Last Saturday the 9-10 year old team played 4 games in the Randolph Tourney, coming home with a 3rd place finish. What proved to be a great day for the young Vikes, the first game was one for the record books. Playing host, Randolph, this game took a full 7 innings to complete, Randolph winning by a score of 1-0. Yes sir, folks, with the same intensity that the pros deliver in ’squeaker-games’, this one had similar proportions on the nervous system. Our players battled the powerhouse Randolph crew into those extra innings and gave for all who watched more than their ticket stub guaranteed.
In the second contest, Wausa beat Plainview handedly 15-0, and then continued with Bloomfield, winning 11-7. In these two games the youngsters put the wood on the ball, ooops, that should be metal, with regularity. Some very nice defensive plays kept the opponents in check for most of these games and were quite impressive at the plate.
The final game against Osmond was another thriller with the Vikes coming up a bit short, 4-2. Tied going into the final stanza, the young Tigers managed the go ahead score in the bottom of their last inning allowing them to procede into the title match with Randolph.
These youngsters have demonstrated a little more giddy-up in their step this season as noted by many whom have watched these players develop since T-Ball. The players appear to work harder, demonstrate more skill for their age, and have a greater attitude towards hardwork, practice and the competitive end of the stick. Several parents have commented on the noticeable difference in their game-delivery and how they approach the game competitively.
Having worked with these youngster for more than 6 months during the past school year in football and basketball, I believe the ‘gamesmanship’ could very well come from lengthy seasons marked with very competitive and successful play. This is to give credit to the kids themselves for participating in these sports, making the commitment, practicing at home and just spending more time playing together. There’s also a parent support system in place as these folks have gone the extra mile/s, no pun, to insure that their young charges are there to reap the benefits and continued success. The coaches take pride in seeing their players excell and using these experiences to send a message to the other youngsters out there to, “Try it—you’ll like it!”
These young Vikes will play at Winside on Monday evening and at home against Verdigre on Tuesday and also at home, Randolph on Wednesday evening. Defer to the schedule printed in myWausaNews last week to check on future contests. ‘Good Luck’ from this website and we hope that other readers will follow the succeses of boy’s and girl’s teams this summer. Due to the fuel prices, you are exempt from having to travel more than 100 miles to each game! GO VIKES….
Comments