Early on in organized school sports in Grand Traverse County, the Old Mission Peninsula School (OMPS) Panthers earned the reputation of a force to be reckoned with. Where the larger schools had many more students to draw from for their teams, OMPS sometimes barely had enough boys and girls to field their respective teams.

Despite this, the Panthers filled the large glass trophy cases in the school lobby with dozens of championship trophies and pictures of the teams from years gone by. Become an honorary team member and wear the Panther banner with pride, for it exemplifies the Peninsula spirit - grit, determination and the desire to win, no matter the odds. - Tim Boursaw