When it comes to athletics, society today is often lamented for the “everybody gets a trophy” mentality. Yes, it may not encourage competitive spirit for a last-place finisher in a race to receive a ribbon or medal simply for participating.

It’s uncommon for not enough recognition to be given, but that was the case with the end-of-year sports recognitions given out last week by the Washington Daily News.

Spencer Pake, Lawrence Brown and Kendall Alligood were all incredibly deserving of being recognized as they were, as were those who received honorable mentions.

However, there isn’t enough ink to properly recognize all the Beaufort County athletes who accomplished so much over the past year.

For one, each player and coach recognized wouldn’t have been able to accomplish much without his or her team. Donshae Tatum and the rest of Southside’s offensive line paved the way for Brown to amass almost 2,400 yards of total offense. Matt Baxter, a fellow Seahawk running back who ran for 1,244 yards, played a role by taking defensive pressure off of his teammate.

The same could be said of Alligood and all the success she found with Northside athletics. She was one of many girls on the court or field during volleyball, basketball and softball seasons. On top of that, it was the teammates around her who helped her persevere through the tragedy of her mother’s death this school year.

There’s greatness at every athletic level in the county. Recreation coaches put in countless of hours of work to help pave the way for the future of high school athletics. They surely deserve to be honored. The same can be said of the younger athletes. Numerous all-star recreational baseball and softball teams recently earned the right to play for the county at the district and regional levels.

Athletics are rewarding in many different ways for many people. There may not be enough ink to put it all in print in the newspaper, but so many athletes have contributed to the team and in doing so allowed their teammates shine. For that, every athlete should be recognized, and everyone in Beaufort County should do the recognizing.