Not off the Press: What a weekend
By
Stephen Forsha-sforsha@gmail.com
The final team in the spring postseason in the Fairfield Lady Lion softball team bowed out of the Division IV Regional finals on Saturday afternoon, and well, they had a very successful and fun season.
FHS assistant coach Tom Purtell told me it was a memorable season, and head coach Matthew Zimmerman continued to praise his team.
Why shouldn't he?
This team won Southern Hills League, sectional and district championships and finished as regional runners-up for the third time in school history, not to mention they had an overall record of 19-3.
This was a very fun team to watch. They played the game the way all teams should play softball, and that is with focus but having fun along the way. Watching a team play with focus, you can see the difference in how they play the game. Being one of those people who believes seeing the game played the right way is a must, well, this team played the game above and beyond the right way.
Again, congratulations to the seniors for a great final year, and to the entire Lady Lion team for their successful season.
• Two Tigers race their way to state
McClain's track & field program is back at the state level. Sophomore Felicity Peabody and junior Luis Rivas will race in their respective 400-meter races on Friday at Jesse Owens Stadium in Columbus for the Division II state title.
They are just one of 16 runners (in Division II) to make their respective race, and they both should be very proud of their accomplishments.
I've seen them race on four separate occasions this year, and they have earned their spots in the state meet while representing their community in a positive way.
Good luck to both runners on Friday. Their races will start at 3 and 3:10 p.m.
• Field dedications
For anyone interested, Richard Shaffer Park will be holding two field dedications on Monday night at 6 p.m., with the Pony League field being named in honor of Frank "Squeak" Collins and the A-League field being named after Dan Reed.
• Legion baseball
One of, if not my favorite, sports to cover starts this week in the American Legion Post 129 baseball team. This is my time of the year. Last season, the Hillsboro squad went to the state tournament. This season, they open at Piqua but will be playing at home on Thursday at 6 p.m. The schedule says it will be a doubleheader.
• Stat of the Week
With just three losses this season, the Fairfield Lady Lions' only Division IV loss came in their final game against the top-ranked Strasburg-Franklin club. In the losses in '11, FHS lost to a Division II and Division III team in the regular season.
• (A second) Stat of the Week
The Fairfield Lady Lions went 40 2-3 consecutive innings without making an error in their final seven games. (That doesn't happen much.)
• (A third) Stat of the Week
The five Fairfield softball seniors finished with an overall record of 79-17 since their eighth grade year.
• (A fourth) Stat of the Week
McClain's Luis Rivas has ran a sub .51 second time in his last three final events (SCOLs, district and regionals) in the 400-meter dash. He's had final times of 50.24, 50.18, and 50.92.
• (A fifth and final) Stat of the Week
McClain's Felicity Peabody improved her regional 400m dash time by almost a second from prelims to finals. In the prelims, her time was 1:02.01, and in the finals, it was 1:01.29.
• Quote of the Week
"We had a successful season. This hurts today, but we will be back. We had a great, great run." — FHS head coach Matthew Zimmerman following the regional final game at Pickerington.
• (A second) Quote of the Week
"They are special. We've spent several years with them. Each of them individually, you can't say enough about them. They are a very strong group, gave our team leadership, and we will miss them. We really will miss them." — FHS assistant softball coach Tom Purtell about the '11 senior class after the regional final game.
• Non-high school sports thought
For any racing fan, Sunday had to be a day of either heartbreak or excitement, depending on who you were cheering for. Dale Earnhardt and J.R. Hildebrand led the Coca-Cola 600 and Indianapolis 500, respectively, on the last lap, with less than a mile to go to the finish line. The problem was they didn't win, and neither was at full speed when they eventually took the checkered flag. Earnhardt was looking to break a now-105-race winless streak, and the rookie Hildebrand was looking to put his name in the history book by winning the 100th anniversary of the Indy 500.
Though neither one went home with the trophy, they both left the race track with respect from race fans, or they at least should have. They handled their respective situations (Earnhardt ran out of gas, Hildebrand hit the wall) with great class and didn't blame anyone.
Race endings like the two on Sunday, both crown jewel events, are one of the many reasons I'm a race fan and why you can't celebrate until the very end.
• One last item of business
Hope everyone is having a great Memorial Day, and thank you to all of those that have served or are currently serving in the Armed Forces of the United States of America, so we can have the freedoms that we have.
Thank you!
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press. He can be reached at sforsha@gmail.com. Follow Stephen on Twitter @ www.twitter.com/hcpsportseditor.[[In-content Ad]]
FHS assistant coach Tom Purtell told me it was a memorable season, and head coach Matthew Zimmerman continued to praise his team.
Why shouldn't he?
This team won Southern Hills League, sectional and district championships and finished as regional runners-up for the third time in school history, not to mention they had an overall record of 19-3.
This was a very fun team to watch. They played the game the way all teams should play softball, and that is with focus but having fun along the way. Watching a team play with focus, you can see the difference in how they play the game. Being one of those people who believes seeing the game played the right way is a must, well, this team played the game above and beyond the right way.
Again, congratulations to the seniors for a great final year, and to the entire Lady Lion team for their successful season.
• Two Tigers race their way to state
McClain's track & field program is back at the state level. Sophomore Felicity Peabody and junior Luis Rivas will race in their respective 400-meter races on Friday at Jesse Owens Stadium in Columbus for the Division II state title.
They are just one of 16 runners (in Division II) to make their respective race, and they both should be very proud of their accomplishments.
I've seen them race on four separate occasions this year, and they have earned their spots in the state meet while representing their community in a positive way.
Good luck to both runners on Friday. Their races will start at 3 and 3:10 p.m.
• Field dedications
For anyone interested, Richard Shaffer Park will be holding two field dedications on Monday night at 6 p.m., with the Pony League field being named in honor of Frank "Squeak" Collins and the A-League field being named after Dan Reed.
• Legion baseball
One of, if not my favorite, sports to cover starts this week in the American Legion Post 129 baseball team. This is my time of the year. Last season, the Hillsboro squad went to the state tournament. This season, they open at Piqua but will be playing at home on Thursday at 6 p.m. The schedule says it will be a doubleheader.
• Stat of the Week
With just three losses this season, the Fairfield Lady Lions' only Division IV loss came in their final game against the top-ranked Strasburg-Franklin club. In the losses in '11, FHS lost to a Division II and Division III team in the regular season.
• (A second) Stat of the Week
The Fairfield Lady Lions went 40 2-3 consecutive innings without making an error in their final seven games. (That doesn't happen much.)
• (A third) Stat of the Week
The five Fairfield softball seniors finished with an overall record of 79-17 since their eighth grade year.
• (A fourth) Stat of the Week
McClain's Luis Rivas has ran a sub .51 second time in his last three final events (SCOLs, district and regionals) in the 400-meter dash. He's had final times of 50.24, 50.18, and 50.92.
• (A fifth and final) Stat of the Week
McClain's Felicity Peabody improved her regional 400m dash time by almost a second from prelims to finals. In the prelims, her time was 1:02.01, and in the finals, it was 1:01.29.
• Quote of the Week
"We had a successful season. This hurts today, but we will be back. We had a great, great run." — FHS head coach Matthew Zimmerman following the regional final game at Pickerington.
• (A second) Quote of the Week
"They are special. We've spent several years with them. Each of them individually, you can't say enough about them. They are a very strong group, gave our team leadership, and we will miss them. We really will miss them." — FHS assistant softball coach Tom Purtell about the '11 senior class after the regional final game.
• Non-high school sports thought
For any racing fan, Sunday had to be a day of either heartbreak or excitement, depending on who you were cheering for. Dale Earnhardt and J.R. Hildebrand led the Coca-Cola 600 and Indianapolis 500, respectively, on the last lap, with less than a mile to go to the finish line. The problem was they didn't win, and neither was at full speed when they eventually took the checkered flag. Earnhardt was looking to break a now-105-race winless streak, and the rookie Hildebrand was looking to put his name in the history book by winning the 100th anniversary of the Indy 500.
Though neither one went home with the trophy, they both left the race track with respect from race fans, or they at least should have. They handled their respective situations (Earnhardt ran out of gas, Hildebrand hit the wall) with great class and didn't blame anyone.
Race endings like the two on Sunday, both crown jewel events, are one of the many reasons I'm a race fan and why you can't celebrate until the very end.
• One last item of business
Hope everyone is having a great Memorial Day, and thank you to all of those that have served or are currently serving in the Armed Forces of the United States of America, so we can have the freedoms that we have.
Thank you!
Stephen Forsha is the sports editor of The Highland County Press. He can be reached at sforsha@gmail.com. Follow Stephen on Twitter @ www.twitter.com/hcpsportseditor.[[In-content Ad]]