You’ve seen them at every high school sporting event you’ve ever attended.

You just might not have noticed.

Sometimes they’re right in front of your eyes, working as hard as the athletes and coaches they’re helping. Other times, they’re stashed behind the scenes, inside a booth, behind a counter or even under a stadium.

It could be a parent who organizes the spirit stand at football games, a student who tutors athletes, a teacher who volunteers to pull weeds at the soccer field, an undersized, slow athlete who doesn’t have the talent to get into the games but brings tons of spirit to every practice, a booster who quietly donates funds or a maintenance worker who makes sure the locker room shines.

It even could be an athlete who plays – a glue guy, an unheralded captain or someone who has overcome adversity just to be on the field.

In almost all of these instances, the people who fill these roles try not to stand out. They’d rather go about their business quietly, staying away from the spotlight, while doing what they feel is their loyal duty. It’s refreshing, to be sure. But it’s time that some of these people started getting a little credit.

We’re looking for the Hidden Heroes of the local high school sports scene. And we want you to help us find them.

Know the kind of person we’re talking about? Friends with someone who deserves a little credit for all they do? Log on to www.ljworld.com and nominate them in the comments section of The Dividing Line blog or e-mail me (mtait@ljworld.cm) with the person’s name, contact information and what they do to make the city’s sports scene sparkle.

Check back with The Dividing Line often to see who has been nominated or to pick up ideas for whom you can nominate. Once we get enough nominations, we’ll run polls and brackets to find out who the town’s ultimate Hidden Hero is. Eventually, we’ll do feature stories and future blogs about the most interesting nominees.

But just like the athletes who compete for their schools can’t do it without their Hidden Heroes, we can’t recognize them without your help. So keep your eyes open at the next sporting event you attend and rack your brains to find the most underappreciated people in the city.

Web editors are standing by.