Hawks keep team spirit shining

Song sung blue, everybody knows one.

The Thompson Falls-Noxon Lady Hawk softball team and coach Jared Koskela have been singing the blues this spring after the COVID-19 pandemic abruptly shut the season down in early March. Although that might seem like a long time ago in this time of social distancing and germophobia, it was actually only a few weeks ago. Okay, maybe a month or more by now.

But put yourself in Koskela's shoes. When you are directed to stop by forces greater than you, there is nothing you can do, you simply have no choice but to stop.

"It is pretty disappointing to everyone," Koskela admitted. "These girls were looking forward to the softball season even during the other sports seasons. Kids were doing drills, trying to keep sharp, hoping for a successful season this spring. Then this happens."

Not one to rain on anyone's parade, Koskela is still holding on to hopes that the season may still resume, and is ready to get back on the field at a moment's notice.

Just to prove that they are all together even though they cannot play together yet – or ever this season dependent on decisions to be made in the coming weeks – Koskela got his girls organized remotely for a little game of video catch a few weeks ago, stitching together film clips his players provided into a mini-highlight reel of sorts. The clip played well on social media, putting the players together virtually at least.

Koskela's fungo flyball ends up being caught or thrown by every member of the Lady Hawk squad before the entertaining tribute ends. It ended up being quite the hit, so to speak, with the players and their fans.

"It was a strong feat of cooperation getting that made," Koskela said of the production logistics involved. "But it was a fun thing to do. It reminded everyone that we are still connected, we are still on the same team."

Seniors Kelsey Frank and Belle Cooper and junior Riley Wilson are, or were to be, the team captains for the Lady Hawks.

Senior Amy Risser, juniors Jody Detlaff and Aiden Losure, Maddie Fischer, sophomores Dani VanHuss, Abbi Lane and Shayla Micklon, Cella VanHuss and Cheyla Irvine round out the projected Lady Hawk softball roster.

Frank, who earned Western B-C all-conference honors in 2018, has focused her high school athletic career on softball for this her senior season, which is now on ice.

The Hawks' main pitcher, Frank put in the work over the off-season, playing with the Ronan Insanity (which also included a few players from the Plains-Hot Springs program) last summer, and attending a pitching clinic in Idaho. She is disappointed to not be able to play so far this spring.

"We were super excited for the season," she said. "We felt like we had a lot more experienced players this year and could have been very competitive."

Frank felt that the softball team could have continued the momentum built by the Blue Hawks' other highly successful sports teams this school year, including the playoff football team last fall and the District 7B championship Lady Hawk basketball team last winter. "We wanted to continue, to build on the great year our school was having in sports," she said. "Hopefully we will still get that chance."

Koskela was hoping to bolster team numbers by more actively recruiting Noxon players into the program. Before the season began he said three Noxon girls had told him they were interested, but none were there for the opening day of practice.

"We want and need Noxon to be a bigger part of our program," he said. "It is obviously working for Plains, they are getting lots of players from Hot Springs. We would really like to give the Noxon girls that want to play that opportunity, and are willing to accommodate them as best we can to get them back in the program."

Koskela has a point about the Thompson Falls-Noxon connection being vital to the Lady Hawks' success. In 2012, Thompson Falls-Noxon's State B-C championship season, several players from Noxon played critical roles in that championship run under legendary coach Randy Pirker.