The message boards at every school in Des Moines this week read “We Are All Huskies. Go Hoover Softball!”
UPDATE: The Hoover Huskies are the 2018 Iowa Class 4A Softball Champion! Hoover defeated ADM 8-3 to take home the state title. Hoover beat Charles City 7-2 in the opening round game and Sergeant Floyd-Luton 12-1 in the semifinal. Four Huskies were selected to the All-Tournament Team: Daija Bates, Abby Nolte, Hannah Poortinga, and Hannah Blackford (captain).
Last August, the school year launched at Hoover High with lots of hoopla. Speeches and bands and cheerleaders greeted students as they arrived to begin a yearlong celebration of the school’s golden anniversary.
It’s been a special one throughout and, though classes ended weeks ago, this 50th year isn’t quite over. Hoover’s softball team meets ADM on Friday night with a state championship on the line in Class 4A. Playing for gold in the school’s golden year.
A program that didn’t even exist when Hoover first opened its doors has a chance to punctuate the first Husky half-century with an exclamation point. In 1982, Hoover made its first and, until now, only appearance at the state softball tournament. The Huskies made it a memorable trip, however, defeating Charles City 6-3 to win the state championship.
On Tuesday, Hoover again defeated Charles City, this time 7-2, in the tournament’s opening round. In Wednesday night’s semifinal against Sergeant Bluff-Luton the Huskies took a commanding lead to win 12-1 in five innings. In both games Hoover defeated the higher ranked team, just as they did throughout their postseason route to the state tournament.
In the most recent 4A state rankings compiled by the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union, which came out on July 5, ADM was pegged #2. That looks about right. Hoover was unranked. Those rankings were listed as “final.” Tomorrow is the only final that matters.
For more information on the state softball tournament, visit the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union’s web site.
