Topeka — Sometimes it’s hard for even a grizzled sports writer to remain dispassionate.

There I was on the field at Washburn University’s Yager Stadium, a misty rain falling as it had all during this gloomy Saturday, waiting for the end of the obligatory trophy presentations.

Minutes earlier, Junction City had spilled Free State, 19-14, in the Class 6A state high school championship game, and I kept glancing at Camren Torneden.

Every one of the vanquished Firebirds was obviously hurting inside, but none showed it in a more outward fashion than Torneden, the Firebirds’ junior quarterback, who kept bending over at the waist, his anguish appearing to twist his stomach into knots.

After an agonizing minute or so, the awards ceremony ended, and I approached Torneden, ready to do my job, to ask him about The Fumble. His misty eyes made the task all that harder.

In case you weren’t there or didn’t watch on TV or didn’t listen on the radio or read updates on the Web, The Fumble led to the game’s only cheap touchdown. Junction City earned two touchdowns, Free State earned two TDs. Then there was the gift.

With Free State backed up on its own three-yard line after a punt late in the first half, Torneden and Chucky Hunter appeared to miss connections on a handoff. The ball flipped into the air, the Blue Jays recovered and scored two plays later.

No telling how many times Torneden and Hunter have been involved in handoffs in the Firebirds’ two-man backfield. Including games and practices, hundreds of times.

But mistakes occur. They’re part of the game. In many cases, the reason is obvious. Bad timing, perhaps. Or a hard hit. Maybe even a drenched ball.

In the case of The Fumble we may never know. Torneden definitely doesn’t.

“I don’t know what happened,” Torneden told me. “I don’t know if it was Chucky or if it was me. I just don’t know.”

Nor can we say The Fumble is the only reason Junction City won its first state championship since 1969, the year the KSHSAA instituted the playoff system.

This one featured several ifs, ands and buts.

There was the Firebirds’ opening drive that ended in a blocked field goal. There was the Blue Jays maintaining possession for the last eight minutes, helped by a third-down run that gave Junction a first down with a hair to spare. And there were a couple of crucial Free State holding penalties.

Yes, football is still a game of inches, a game of mistakes, a game of big plays and, on this occasion, the Jays made the most plays, many of them by quarterback Ty Zimmerman whose passing accuracy seemed uncanny.

Zimmerman threaded more needles than Betsy Ross in completing nine of 11 passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns. To tell the truth, Junction’s running game wasn’t much, but, oh, those Zimmerman passes.

In retrospect, I’m not so sure Free State lost this one as much as Junction City won it. The Firebirds were a terrific team, one of the best in school history. But the Blue Jays were the team of destiny.