4 In-Depth In-Depth 511.8.19 11.8.19Layout by: Josephine Blatny

Softball team makes a “statement”Editor-in-ChiefJosephine Blatny

This year’s softball team won the Class C State Championship adding to the school’s athletic success stories. The softball team was the first team of any sport to win a state championship after the Men’s Cross Country team in 1999. Other teams have made history by making playoff games, qualifying for state, and inspiring the community around them.

The 1999 Men’s Cross Country team earned a perfect score at their district meet. They then went on to win the state champi-onship. Team members included Brian Kujath, Matt Beue, Brian Deuring, John Brackle, and Ryan Schmidt.

“There have been a lot of great teams and athletes come through Fairbury so to even be on the wall next to them feels amazing,” John Brackle ‘02 said. “Even as an alumni I still enjoy following Fairbury athletics and love seeing us continue to add champion-ships to our walls. Congrats to the Softball team on an outstanding year!”

Another team to make an impact on the school was the 2017 Football Team coached by Kameron Lenhart. The team adopted a motivational mantra, “Row the Boat,” and proceeded to end their season with a 9-1 record and qualified for the playoff games. Cay-man Deboer ‘18 was a senior on the team and related his success in football to his younger sister Cora Deboer ‘20’s state softball championship.

“It was one of the best experiences and proudest moments of my life (watching his sister play at state),” Cayman ‘18 said. “It made me think of playoffs my senior year for football and losing the first round. It kind of felt like redemption.”

Like Cayman ‘18, Jordan Johnson ‘15 also had a younger sister on the state softball championship team. Jordan ‘15 was a member of the 2014 basketball team that made it to state basketball. She surprised her sister, Jaelle Johnson ‘20, in Hastings after convinc-ing her that she was too busy to attend the softball tournament.

“I just felt proud of Jaelle and the team,” Jordan ‘15 said. “I thought maybe I’d feel a bit of nostalgia, but there wasn’t much of that. I think it’s because my teammates/best friends were what made those moments and sports in general so special for me. Watching the softball team enjoy each other made me happy be-cause I know those are the moments they’d cherish the most, just like I do.”

Softball player Raven Defrain ‘20 described the state champi-onship as “unreal.” She said the team went into the season with the specific goal of winning the state tournament. She’s proud of the hard work her team put in to achieve their goal as well as grateful for all of the support the team has received from the community.

“I hope that FHS students and faculty remember the team's success as reuniting the town into one family,” Defrain ‘20 said. “At games, there were students cheering and having a good time and parents whose child(ren) play a different sport, coming and supporting us. It was a great experience and something that I will never forget.”

Student sections are a fun and easy way to get people together to cheer on your team. For athletes, it is always encouraging to look into the student section and see all of your school cheering you on. During state softball no matter what obstacles were in the way, there was still a student section loudly cheering on the Fairbury Jeffs.

“The student section really fueled us through all district games as well as state” Coach Taylor Biehl said, “The girls fed off of the energy for sure.”

Having a student section does benefit the athletes and the game. “I feel like the student section really helped us stay positive and have a clear mind,” Senior Raven DeFrain said, “The student section just added to the fun.”

Not only are student

sections extremely encouraging for the athletes, they are also so fun for the people in them. Sophomore Zane Grizzle said, “My favorite memory was definitely the first game. Everybody was there and the energy was insane.”

Sophomore Karly McCord said “My favorite memory was seeing all of the girls and how happy they looked right as Jordan caught the ball that made them win the game.”

Although most of the game’s student sections were harmless, there was an issue that came up with the Jeffs’ student section. The Guardian Angels believed that they were too obnoxious and wanted them to sit down. The Jeffs’ student section did not agree however. “I thought our student section was fairly respectful given the circumstances,” Grizzle said, “We had students and adults yelling insults at us. We had the cops called because a student was in their student section.”

Fairbury will definitely go down in the books for their school spirit. All in all, the memories that were made at state softball will last forever.

Student section energizes players and fansReporterEricka Kroecker

The Lady Jeffs Softball Team poses for a picture after winning the championship game with their trophy and medals. “It feels awesome to be state champions,” Coach Biehl said. “It hasn’t completely hit me yet. Photo by T. Gustafson

The team cheers Junior Ellie Ohlde into home plate. “It was unreal,” Ohlde said. “I’ll never forget how packed the stands were and all the support we got from everyone. I’m so glad we won four our seniors because they truly deserve it.” Photo by T. Gustafson

The team celebrates earning their trophy and sings the school fight song. The team earned the opportunity to walk the school halls and be featured on Channel 1011 News. Photo by T. Gustafson