North Penn will face Council Rock South in Friday’s PIAA 6A State title game at Penn State University at 4 p.m. North Penn photos provided courtesy of Keith Clemens Photography, and CR South photos courtesy of Kim Supko. For more photos, visit the Photo Gallery: https://solsports.zenfolio.com/f860927651
North Penn vs. Council Rock South.
It’s not a matchup a whole lot of high school softball fans anticipated seeing in the PIAA 6A state title game. Both SOL teams won their respective divisions – Rock South won the Patriot Division championship and North Penn, the Colonial Division. The Knights finished third in District 1 while the Golden Hawks were fifth.
The two teams share a common denominator. Both are driven by strong senior classes that boast both talent and leadership, and both squads have had impressive runs to Friday’s state title game at Penn State University.
Council Rock South earned three consecutive 1-0 wins, defeating District 11 champion Liberty in the opening round, then upending Warwick, District 3’s third place team, and – in the state semifinals – edging District 1’s fourth place team Downingtown East, avenging an 11-6 loss to the Cougars in district play.
North Penn notched wins over District 3 runner-up Cumberland Valley (6-5), District 6 champion Seneca Valley (4-0) and District 3 champion Central Dauphin in a state semifinal game (9-7).
North Penn looking to defend its state title
Run it back.
That was the mantra for a North Penn squad that graduated five seniors from last spring’s state title team that rolled to a perfect 28-0 record. To those on the outside, any talk of a state title might have seemed like a stretch with the graduation of Gatorade PA Player of the Year Julia Shearer.
The players had other ideas.
“I’m going to be honest – in the beginning of the year, I was a little iffy about it,” senior Gianna Cimino said. “But after we went to Alabama (where the Knights went 3-0 against stiff competition) and seeing how we were doing and seeing how hard we work at practice – it’s a no brainer.”
“I really did think we could,” senior Casey Sokol said. “After our preseason workouts, I saw how well we bonded.
“Especially in the fall, you’d think we just started and we wouldn’t be able to bond, but no, we bonded so well, and I knew the team chemistry was there, so I always thought it was possible to go back.”
There’s no mistaking the players used those who doubted them as motivation. It was senior Sophia Orth’s first thought when the final out was recorded in Monday’s 9-7 win over Central Dauphin in the state semifinal.
“I knew we did it and that we proved everyone wrong,” Orth said. “We came into this season – we were without those five seniors, and they were amazing seniors.
“We missed them so much, but just the fact that we’ve rebuilt, and we were able to do this and get into battles and know we can pull out on top was just crazy, and it really proves just how much we can do as a team.”
“Everyone said we couldn’t do it all year,” senior Bella Nunn said. “That makes me want it 10 times more when people say, ‘You can’t have it.’
“We had a good talk halfway through the year that made us realize we can definitely do it if we lock in and put our minds to it.”
“A lot of people doubted us,” sophomore Tallie Smink said. “So, we knew we needed to prove everybody wrong. We just came together as a team.
“Last year was hard because I didn’t play, but I was there for the team. My sister (Annabelle Smink) always believed in me that I could do it. To get back again this year feels amazing.”
So, what’s been the secret to their success?
“I don’t even think there is one,” senior Sophia Orth said. “I think it’s just North Penn softball. That’s how we play. We’re always in it together, and I think that just has so much to do with what North Penn softball is built off of and the community we have at North Penn. That’s just what we are.”
Sokol, Cimino, Orth and Nunn were starters on last year’s state championship squad. Senior Liv Stevens was a newcomer to the team this season and has been a fixture in the starting lineup at second base.
“I just wanted to come back and play,” she said. “I just wanted to see where it took us. I always had confidence in our team.
“The minute we had our games in Alabama, we came together – I was like, ‘You know, this could be something special. I think we could do it,’ and now we’re here. I really think we’ve grown over the season as a whole.”
Last winter, Stevens was part of a Knights’ basketball squad that advanced to the state quarterfinals.
“That was exciting but making it all the way to the end with this team – it’s just been really special,” she said. “I’ve been very lucky to get this opportunity to play again.”
On Tuesday, North Penn held its graduation. Three days later, the seniors will be playing for a state championship.
“This is the perfect way to end the year because every game I’m like, ‘This could be my last game ever here,’” Nunn said. “It’s nice that we’ve made the most of our season, and we’ve gone as far as we possibly can.”
The Knights will be playing for their third state title in four years. In 2023, Shearer was named the state’s players of the year, and on the 2021 state championship squad, pitcher Mady Volpe – who is now pitching at Penn State – earned that same distinction.
This year’s North Penn squad has plenty of talent, but this is not one player’s team – this is the seniors’ team, and they’ve led the Knights to heights no one except the players and coaches predicted.
“We’re confident and we’re really excited to play,” Stevens said. “We’re just focused on getting the job done and meeting our goal – which is a state championship.
“Our main goal was always to be there (Friday), but we were just taking it one game at a time. I think that really helped us, focusing on one inning at a time and just meeting our goals every day, and we finally made it to the end. That was our main goal.”
And no, they insist, it never gets old.
“Every time it’s new memories, new friends,” Sokol said. “It gets more exciting every time. As a senior, I’m just so happy to be in this position with my friends.”
Council Rock South making history
The Golden Hawks put their name in the record books when they became the program’s first team ever to advance to the PIAA 6A tournament. They apparently weren’t satisfied, and with every win in the state tournament, they’ve added to their remarkable legacy.
Their journey to the state title game included its share of adversity. The Hawks began play in the district tournament on something of a shaky note after falling to Pennsbury 16-1 in their regular season finale. They avenged that loss to the Falcons with a 13-9 win in their district opener that included a gutsy comeback.
Then, in the district quarterfinals, the Golden Hawks fell to Downingtown East 11-6.
Not exactly the kind of start that would suggest a run to the state title game.
“I don’t know,” senior Grace Stepp said. “I think the seniors – we wanted to make it as far as we possibly could. We never wanted it to be our last game, and we finally did that.”
Whatever change took place, the Golden Hawks recuperated from a shaky start to rout Central Bucks West 11-1 in a contest with a state berth at stake.
“We were always confident in ourselves,” senior Avery Tumolo said. “We never doubted ourselves.”
The Golden Hawks went on to defeat Boyertown 9-2 in the fifth place game, and that was followed by their remarkable run through the state tournament.
This despite several setbacks.
Tumolo missed the first two games of the state tournament after undergoing an appendectomy.
“I went to practices, but I just sat and watched,” she said. “It really sucked. I thought I was done for good. I didn’t think I’d ever play again, but I knew they could win those games.”
And win they did with Lexi Waring coming off the sick bed to toss a complete game shutout in Monday’s state semifinal showdown with Downingtown East after being diagnosed with strep throat just two days earlier.
“I had a scratchy throat Friday, but I was fine,” she said. “I woke up sick on Saturday – went to Urgent Care, and they said it was a respiratory infection, but then I went somewhere else, and they said I had strep. They gave me antibiotics I started right away. I was drinking lots of fluids.
“I felt fine Monday – just really tired from sitting around a lot.”
Monday’s state semifinal win began a wild week for the seniors, who graduated on Tuesday.
“It’s been a lot,” senior Gabby Bloom said. “The end of school came very quick, and you couldn’t even believe it. Even more than that, I couldn’t even focus on graduating because we’re playing softball, and we’ve got to keep winning. Everything – all the lasts came all at the same time, but more than anything, it’s exciting to be here and still playing.”
Several seniors had flights booked for Thursday for spring break trips. Instead, they were getting in a final practice before heading to Penn State.
“We rebooked our flights for Saturday,” Tumolo said. “We’re missing stuff, but it’s worth it, it’s so worth it.”
Senior Helen Woloshyn – a transfer from Notre Dame Academy (N.J.) – has been a welcome addition to the squad. She’s had plenty of postseason experience during her playing days at Notre Dame.
“It’s a lot different, not so many steps to make it to the state championship,” she said. “Unfortunately, we were in one of the better conferences, and we never got to the state championship. We came close – I think we’ve been in the top 10 each year.
“Coming in here and not knowing anyone, they made it really easy to make it feel like home and make it feel like I’ve been here forever. It’s been easy to adjust and play with them. It’s definitely a great experience.”
For Waring, it’s been a unique experience as well.
“We played a real exciting playoff game (Monday) and then had to go back to school Tuesday to take finals,” she said. “It’s just very weird because most schools are done, but I had to stay focused with school too.”
As for the key to their remarkable run, the players don’t have a ready explanation.
“I have no idea – I wish I could tell you,” Tumolo said. “We always talk about it – how are we getting this far?
“We’re not stressing about the little things, we’re just playing the game we love to play, which is what we needed to do. We haven’t been too hard on ourselves, we’ve just been playing, and I think that’s what got us this far.”
For the seniors, it’s been the ride of a lifetime.
“I can’t even say – it actually means everything,” Bloom said. “I feel like it’s a perfect ending. We played as long as we could.
“If our season got cut any shorter, it would have been so upsetting, but we can’t even play any longer. There’s nothing else to do.”
“It’s been really crazy,” Woloshyn said. “We’ve been preparing the whole season to get to this point, so we’re really pumped, and we have a lot of energy and are ready to attack. We’re really, really excited, and we just can’t wait to get there and play.”
The opportunity to play for a state title has been on Stepp’s wish list for a long time.
“It’s always something I wanted to be in – I wanted to be part of it,” she said. “And we’re finally there. It’s finally us in that position. We never went to states before, ever, and we made it this far.
“So much happened so quickly. It feels really weird – we’re still playing after graduation, but it’s kind of cool. It’s all I wanted since my freshman year. We’ve been through so many coaches, and it’s so exciting that we finally got where we wanted to be.”
The impact of the seniors, according to Waring, has been significant.
“We want to do this for them,” the Golden Hawks’ ace said. “They’re a huge part of the team. They bring a whole lot of energy.
“I’ve known a couple of them since I was little, so it’s very special, and we know this is our last game, so we’re just giving it our all.”
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