Loretta Hanson can tell you precisely when the Belen football team came of age, because she was there.

It was the night of Sept. 4 when Lawson, a 10-year veteran of driving an activity bus for Belen Consolidated Schools, transported the Eagles to their all-important game with Aztec High, the team that had dealt Belen its only two losses last year, including at the state semifinals. And in previous encounters, the Tigers had owned the Eagles.

"I could see the expression on their faces when they were getting off the bus for that game," Hanson said. "It was like they were thinking, 'yeah, we can probably take this game, we can do it, but we might not.' There was that little bit of doubt."

But after the game, a 63-34 wipeout of Aztec, the football players were a different breed of Eagle.

"When they walked out of that stadium, I was crying for them. They had their heads up. They were high-fiving each other and they were very proud. They weren't afraid to walk through the (Aztec) crowd."

Being caught in the middle of such a thrilling event made Hanson realize the power of adrenaline. Her bus didn't get back to Belen until 3 a.m., but she was as wide awake as if she had just awakened from an eight-hour sleep.

Hanson's driving career started in 1984, when she became a route driver for Native American children attending reservation schools.

"It was hard for me because I didn't speak any Native languages and a lot of the kids didn't speak any English," she said.

But she survived the difficult situation, which included telling a young boy, who was intent on bringing a goat on the bus for a show-and-tell, that he had to take the animal home.

She also went through a rough patch with some black ice.

"I was a fresh, new bus driver then, and the bus spun a whole circle and a half around and ended up facing traffic," Hanson said. "All I could see was the yellow of the bus as it was spinning. I remember my heart was beating so fast. And the kids were clapping and clapping, and they said, 'can you do it again?'"

She realized that bus driving was her life's calling, not only because she loves her time behind the wheel, but her love for the children.

"My only regret was that I was away from home a lot when my own children were growing up," Hanson said. "So now I've gotten to enjoy other people's children and travel with them and be there for them."

She particularly treasures her 10 years driving Belen athletes. "I think I'm one of the luckiest people out there," Hanson said. "I think I have the best kids. The athletes are so good and they're very well behaved."

She's always on the lookout for kids who need help, whether they're sick, being picked on, or are out of sorts because of their perceived failure during competition.

Hanson's personality has not only allowed her to strike up a healthy relationship with the children she transports, but the parents and school officials of the high schools Belen competes against.

On the long trips that she takes, such as to Las Cruces or Silver City, when the security guards notice her arrival, they transport her to the nurse's office where a bed is waiting for her to rest upon.

At other locations there is a fresh pot of coffee made for her arrival.

Taos is a particularly friendly destination. On one occasion, she was sitting on the Taos side of the gym during a basketball game when she was approached by someone who asked if she could work in the concessions stand.

Hanson readily agreed, and worked in the stand for two hours until she had to leave because she had to start the bus in anticipation for the team's departure. "They thought that I was one of the Taos parents," Hanson said.

Hanson has also developed a congenial relationship with Belen coaches, as one-time Belen wrestling coach Steve Chavez, who is now the coach at Los Lunas, will attest.

Chavez had played a practical joke on Hanson. While Hanson and Chavez were in the back of the parked bus, a passing vehicle made it seem like the bus was moving and Chavez alerted Hanson that she had to stop the bus. Hanson rushed to the front of the bus, only to realize that Chavez had fooled her.

"So I thought, I'll get even," Hanson said.

Her opportunity came quickly when the Belen team won a large, beautiful trophy at a tournament at Aztec.

Chavez proudly brought the trophy into the bus, just before the team was to dine at a restaurant. Hanson decided to place the trophy in the bottom compartment, not only to protect it from theft, but to get revenge on Chavez.

"When he got back to the bus, he didn't see the trophy so he thought it was gone. So he gets on his phone while we're driving away, thinking it had been stolen by Aztec. And I let him do it."

When the bus gets to Bloomfield, Hanson stops the bus, declaring that she believes the compartment door hasn't been properly shut.

"I returned with the trophy and said, 'look coach what I found at the side of the road.' He wanted to kill me and the boys wouldn't stop laughing, they thought it was so cool."

While Hanson revels in the relationships she has forged with the players, the coaches and school officials through the travels she loves, she is also sobered by the awesome responsibility.

"I've also had to be an ambulance driver," Hanson said. "Twice I've had students get hurt at events and there has been no trainer available. So I've gone with a coach and a parent to take the kids to the hospital."

She has never received a ticket or been in an accident, but she has been in a few tight scrapes.

"I was taking the volleyball team to Santa Fe on a very foggy morning at about 5 a.m.," Hanson said. "I saw this car coming and it started to flip, and it was flipping so fast that it crossed the median and started coming toward the bus. I just stopped on the shoulder and held the steering wheel because I thought it was going to hit the bus. The bumper flew off and landed right in front of the bus. Her purse flew out and went under the bus."

The driver of the vehicle, who suffered some bumps and bruises, was extracted from the totaled car by the coaches.

And then there's Highway 6, which next year Hanson will travel with more frequency because Gallup and Belen will be in a the same district next year.

On one trip on Highway 6, under a moonlit sky, Hanson saw a white flash. She slowed the bus to a crawl and encountered two black horses along side a white horse standing in the middle of the road.

She has also had to stop for cattle on the highway, which traverses open range country.

"I don't think bus drivers are ever recognized as much as they should be for what they do," Hanson said. "It's always about the teachers, the athletes, the administrators. I think bus drivers have a huge responsibility, and they deserve so much recognition.

"I'm proud to work with the people I work with."