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Ellet's 2011 softball seniors (front, from left) Jessica Wahl, Taylor Charles, Elana Mara, Stephanie Sigmon, (back) Andrea Okolish, Jena Dugan, Brittney Sullivan.
AKRON, Ohio – It was supposed to end at Firestone Stadium, but not on May 22.
In their dreams, Ellet senior softball stars Taylor Charles and Jessica Wahl could visualize their team, on a sun-splashed June 4 afternoon, winning the OHSAA Division I state championship and having commissioner Dr. Dan Ross present them with the big trophy in front of their hometown fans.
After all, Massillon Perry had done it one year earlier and the Orangemen believed in their hearts, if not for a bit of bad luck in a regional loss to Perry, they might have climbed that peak last spring.
So, it was going to be their turn in 2011.
But, as we know by now, this dream will not come true. Nordonia upset coach Chuck Shuman’s girls 3-1 last Friday and knocked them out of the tourney.
Fortunately, there was one last game to play. The City Series championship playoff, slated for Sunday at Firestone Stadium, annually matches the top two teams in the final regular season standings.
As expected, Ellet (23-3, 13-0) dominated Firestone 12-0 in five innings and closed its season on a win, but the sting of Friday’s district semifinal loss still is present.
“I’m glad we won City, but I definitely would rather be playing tomorrow, too, instead of our season being over today,” Wahl said. “But, I’m glad we went out on a win.”
The Ellet second baseman started the bottom of the first with a triple and the Orangemen would plate seven runs in the first frame.
Charles tossed yet another two-hit shutout and belted an inside-the-park home run, but described the City championship game as surreal.
“I never thought I would ever play my last game in high school and it’s weird,” she said, fighting back the tears.
It was hard for Shuman to let go as well.
“We tell them when they are freshmen it’s going to go by like a snap of the fingers and all of a sudden they are seniors and they are playing their last game,” Shuman said.
Asked about his seven seniors, he added: “They live and die Ellet softball, they live and die softball in general, but then for us at Ellet, they really take pride in it and they take pride in the tradition. And the effort they gave in every game, I hope it inspires the younger girls because it inspired us. And we know that they left their hearts on the field. And they never sold us short on the field. They gave us 100 percent all of the time.”
Ellet’s seven 2011 seniors are: Jena Dugan, Elana Mara, Andrea Okolish, Stephanie Sigmon, Brittney Sullivan, Charles and Wahl.
Firestone (10-14, 10-3) had four seniors in Melissa Adams, Madison Backus, Janie Linger and Hannah Supplee.