There is always next year for Pioneers
STATE COLLEGE – At one point, West Greene High School’s softball team considered a 4-win season a success.
Now there is overwhelming disappointment after a loss in the fourth trip to the PIAA Class A championship game.
My, what a long way the Pioneers have come.
Living on the edge in the state playoffs, West Greene edged Shade 5-4 by getting out of a seventh-inning jam, then putting up with two long rain delays before dispatching Dubois Central Catholic players to their summer league teams.
On a clear and warm Friday in State College, the Pioneers had numerous chances to put Tri-Valley away but could only produce one run in 6 1/2 innings.
Still. the Pioneers were optimistic, and made the defensive plays that left Tri-Valley gasping for air and a few runs.
West Greeme pulled off a defensive, double-play gem that you rarely find in softball, or baseball: the ole 9-2-5.
Tri-Valley had to be wondering if it would ever score until finally breaking West Greene in the seventh inning.
There were the expected tears after the game from West Greene players but it won’t be long before they realize what an accomplishment was had and how exciting the future looks.
Only two seniors are in the starting lineup and there is a good crop of freshmen on the way up. Tri-Valley has only one senior, so one could easily imagine a rematch in this game next year.
Head coach Bill Simms might crack jokes and have that “Aw shucks” demeanor. But don’t be fooled. He knows what he’s doing and his offseason demands not only commitment from his players but from himself, too.
There are no guarantees about playing time here anymore. It’s no longer a show-up-and-you-will play circumstance that existed for decades at the school.
If nothing else, this loss should be a great motivator for this team. Remember what happened to Williams Valley after beating West Greene in the 2016 state finals? The Pioneers won the next two titles, even rallying from a 7-0 deficit in 2017.
There is a great story about Spencer Lee, the three-time PIAA wrestling champion from Franklin Regional. He lost in the finals of a youth tournament. He received a silver nedal, which he sent to the garbage can in his room.
But after giving it some thought, he pulled the medal out of the garbage can and hung it on the back of his bedroom door. Every time he opened the door, it clanged against the wood, reminding him of how bad it felt to lose.
Each player on West Greene must find their own motivation for next season.
Because they don’t want to ever feel like this again.