Everything we learned about Class 3A softball we learned from watching the “Brady Bunch.”
Erie would play the role of Marcia, the one Brady we all know and love, and Frederick would be that middle sister nobody ever remembers.
Erie has hogged the spotlight for the past decade, winning six state titles, while the neighbors seven miles to the east seemingly have been forgotten. Maybe this is the year Jan Brady steps into the limelight.
The Warriors, who won their first game with Erie in 1995 and haven’t beaten Erie since in 22 games, return eight of their nine starters from last season with one goal in mind.
“I’ve been scratching my head for 10 years trying to figure out how to beat them,” said Frederick coach Roger Dufour, whose Warriors were shut down 5-0 by Holly Jordan in last year’s championship game. “We just can’t seem to find a way to break through.”
Frederick senior pitcher Xavi Elliott is as good as any in the state. And with Justine Lee, Lauren Hoffman, Angela Posey and Lindsey Witty in the lineup, the Warriors will be tough.
“We obviously only have one goal in mind,” Dufour said. “But when you have eight returning starters you certainly wouldn’t think you were an underdog, but we are because we have that one huge roadblock in the way.”
Jordan is just the latest star in a long line of Erie pitchers that includes Jennifer Mahoney, Melanie Mahoney, Jo- Anna Brozovich and Paige Ruiz. The senior hurler struck out 14 Frederick batters in the title game last season.
“We’ve just had that one ingredient over the years that a lot of other teams don’t,” Erie coach Bob Bledsoe said. “Our record speaks for itself, and Holly is as good as any of the others we’ve had.”
While the Tigers still are the team to beat, they will be challenged by the rest of their very competitive Patriot League. Burlington, with senior pitcher Joni Stegman, lost in the semifinals to Frederick and should be tough again. Platte Valley, Lyons, Valley and Eaton also are playoff-caliber teams.
“Tradition has a lot to do with it,” Bledsoe said. “And those teams that have it just seem to keep coming back year after year.”
Faith Christian and Holy Family appear to be the metro-area favorites. Platte Canyon lost its battery of Danielle Pucherelli and Casey Hagen, and while talent still remains, the Huskies will be hard-pressed to make the run they did last year.
Lamar fielded the most recent team to hoist the championship trophy other than Erie, in 1999. The Savages, along with Arkansas Valley neighbor La Junta, should be contenders again. Limon also has big hopes.
Out west, Gunnison has been the only team to qualify for the state tournament the past three years, and this year should be no different. The biggest test for Gunnison figures to come from Aspen and Basalt.
Jon E. Yunt can be reached at 303-820-5446 or jyunt@denverpost.com.
