Spring-Ford softball team wins 6A State Softball Championship
ROYERSFORD, Pa. — “We are…..State Champions.” Like a perfectly laid plan, the Spring-Ford Varsity Softball Team finished its year with the ultimate prize at Penn State at University Park in Centre County, a 6A State Softball Championship, in June. The year had its challenges with injuries, the impacts of 2020 continuing, cases of the flu, and seeing this team lose tough battles in both the conference and district tournaments. But perhaps that was needed because this team peaked at the perfect moment. Through all those challenges and downs, the high of winning a state title felt so exhilarating, well-earned by these players. This achievement was the first-ever state championship by a Spring-Ford softball team, and only the third-ever state championship in school history. It was a picture-perfect ending with a shut-out victory of 5-0 over Seneca Valley. These 16 players and four coaches achieved the goal through their incredibly tough defense and pitching. Defense wins, and so did Spring-Ford.
With incredible senior leadership from Karissa Potteiger (Culinary Institute of America), Jules Scogna (Boston University), Ali Wescott (Elon University), Lexi Wescott (Kutztown University), and Maddie Williams (Messiah University), this team was ready to fight. The rest of the team may return next year, but this team will forever be bonded together, including those five, now graduates. Huge hats off to the juniors on the team who were key to the success—Gracie Carlin, Ellie Jarrell, and Morgan Lester. The sophomores also added their influence, including Caitlin Ashley, Nicole Cecconi, Sammi Dankowski, Riley Gancasz, and Nova Legassie. And these freshmen gained more experience, this year, than they could even imagine—way to go, Ava Bainbridge, Autumn Eck, and Jess Fliszar. The Spring-Ford coaching staff, led by Coach Tim Hughes, fought years for this opportunity. Coach Hughes ended his 25-year coaching career with this victory, a sports-geared fairytale ending to an incredible career. The remainder of the coaching staff, Shawn Corropolese, Mallory Greene, and Becca Faust, contributed incredibly to this epic victory. They, too, need to be celebrated.
As the community celebrates this amazing accomplishment, the team will continue to relive this history-rich moment. It was far more than that last game—it was a series of amazing wins along the way, including an enormous victory in the semi-final round over the previous state champions, North Penn. They may have taken a path less traveled with some bumps in the road, but the gratification of holding that trophy cannot ever be taken away from them. State Champions—State Champions. We are!!!
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