What is hoped to be a tradition began last Wednesday, when two Hartley-Melvin-Sanborn High School students were presented with the inaugural "Hardest Working Athlete" awards.

The announcement of the award and the initial recipients were made during the athletic banquet held in the high school gym. The first two athletes to be recognized with the award are senior Taya Mason and junior Connor Dodd.

The plaques they received state the award is given "for an outstanding demonstration of dedication to H-M-S Athletics through hard work and sacrifice to make yourself and your teammates better." Each honoree also received a gift card.

Candidates for the award were nominated by the H-M-S coaching staff. The coaches then voted to determine the winners.

MIKE PETERSEN/SENTINEL-NEWS

Former ISU football player Wes Boyer spoke at the banquet.

The presentation came at the conclusion of the athletic banquet. The event featured recognition of all high school athletes who participated in sports offered at H-M-S, as well as those who were involved in shared athletic programs. Those include wrestling at Okoboji, swimming at Spencer and bowling at Sioux Central.

The importance of working hard was also emphasized during remarks made by the guest speaker. Wes Boyer, of Spencer, shared insights he had gained through participating in three sports in high school and as a football player at Iowa State University.

Boyer, who married H-M-S graduate Kelsie Mills, joined the ISU program as a walk-on and was the last of the group with which he entered to be with the team for five years. He eventually earned playing time, and participated in two bowl games with the Cyclones.

His message to the athletes was to work hard, take academics seriously, know their role, focus on the details, and "have fun doing what you do and love what you're doing."