Matt Pimentel heard the message.
And while it was a hard message to hear, coming three days after a football season that ended eight days before anyone around Cathedral High School wanted or hoped, Pimentel – a senior wide receiver –afterward said the words of Head Coach Rick Streiff were heard. And they were true.
Yes, the Irish wanted a state title.
And yes, a lot of people expected them to get it.
But not getting it didn't make the season, or the careers of the Irish seniors, a failure. Not even close.