And just like that, the high school sports season came to a screeching halt as caps and gowns replace bats and balls.
I can’t say that I’m sad to see the seasons come to an end, even though a couple didn’t end like I wished they would have.
I do have some thoughts on a couple of teams now that it’s all over with.
Lake softball
The Lady Hornets took another step in the program as they advanced to the Class 2A state championship series, eventually losing to St. Patrick in the finals.
While I know that Lake and all of their fans were disappointed to not come away with that title, they have plenty to look forward to in the years to come.
The Lady Hornets have the majority of their team coming back and should be the favorite to win Class 2A next year.
Having been around softball for a while now, I’ll go ahead and say that Lake is the kind of place that can be dominant in softball if it so chooses. It’s the perfect setup with the right kind of kids.
Just before the start of the year, Newton County coach Justin Chaney bragged on Lake and said he thought they were a 2A contender then. I guess he was more right than I realized at the moment.
Newton County softball
Speaking of Chaney, the Lady Cougars fell short of making the Class 4A title series, losing in three games to Lawrence County.
With a group that features just one senior, the Lady Cougars were within an out on several occasions of making the finals.
The thing that impressed me is how that happened. On a Sunday afternoon, Lawrence County put a run-rule whipping on the Lady Cougars.
Chaney promised me after the game that he would load the bus with a group of young ladies that would compete with Lawrence County the next day and boy was he right.
With Brittany Thomas on the mound, the Lady Cougars handed Lawrence County their second loss of the season in an 8-1 whipping.
Chaney rode the hot hand and left Thomas on the mound in a 10-inning battle that Lawrence County eventually won in the international tiebreaker. Thomas pitched 16 innings that day and showed the kind of toughness that Newton County is known for.
I’ll just go ahead and say it, don’t be surprised when this group holds up that state championship trophy
Union softball
With a talented group of seniors, Union lost to Lake in the playoffs in games they had an opportunity to win. Coach Jacob Casey will miss seniors Mackenzie Dolan, Parker Breland, Lilly Burton and Anna Rigdon, who are all going to play junior college softball.
In my many conversations with Casey, I tried to remind him that playing with seniors can be difficult, especially those second-semester seniors who can see the light at the end of the tunnel.
But in the end, Union gave Lake all it wanted and could have very easily been in the 2A title game.
Now Casey will have to turn to some young faces like Dallas Brown and Britli Cleveland to lead the next group of Lady Jackets on the field.
But first, Casey has more important matters. Casey will soon get married in a few days with a honeymoon to Hawaii. Fortunately, he got his honeymoon moved from the island that’s been erupting to a more quiet setting. I wish Coach Casey and his new bride a wonderful new life together.
Because I can promise him this. When he gets back, softball will still be here waiting on him.
Robbie Robertson is sports editor for the Newton County Appeal. You can email him at rrobertson12811@yahoo.com.
