The John Trotto Sportsmanship winners for 2008 are Lynden Christian from the north district, and Lopez Island from the south district.

Lobos Coach Larry Berg said, “I’m very proud of the kids. This is just an awesome accomplishment. And I am pleased because this award is unique in that it is the officials who nominate the teams.”

The Football Officials Association, which cover all schools from 4A, 3A, 2A, 1A, 2B, 1B in Whatcom, Skagit, and Island Counties, has awarded the Lopez Island football team with the 2008 John Trotto Sportsmanship Award. The football players and coaches at Lopez Island High School received the highest vote totals of all the schools in their district.

Each year during the varsity football season, the crew working each football game (referees and officials) rate the team and coaching staff in terms of sportsmanship. Grading on a 1-10 scale with ten being the highest, the elements that are considered primarily are attitude and respect shown towards officials and towards opponents. The crew makes a decision using this scale after the game and sends this report in through a pre-defined process.

The presentation of the trophies to the winning schools is currently being decided; usually such presentations are made during a basketball game that is convenient to all.

Larry LaBree, representative of the Whatcom, Skagit, and Island Football Officials Association, said, “Congratulations to all this year. Please know that we believe the quality of the teams’ sportsmanship, while there is always room for improvement, is generally very high in comparison to what we tend to see from schools outside our coverage area.”