State Championship Game

This was it. The game we'd been working towards all post-season. The game that would determine the State Champion. We ended up playing perennial powerhouse Black Hills. Theirs was a team that we could beat. Sadly, the cards were stacked against us on this day.

1. We had the disadvantage of having to come back to the field 2 hours earlier than our original schedule -AND- play an additional two-and-one half innings that neither we nor Kelso should have had to play (to complete the game from the night before).
2. We played 2 long games against Mt. Rainier and KA. And as they always are, the KA game took a lot out of our boys. It was both physically and emotionally draining.
3. Home team advantage for Black Hills. State tournament was in Yelm, just 10 miles from Lacey...home to Black Hills. Their boys were able to go home between games and sleep in their own beds each night.
4. Hotel in Olympia. The closest hotel (w/pool) that our team could find was in Olympia. Drive time 20-30 min, depending upon traffic. A state tournament should not be held in a town without sufficient hotel rooms to accommodate all the teams coming in from out of town.
5. Black Hills had a longer rest period before the championship game than we did. Due to a staggered schedule, the Black Hills semi-final game started one hour before our KA game (something not quite right with that). They were able to finish their game, then sit/rest as they watched our game. One of our moms heard someone from Black Hills say "whichever of these teams wins will be tired before they play us."

Sadly, those Black Hills words that turned out to be very true, especially with the long day that our boys had. But they have nothing to be ashamed of and very much to be proud of. They played great against some very good teams.

Go KN! Go BIG RED!