Despite disappointing end, Swan Valley softball has a reason to smile June 15th, 2013 9:12PM BATTLE CREEK, MI — Swan Valley softball made a remarkable achievement when it advanced to the Division 2 state championship game. And in time, the Vikings players will realize that. Swan Valley lost 5-1 to Tecumseh in its second straight state finals run. However, with two straight appearances in the state championship and three straight appearances in Battle Creek, this Swan Valley group achieved something that few high schoolers do, and they’ve captivated a community in the process. “The community is really behind the softball team,” said Ed Flattery whose daughter Reegan has played on all three Battle Creek teams. “We have people who don’t even have kids in high school that are here.” And that’s to cheer for players whose mothers played for Kennelly in a tradition that spans more than 30 years for the longtime coach, and in all that time, this is the first group of kids to make it to the Final Four three straight years. “They’re home grown kids,” Kennelly said. “I can tell you my seventh and eighth graders who are going to play (for Swan Valley), and these kids are a part of our program and have come through. “They’re not superstar college ball players, all of ‘em, or even half of ‘em. But they’re good athletes and play well.” And they’re not done writing their legacy. Morgan Stadler was the lone senior starter for the Vikings, while the majority of the starting lineup over the last three years has included key standouts like Courtney Reinhold, Reegan Flattery and Sarah Addy, in addition to Kelli Halvin and Jenna Stevenson — all juniors. “I was kind of talking to (Flattery) and (Addy) and said how we’re kind of spoiled,” Reinhold said. “We’ve had great teams, great hitters and a really great coach. It’s really awesome, and I’m very thankful to be a part of it.” “It’s probably the tenderness of the coach that draws them in,” Kennelly quipped. For a veteran coach like Kennelly, who is approaching 1,000 career wins, the disappointing end to the season was tempered when looking at it overall. “This team, I thought we overachieved,” he said. “With the injuries we had, I thought this team ended up coming through, and they did that right up until the last inning.” And that’s the Swan Valley softball legacy. “I think what keeps bringing them back is their desire to prove,” Ed Flattery said. “They have something to prove. They’re all tight-knit kids, and they’re goal oriented. I think that’s what it comes down to — tradition — and it keeps feeding in to the kids. “This year, they proved to everybody that it all comes down to hard work and your desire to do it.”
Posted on: Sun, 16 Jun 2013 03:31:55 +0000
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