Area softball players excited by big honors.
By: Brian Fees | Towanda Daily Review | August 2, 2012
2012 NTL and District 4 News
When the all-state softball list came out, the name of Athens' Mackenzie Hafer wasn't anywhere on there.
Sure, she had a great season, but like many players, Hafer just figured she hadn't made the all-state cut. That was until an addition to the list was sent out a few days later and Hafer's name was now included among the Class AAA honorable mention list.
While Hafer didn't find out she made all-state along with all the other NTL players, she found out in a way that was a lot more special for her as her older sister Mallory, the Muncy softball coach, let her know about the honor.
"It was really great," Hafer said. "I found out from my sister which made it even more special."
To find out the way she did was a happy surprise for Mackenzie.
"It made it all the more special," she said. "I didn't believe it at first. She told me another coach told her. He asked if I was her sister and she must have been pretty proud to say yes I was."
For the sophomore the honor was a bit of a surprise, but it's something that will just make her strive to be even better over the next two years.
"It was a huge surprise to get it," Hafer said. "It's just going to make me work even harder to keep up the reputation."
In her first two years in high school Hafer has had a lot to live up to already, trying to follow in the footsteps of her older sisters Mallory and Morgan and Meredith Hafer. All of them were three sport stars at Athens and all three went on to play basketball at Mansfield University.
While they had plenty of success in their high school careers, none of them earned all-state honors in softball.
"It's nice, there definitely is some sibling rivalry there," Hafer said.
This year the Wildcats had a big turnaround and earned their first trip to the district final and Hafer knows that helped her.
"The fact that my team made it pretty far in districts I think helped a lot," she said.
It's also part of the reason why her teammate Christin Dunkling earned all-state second-team honors this year.
"I am very excited to earn an honor like this," Dunkling said. "It feels good to be recognized after all the hard work that goes into the season."
For Dunkling just being mentioned with some of the best players in the state was pretty special.
"It's an incredible feeling," she said. "I can't believe that I'm included in the group of athletes. It would not have been possible if I didn't have the same teammates I had pushing me throughout the whole season."
Dunkling hopes some of the younger players at Athens see what her and Mackenzie accomplished and strive for the same thing.
"I hope this does motivate younger girls and boys out there that if they want to accomplish something that all it takes is hard work and dedication," she said. "When I was younger I always looked up to players like Chelsea Dimon, who was an Athens graduate."
After the success of last year Dunkling is hoping her senior season will be even better.
"We had a big turnaround in the last couple of seasons and are capable of competing for an NTL title now," Dunkling said. "It is always good to bring recognition to the school and most importantly the team. This year we have lost two seniors that were key components to the team, but I believe with the girls we have it will be another great season."
Dunkling and Hafer are two of the six all-state players from the NTL who are underclassmen. First-team selection Calla Martin of Northeast Bradford and second-team pick in Class AA Koryn Wickwire of Towanda were both sophomores this year. Martin's teammate, Chelsie Souto, was also a sophomore this year and earning second-team honors in Class A was a surprise to her.
"I'm very excited," she said. "I was very surprised. I was happy and I feel honored."
Souto, along with Martin and MaKaylah Holbert, who will be a senior next year, all earned all-state honors and all will be back next year.
"I think we are all very excited for next year," Souto said. "It's going to be some new players who get a chance to play. We will set some goals and have another great season."
On a team that had a number of talented seniors, Souto was thrilled to be able to be recognized for what she did on the mound this year.
"It's great that we had a chance to be recognized," she said. "It's even better that we will be together next year with MaKaylah and Calla and the rest of the team and have a good season with everyone again next year. It was very nice to see they also got rewarded for their hard work as well."
On a team with the league player of the year in Martin and the pitcher of the year in Souto, as well as a largely senior laden team, Holbert is a player that never thought of herself as an all-state player.
However, this year Holbert was an honorable mention pick in Class A.
"I'm really surprised I made it," Holbert said. "It helps, it helps to know that I do have talent. It helps me have more confidence."
When you lose five senior starters to graduation, and another starter who was injured last season, it can be tough the following year. But with three all-state players returning it gives Holbert the belief that the Panthers can still flourish.
"It's good to know we still have a good group there," she said.
Next season Holbert will be one of the seniors on the team and she hopes that she can be an example for the younger players. She also hopes that some of those players see that despite not being a home run hitter, or the biggest player on the team, you can still have plenty of success.
"I hope it gives them confidence and something they can look up to," Holbert said.
And, for players like Maddy Johnson, who started as a freshman last year, Holbert hopes that she sees playing the same style as her and Holbert do can get you recognized.
"Maddy is a great player and she plays a lot like me," Holbert said. "It's good to show that you can be successful."
While many of the all-state players from the area will be back next year, there were three who were finishing up their careers. Troy's Katie Jackson and Canton's Morgan Palmer were each first-team selections in their senior year, and Wyalusing's Laci Holdren wrapped up her career as a second-team selection in Class AA.
"Here's a kid that's very small in stature and yet very tough," Wyalusing coach Jack Loomis said. "She had a lot of power, she put three balls over the fence this year. She had one of the better careers out of all our kids the last 11 years. She's just a good kid and she was a leader for us so I'm not surprised by the second team all-state and good for her because she deserves it."
For Holdren it was the perfect cap to her high school sports career.
"I was very excited," she said. "It was a nice way to end my high school career. It is a pretty cool accomplishment. It was nice to be a senior and have the seniority. I had a fun season and surprised myself a little bit. It was a lot of fun."
For much of her career Holdren was a little out of the spotlight. She played on a team with players like Bri Jennings, Gabby Edsell and Bobbi Jo Loyack, and before that Erica Crawford. She was part of a group that helped lead the Rams to the state final four her junior year, but much of that time she was a player that did whatever it took to help the team, without worrying about the spotlight. That included a number of position switches in her career and moving to different spots in the batting lineup over the years.
"It's nice to know that I helped the team out," she said. "It was good to help the team and my coach out. I'm not really sure (how many positions she played). Quite a bit. You have just got to keep switching until you get it right."
During that state final four season, Loomis started to realize how special of a player Holdren could be.
"She really came into her own in her junior year," he said. "Her breakout game was really the Williamsport Tournament. She had an outstanding tournament and from then on she was just extremely confident."
And, even after the Rams lost a number of players to graduation after her junior year, Holdren knew they could still have a good season last year, and they did, reaching the district semifinals.
"We definitely lost some major players but we had a great year as a team," Holdren said. "It was a nice way to end my senior year. Personally I gave it my all and that was pretty much the goal I set for myself."
Holdren hopes that some of the younger players who are trying to find their role and are playing behind talented upperclassmen will see that their time will come and they can have the type of success she had.
"If you stick with it and don't give up it will pay off when you get older and you get the seniority," she said. "It really does pay off. I always looked up to the older girls and set goals for myself and I'm sure they (the younger players) will too."
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