SPORTSBEAT, Celebrating a great Cardinal season

by Peter Jakey

A half hour after the Onaway softball team went as far in the state tournament as they could possibly go without winning a state championship, Petersburg-Summerfield coach Robert Taylor stood near the concession stand at Flannery Field in Battle Creek. The humble coach didn?t look as if he had just won his first Division IV state championship and the school?s first in the sport since 1984.

When I asked the coach what it was like to finally break through, he turned the table and wanted to talk about Onaway. I was happy to listen. ?I know it is going to sound like a clique, but they have nothing to be ashamed of,? said Taylor.

I?ll second that notion, and I?m sure thousands of Onaway fans will attest as well. The Cardinals were close, but they couldn?t quite pull it off. The number that stands out to me, and will forever be engraved in my sports fanatical brain is nine. The Cards were nine outs away from a state title.

The girls beat top-ranked Unionville-Sebewaing in comeback fashion on Friday in the semifinal game, a contest that proved to me and all the Onaway fans who migrated south for the weekend that they went to Battle Creek not to just put some infield dirt in a plastic baggie and collect some Michigan High School Athletic Association souvenir softball finals? T-shirts, they went to there to win the whole ball of wax.

Thirty-two baseball and softball teams made it to Battle Creek. Of those 32, only four went home with the big prize; however, the Cards got their piece.

THE ACCOMPLISHMENT was heralded Wednesday night in front of an appreciative crowd in the Onaway High School gymnasium. It was a way for the fans to say thanks one last time.

The trophies from the season were set up in the middle of the floor in front of the stands, including that impressive state runner-up trophy. Behind the trophies was a row of Cardinal chairs. Behind the chairs was a banner with all the girls? names on it. It read: ?Congratulations Lady Cardinals for the state championship,? it stated. That?s not entirely accurate, but the girls are champions in the truest sense of the word.

Athletic director Marty Mix, who has championed the efforts in turning around the sports programs he dearly loves, said the words to describe what just happened are still difficult to come by. One thing is clear.

?It?s just amazing what you?ve done for the youth in this town,? Mix said he told the girls. ?I don?t think they quite understand the effect they?ve had on youth, but it?s amazing.?

JOE HEFELE, Onaway?s city manager, who was involved in organizing Wednesday?s event and is another ardent supporter of Onaway sports, said, ?1976, the Onaway football team made it to the state championship game ? that was 34 years ago. As much as I would like to say, ?we?ll see you here again next year,? you just never know. That speaks volumes of what a great accomplishment it was. It takes so much to get where they were.?

Hefele then introduced the players and coaches one-by-one. They waited beside the bleachers until their names were announced. The coaches took their spots, but when the players? names were announced, each girl slapped five with all the people in the front row.

A DVD slideshow with the hundreds of photos taken by Presque Isle Newspapers, tracking their girls? progress through the tournament was presented. Copies are available at the Onaway Outlook office and the Presque Isle Advace in Rogers City, for those interested in saving a special moment in local sports history. AT THE conclusion, Hefele read a proclamation approved at the most recent city commission meeting, which left the players in wide-eyed amazement. They were really surprised that the week of June 21 – 26 will be Onaway softball week in the city of Onaway.

Head coach Jodi Brewbaker said it would be difficult to thank all their supporters for everything they?ve done for them during the tournament run. ?Our goal was to win a state title,? she said, ?and we got as close as you can get to winning a state title. These girls are as competitive as any team I?ve ever coached. I told them before the game Saturday that this is the pinnacle of any

softball player?s career, except for the College World Series.?

Brewbaker continued, ?They are my dream team, and I want to thank each and every one of the community members who were there.? She also thanked her assistant coaches, the parents of the players and her family.

WHILE THE girls have a great shot of returning, it will be difficult to match the newness of the tournament path this group opened, as well as the blend of senior leaders and talented freshman that were a major part of the title run. It was the goal of the girls, but almost a surprise that it all just came together so quickly.

The season of 2010 was historic, memorable and one to cherish forever, in more ways than the Cards coming close. Congratulations ladies, you?ve made your community proud.

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