Skutt Catholic won over the hearts of America as the girls high school basketball tournament wrapped up in Nebraska over the weekend. Not only did the SkyHawks take home the title, they showed the utmost class in victory.
An incredible sportsmanship moment involving the eventual state champions serves as a nice reprieve from the negativity that often plagues headlines in the sports world these days.
V.J. and Angela Skutt Catholic High School, founded in 1993, enrolls approximately 1,000 students in the Roman Catholic Archdioceses of Omaha. It was named after V.J. Skutt, the longtime Chairmain of Mutual of Omaha, and his wife, who were prominent donors toward the school’s construction.
Skutt competes in the Class B division of the Nebraska School Activities Association and its girl’s high school basketball team reached the state championship for the fourth consecutive season with a win over Bennington on Friday night. As soon as the game was over, the SkyHawks on the floor at first refused to join their teammates in celebration until they had showed respect to their opponent.
They made sure to give them each a handshake and/or a hug and some of them even offered some words of encouragement to the Badgers. I have seen a lot of ugly high school hoops brawls and controversies during various state tournaments in recent weeks. To see such a positive display of sportsmanship restored some of my faith in the next generation!
Skutt finished as the state runner-up in 2022, 2023 and 2024. It finally snapped its losing streak on Saturday with a 12-point win over Gretna East in the championship game. Libby Shotkosski played through a high-ankle sprain and finished with a game-high 15 points!
The dogpile was on at half-court when the final buzzer made it official.
However, the SkyHawks once again went out of their way to show respect for their opponent. They wrapped up their celebration soon thereafter to shake the hand of every player and coach on Gretna. Skutt Catholic epitomized class and sportsmanship throughout the entire weekend. Maybe the kids are alright!