These Stars are as good as they are young
The White Sox stole the "These kids can play" slogan a few years ago, but you'd be hard pressed to come up with a better motto for the St. Charles North softball team.
When Amanda Ciran fired the final strike in the North Stars' 12-8 win over St. Charles East Wednesday, only the catcher who snagged it - Kristin Damm - was a junior.
Every other North Star on the field was a sophomore. Not a single senior in a group that at 15-2 has emerged as the class of a conference loaded with dynamite softball teams.
So it's not hard to imagine that St. Charles North, 2009 Upstate Eight softball champions, could also become St. Charles North 2010 Upstate Eight softball champions, and St. Charles North 2011 Upstate Eight softball champions.
"Looking at the future is pretty exciting," said first baseman Julia Clare Plezbert, one of those super sophs.
The present isn't so bad either. With a lineup this young, even coach April Stary is surprised at just how fast they have climbed to the top.
"This good this fast? I wouldn't say I expected it but it was kind of one of those you hoped it would happen and it did," Stary said. "These kids are booming together. They've got no complaints, they are just doing their thing."
Stary said she saw potential last year when Sydney and Taylor Russell, Loren Cihlar, Ciran and Natalie Capone all made an impact at the varsity level. Three other freshmen - Plezbert, Annie Korth and Ashley Seering - all had success at the JV level.
"This team is amazing," Ciran said. "I love this team. Having so many sophomores you know we are just going to keep getting better and better and better. We all contribute so much and put in so much effort with this team and it shows on a day like today."
St. Charles North's three seniors, including Christine Roggemann, also deserve credit for their team-first attitude.
"They (the seniors) have been supporting us the whole way," Plezbert said. "It may not look like it but they teach us a lot of things when we are practicing. They encourage us to do our best. It's a team and we really bonded this year."
Stary had 11 of her alums watching the game Wednesday. She was thrilled for those talented players who were always blocked by state caliber Lake Park and Bartlett teams from winning the Upstate Eight to see this young group do it.
"Those were phenomenal kids and teams and not one of them got to where these kids got," Stary said. "Lake Park and Bartlett were such powerhouses. Now we've got all these young kids coming up and it bodes well. I don't know too many other teams with sophomores like that getting the job done."
One of those, while not quite as completely sophomore-dominated as the North Stars, was on the other side of the field Wednesday. St. Charles East only started three seniors.
No doubt about it, the future of softball on both sides of town in St. Charles is exceedingly bright.
And judging by the big crowds that turned out to support both teams Wednesday, I'm not the only one who knows these kids can play.
jlemon@dailyherald.com