” said HBCS sophomore quarterback Zach Fleming, who rushed for 201 yards in the win. “This means so much. I’ve never been this happy. I’ve never come to tears for something this happy. This means so much to us.”

Yeah, that single win Thursday meant something.

“It’s history, man,” said junior Seth Woerner. “This is our first varsity win. It’s going to go down forever.”

And that’s from two players who will be back. We can only imagine what the victory meant to the two seniors on the team, Logan Dugas and Dalton Kay, whose football careers end after the season ends.

Even head coach Artie Liuzza understood the significance of the win.

“I’m happy for the win and for the community,” said Liuzza. “I told these guys to enjoy it.”

In reality, it’s one win in and now the Bears must put it behind them and look to the rest of the campaign.

But the larger picture is the fact that in one night, 14 players put their names in history. Maybe not earth-shaking, but definitely significant.

Neal McClelland is assistant sports editor of The Daily Iberian.