COLUMBUS, Ga. — When all was said and done at the South Commons Softball Complex last week, the Social Circle Lady Redskins finished as the No. 2 team in the state.
The Lady Redskins’ path to the state title game had a rocky start, but the team ended four opponents’ seasons to make it out of the loser’s bracket. The Lady Redskins fell against Heard County 3-2 — the same team they lost to earlier in the tournament — to finish Social Circle as Class A-Division I state runners up.
The Lady Redskins’ path to the state title game had a rocky start, but the team ended four opponents’ seasons to make it out of the loser’s bracket. The Lady Redskins fell against Heard County 3-2 — the same team they lost to earlier in the tournament — to finish Social Circle as Class A-Division I state runners up.
While head coach Chris Davis and the team were sad with the result, he expressed what his team demonstrated in their performance all week.
“It was us coming through the loser’s bracket and showing that we can handle that was my biggest takeaway,” Davis said. “We lost game one, we came back through the loser’s bracket, [in the state title game] we gave up the lead in the bottom of the sixth and there we were fighting in the seventh. We’re going to be disappointed with the result, but not with the effort and the heart.”
Social Circle’s first game was an 8-1 loss to Heard County on Oct. 26. The next day, it rebounded with a 4-0 win over Bleckley County followed by the Lady Redskins’ biggest win coming on Friday defeating Bacon County 7-2.
Friday afternoon featured a Region 5A-Division I rematch with region champion Prince Avenue. Social Circle, who finished region runners up to the Lady Wolverines, eliminated Prince Avenue from the playoffs with a 3-2 victory.
To advance to the state title, the Lady Redskins downed Pepperell 3-2 Saturday morning.
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Davis mentioned how he felt like his message for the second half of the season seemed to resonate with the players come playoff time.
“I told them halfway through the year, ‘We have to finish games,’” Davis said. “It wasn’t when we had leads that we needed to finish, it was when we got to this moment the past couple of days. Finishing games is being able to come back and not quitting when you’re behind. We got to that point. We knew how to be up there toward the top of the mountain.”
The Lady Redskins finished at 26-8 overall and added region and state runners up to the 2022 season resume. The program will see four seniors graduate this season with a crop of 13 returners for 2023.
Davis mentioned numerous players who he believes will be big contributors for Social Circle in the future. Davis also stressed the importance of how this year’s playoff experience can assist the returning players.
“You need to experience Columbus to understand that little things matter,” Davis said. “Not only in the game, but little things at practice and in the weight room matter. Little things like fighting for your spot and competing every day. You compete against your teammates every day in practice, but out here it carries over to competing in the game.”
It was a long journey for Social Circle to get to Saturday.
Not too long ago, players were out practicing amid the humid summer conditions in July and August. Then, the season began Aug. 4 with the first region matchup being on Sept. 8. Then, Social Circle defeated Whitefield Academy and Elbert County twice to sweep the Super Regionals and punch its ticket to Columbus.
Throughout all of it, though, Davis noticed how the players maintained their trust in the team.
“They proved that they can do it and that there is no quit in them and they have fight,” Davis said. “As the season went on, the exclamation point here is they prove they can believe in themselves and each other.”
When the game went final on Saturday, all the emotions from this season seemed to come out from the players as they cried and consoled one another. But the tears subsided, the team accepted the second place trophy and medals and the crying turned to laughter as the players enjoyed being together on the softball field once last time this season.
And, while Davis admitted it was tough for him to witness his players being emotional. one thing became crystal clear.
“At the beginning of the year, I was hoping we had a team,” Davis said. “And I know, when we’re walking off the field today, we got a team.”
