North Scott looks to end streak
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ELDRIDGE, Iowa — When Hallie Eller joined the North Scott varsity softball team the summer after her eighth grade year, she had high expectations.
Pretty much everyone in town did after the Lancers had reached the Iowa state tournament the previous six seasons.
“It was just a given,” Eller said. “I was ready to go there.”
For the next four summers, though, North Scott didn’t return to Fort Dodge. But this year, the Lancers are ready to start another state streak.
Despite a 1-3 start in the Mississippi Athletic Conference, they bounced back to win 13 of their next 14 league games and finish 14-4.
That mark was good enough to give North Scott a share of its first conference title since 2004. Rebounding from an 8-10 league finish last season, the Lancers are primed for a gratifying postseason run.
“There isn’t too much coaching I can do anymore,” longtime coach Dennis Johnson said. “The kids motivate themselves, and that makes coaching fun.”
What’s enjoyable for Johnson means watching his two underclassmen pitchers hold their own against a conference that features six other state-ranked teams.
Tabbed for the future as a freshman last season, Brie Haycraft has had a stellar sophomore campaign, backed by junior newcomer Taylor Bender.
The No. 2 team in Class 4A, North Scott (32-5) also can hit throughout its lineup, often for power. And team defense is particularly strong, something the players can’t overstate.
“This is one of the years where the MAC is as tough as it’s been in a long time,” junior Shari Huber said. “You take what you can, and you can’t give the other team any opportunities.”
Even though conference play is complete, the Lancers’ road to state is still through the MAC.
They host No. 13 Bettendorf in Eldridge today in a Region 7 semifinal. From there, it would be either Davenport West or Davenport North in Wednesday’s final.
“It’s been tough,” Eller said of the season. “But it’s nice to know nothing was easy and we didn’t just cruise through it.”
Nothing’s a given during the next two weeks.
Andrew Petersen can be contacted at (563) 383-2288 or apetersen@qctimes.com. Comment on this story at qcvarsity.com.
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