Beehive to two dozen BYU football players who lugged and lobbed 15,000 pounds of aluminum-encased food at Community Action Services. What would take weeks for the usual collection of volunteers took only two-and-half hours for the athletes. We applaud their pitch-and-catch efforts at helping other people. It could set a beneficial trend. Athletes are famous for their superstitions -- like wearing the same socks during a winning streak. If BYU wins today, maybe helping the needy will join the other activities.

Beehive to Utah schools. It was reported this week that Utah is the only state in America without a high school "dropout factory." The dubious distinction belongs to one in 10 high schools nationally. It's a school where at 60 percent or fewer who start as freshmen make it to their senior year. Utah, with low poverty rates and fewer minorities than most states, is the only one with no dropout factory. Florida and South Carolina have the highest percentages. About half of high schools in those states classify as dropout factories. Go Utah!

Buffalo Chip to Lt. Scott White of the Division of Wildlife Resources, who weighed in on the stomping of a pheasant at a high school football game between American Fork and Viewmont. The ring-necked pheasant briefly interrupted the game as it was chased to a sideline, where it was stopped under the foot of Viewmont assistant coach Richard Layton. The bird was injured and had to be killed. Layton later said he had lost his balance. But White is the one who really lost his balance. After the incident he suggested that the Division of Wildlife Resources might consider poaching charges because the pheasant season doesn't start until Nov. 6, and stomping isn't a legal way to hunt.

Beehive to the United Way of Utah County and sponsors for its annual Sub for Santa program. It enables sponsors to provide assistance to needy families for the holidays. The program not only provides temporary relief for the holidays, but gives people information and lessons that they can use to become more self-sufficient. Anyone interested in sponsoring a child can call 356-6300 or go to www.unitedwayuc.org/subforsanta. Families interested in applying for assistance can call 356-6200. Application workshops will be held from Nov. 3 to early December.

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