Success breeds success.
There's no better example of that than Pleasant Grove's athletic programs.
Despite being the youngest and smallest high school in Texarkana, PG owns several streaks, which may or may not ever be touched in this area.
When I started at the Texarkana Gazette-15 years ago earlier this month-I was assigned to cover Hawks athletics. The rest of the Gazette sports staff, Johnny Green, Louie Avery and the late James Williams, had long tenures covering their respective assigned schools.
One of the first things I was told, "don't make every lead about PG volleyball about the streak." I tried my best.
Back then, the Lady Hawks held a district home win streak that had begun in 1995 and an overall district win streak starting in 1997. Amy Collvins, who was Amy Land during that time, played for the Pleasant Grove volleyball team during the streak, was an assistant coach during the streak and head coach, as well, when the streaks came to an end in 2007.
The home district win streak stood at 67 consecutive matches, and the overall district win streak at 108. The Lady Hawks had nine straight perfect runs through district play, with Melissa Lee head coaching the majority before leaving PG for the same post at Tyler Lee in 2006.
The next school year, it was the Hawk baseball team that started a trend of six consecutive regional titles and state tournament berths under the coaching of Craig Jones. In 2010, PG went 37-2 on the baseball diamond-the only losses early in the year in tournaments to Class 4A Hallsville and 5A McKinney Boyd.
Pleasant Grove won 26 consecutive games to close out the 2010 campaign, cultivated in the 3A state championship. Two years later, the Hawks won the 3A title again.
During the streak of regional baseball crowns the Hawks were winning, coach Billy Brewer led the Pleasant Grove boys basketball team to a remarkable start to the 2011-12 season.
The Hawks opened the basketball season on a 20-game win streak, which was eventually snapped by Paris in double overtime during district play. That was a modern-era record for Texarkana schools and during the streak, PG dominated teams. Pleasant Grove scored an average of 65.1 points per game and allowed just 41.4 points per game.
And it was no padded schedule that the Hawks played that season.
Then came the hiring of Josh Gibson as athletic director and head football coach at PG in May of 2014, after three dismal football seasons for the Hawks that netted just five total wins.
Gibson had coached with his dad, Vance, for nine years at Frisco High School and was assistant head coach and offensive coordinator the last five before coming to Texarkana.
At PG, Gibson and his coaching staff put together back-to-back winning seasons, played three rounds deep in the 2016 playoffs and then started off the 2017 season with a 7-point win over Arkansas High. That was the closest anyone came to beating the Hawks last year.
Pleasant Grove had its first undefeated season, going 16-0, claimed the Class 4A, Division II championship (41-21 over West Orange-Stark), and added another streak to the remarkable ones the school has gathered since opening up in the mid-1980s.
The Hawks' win streak continued through three games of the 2018 campaign, ending last Friday on a last-minute fumble return by Gladewater.
Nineteen consecutive wins-monstrous, impressive, almost hard to describe in words, even for one who writes words daily. The Hawks outscored their opponents 807-330 during the 19-game win streak. That's an average of 42.5 points for PG and allowing just 17.4-a difference of 25.1 points per game.
It's not going to get much easier for Pleasant Grove, which hosts Tyler Chapel Hill this week before traveling to defending 4A, Division I state champion Carthage next week. Then District 6-4A, Division II play, which includes Pittsburg, Gilmer, Liberty-Eylau and Spring Hill.
It's doubtful PG will dwell on the loss or the streak being over for long-it doesn't have time to. If you're a true sports fan, you have to appreciate an athletic program that has put together some of the most remarkable streaks in Texarkana history.
And wonder, what's coming next?