Softball season of 2021 kicked off in April. The season started out in a very interesting fashion, as every girl who tried out made the team.  The coaches agreed that in these hard times, all girls should be given the chance to play to have an escape, have fun, and be with their friends. However, that doesn’t mean the coaches are any less hard on them. 

The team practiced very intensely, and between the first and second games, the girls showed much improvement. In their first games, Freshman lost to PCTI, JV won against Wayne Valley, and sadly, Varsity lost to Wayne Valley. The Captains of the varsity team are seniors Rehna Cohn and Amanda Gerold. They always do their best to get everyone included and help the team out in any way they can. They even went to the second freshman game to watch and cheer for them. 

The new freshman coach, Mac, stepped up and filled Mrs. Jones’ spot to take the girls to the field! Mackenzie is the new gym teacher at Macopin who filled Mr. Finke’s spot. He has been coaching for six years. He likes working in West Milford because it is his hometown and he has worked in the area for a while. He started working at Paradise Knoll and Marshall Hill, and he split his time between both, however he was looking for more than that so, when Mr. Finke retired, Mac interviewed and was hired to take over. Mackenzie says, “I am here to make West Milford great again.”  Who knows what potential he carries with the freshman team and what their season will look like. However, he is pushing his team to practice hard and play harder; he is very competitive and is ready to win. 

Coach Candy, the JV coach, started off her team strong with a win. She loves making the girls run! She is a very smart coach and works her girls hard and always gives them pep talks to boost their energy and determination to win.

 Last, but not least, Coach G is the varsity coach. Coach Gwinnett is accompanied by Mickens who helps her out with Varsity. She is a very outgoing coach, however when it comes to game time, G doesn’t mess around. She and the Varsity team went to counties, but sadly, they lost pretty early on. The girls tried their hardest. We wish the best to the seniors, and the team hopes to do better next year. 

Something big all the coaches do is they treat every practice and game as a tryout. If you show up ready to play and play your hardest, they recognize that, and they tell the other coaches. That way you have a possibility of moving up for a game. This year no girls were cut; there aren’t any set teams, as a lot of girls will be alternated in and out of each team until the coaches find the perfect fit. That is why it is important for players to show the coaches they want to be there by the way they act on the field. 

 In the end, all teams did the best they could, and all the girls pushed themselves and learned a great deal from being switched from team to team.  They all came together and fought for the wins they brought home.  Freshman ended with a little winning streak going on, which was great to see. 

The change from the beginning of the season to the end was amazing to witness and spectators could see how much better the girls became from working together and  making the right plays. Overall it really showed that hard work pays off.