It was truly unfortunate for Shakamak Monday night at the Class A state title game at Victory Field. The Lakers fell apart late in the final innings to lose 6-0 to the Senators of Washington Township. Out of nine appearances Shakamak has had at the state title game, it was one Laker fans will probably not talk about in future years.
On my way out of Victory Field Monday I shook my head at a security guard outside the stadium saying, “That did not go the way I thought it would.”
The security guard laughed and said, “Yeah I don’t think they deserved to be there.”
I quickly said, “They deserved to be there, they just did not have it tonight.”
That was how the conversation concluded. It immediately hit me though that people watching Shakamak for the first time Monday night on television probably thought the same way the security guard thought. That the Lakers did not deserve their spot in the title game.
It was a rough way to end a season for sure but Shakamak earned the right to be there. The Lakers built momentum during their postseason run but against Washington Township, the momentum evaporated.
Another reporter at the game asked me “Who are those players in blue uniforms because they sure are not Shakamak?” It was that kind of night. The Lakers, who had 34 runs over the last three games only had one hit Monday night on the big stage.
The game was rough and the sixth inning alone will never be mentioned in Wright Township ever again. The Lakers, though, deserved to be there.
Against White River Valley, Clay City, Bloomfield, Southwestern, Oldenburg and Borden the Shakamak players proved they belong on Victory Field. Shakamak made winning six postseason games look easy but that does not mean it actually is. It also means their achievement should not be belittled based on the final game.
My dad’s favorite joke whenever someone made a mistake was to say “Sometimes you’re the windshield and sometimes you're the bug. Today you’re the bug.”
Shakamak was the bug Monday night after being the windshield for three weeks. The cicada that flew into my car the other night can testify it is not fun being the bug. Shakamak though still deserved to be there.
For a small public school to make it to Victory Field this day in age is a big win in itself.
Coach Jeremy Yeryar summed it up best.
“I told them you guys have nothing to hold your heads about," Yeryar said. "You guys left it out all on the field. It’s just a shame today that the game we had was at the time we had it.”
Menu
