For years to come, sports fans in Southwest Nebraska will be talking about the Wauneta-Palisade boys basketball team of 2007, comparing them to the Grants, the Cambridges and the other outstanding area athletic teams of years past.

There's no question about it. The Broncos are good.

Real good. They have proven that in the first two months of the season, racing to 17 straight victories, including the championship in last week's Golden Plains Activities Conference Tournament.

So far, no one's even been close to the Broncos, who are coasting along with a 77.0 per game scoring average while holding opponents to 34.0 points per game. The closest any team has come to Wauneta-Palisade is the Perkins County Plainsmen of Grant, who stayed with 13 points in a low-scoring 49-36 contest.

Wauneta athletes from past years are impressed with the play of the 2007 team. Rick Einspahr, Class of 1974; Brian Harchelroad, Class of 1985; and Chad DeWester, Class of 1994, all spoke of the intensity, the work ethic and team play that has made this year's Bronco team special.

"They create so many of their own opportunities with their pressing defense," DeWester said. "Many of their points are layups."

Harchelroad agreed. "All these kids are excellent individual athletes. but they don't play as individuals. They don't care about individual statistics. With them, it's the team that matters."

Einspahr made it unanimous, saying: "This team is a special bunch. They started playing together in grade school, and have kept at it, getting better and better as they have gone along."

Lynn and Darlene Haarberg have been following Broncos basketball for 40 years, and think the 2006-07 team is "awesome, they are fun to watch."

Despite all their accomplishments, it's the rest of the season that really counts for the Wauneta-Palisade players. They were state contenders in both 2005 and 2006, but this year they hope to make it all the way.

Leading the way for the 2007 Bronco team are Taylor Dixon, 5-foot-11 junior; Chad Flaig, 5-10 senior; Andrew Isom, 6-4 senior; Marc Klima, 6-1 senior; Russell Ridlen, 6-1 senior; and Trevor Ridlen, 6-1 senior.

Isom, Klima, Taylor and the Ridlen twins are starters, with Flaig filling a key role as the sixth man. The secret of the team is that there is not a super-star.

The players are all ready and able to contribute, whether that means taking the open shot; going for a steal; or whipping a pass to a driving teammate.

The Broncos' coach, Dave Kuhlen, gives a lot of credit to the players' parents. "All the players are Honor Roll students. Their parents have been there to support them all the way, taking them to camps and giving them the time to develop their talents. It's a privilege to be the boys' coach. They represent the best of what high school athletics is all about."

Along the way, there have been heartbreaks as well as successes for the Broncos. Tyler Riener, who was instrumental in the players' earlier years, has been sidelined by knee injuries, keeping him out of action for much of the past two seasons. But Tyler has stuck it out, suiting up in recent games despite his painful injuries

The final chapter is yet to be written in the saga of the Wauneta-Palisade boys basketball team of 2007. The Broncos have already created many wonderful memories.

Now -- the question remains -- will this magical season have a storybook ending.

Watch closely. You may see area athletic history in the making.