WE BELIEVE... And now everyone else does too!! Kee softball team battles through three-game sweep of Class 1A elite to claim State Tournament Championship; Kee High’s first-ever State title in a female team sport


Members of the Kee softball team rush toward the Class 1A State Tournament Championship trophy they just earned after defeating top-ranked Akron-Westfield, 7-3, in the Class 1A State Championship game Friday evening, July 22 at Rogers Sports Complex in Fort Dodge. The Hawks’ state title triumph over the perennial power Westerners avenged a loss the Hawks suffered to them in the 2014 Class 1A State Championship game and capped off a three-game State Tournament run this past week that also included an 11-4 first-round victory over unranked Belle Plaine Monday, July 18 and a 5-2 win Thursday, July 21 over fourth-rated Martensdale-St. Mary’s in the semifinal round of the season grand finale. View and find out how to purchase this photo and many more at the “Photo Galleries” link.

It was two seasons ago that the Kee softball team sent shockwaves through the Class 1A softball ranks by playing to a State Tournament Runner-Up finish after heading into the season-ending tournament unranked. Riding that wave ever since - mostly up but sometimes down, including missing out on a return trip to the season grand finale last summer, the Hawks climbed atop the crest of that wake this season and rode it all the way to its pinnacle, the Class 1A State Tournament Championship.

“I am so happy for the girls, they have worked so hard for this and they are so deserving,” Kee softball coach Liz Hill said. “This is something they’ve wanted for so long and have been willing to put the time in for; it’s just so amazing to see all that pay off for them with a State Championship. They are a phenomenal group of young ladies, who not only play good softball but are great people with great character. That makes it even more gratifying to seem them win themselves a state title, and I’m so happy I got to be a part of all that with them.”

Entering the Class 1A State Tournament field as the second-seeded team behind perennial power and top-rated Akron-Westfield, the Hawks ultimately knew that their dreams of winning a state championship would ultimately have to go through those top-seeded Westerners, who also missed out on last season’s grand finale after having defeated the Hawks for the Class 1A state title in 2014. Nonetheless, the Kee diamond dwellers took one game, one inning at a time during this year’s State Tournament held at Rogers Sports Complex in Fort Dodge Monday, July 18 through Friday, July 22.

“The girls were pretty zoned in, they knew exactly what they wanted and they went out and got it,” Coach Hill said of her team’s efforts. “It was kind of a rollercoaster for them, where they knew what work they had to do to reach their goal, but yet you wanted them to enjoy every win; but then it was right back to work getting ready for the next game. It was a fun week, and we all grew together even so much more. It was amazing to be a part of.”

Kee opened the tournament with an 11-4 victory over unranked Belle Plaine Monday, July 18, advancing to the semifinal round to face fourth-rated Martensdale-St. Mary’s, which had posted an 8-0 first-round triumph over unranked Charter Oak-Ute. The Hawks posted a 5-2 triumph over last year’s fourth-place Bluedevils Thursday, July 21, earning advancement to the Class 1A State Championship game once again, and a much anticipated title tilt date with Akron-Westfield. That Friday, July 22 championship bout proved to be a turning of the tables from two seasons ago, as the Hawks pulled away to a 7-3 triumph over the top-rated Westerners, ending Akron-Westfield’s quest for a fifth state championship in the last seven seasons and giving life to a new Kee reign over Class 1A Iowa high school softball.

With their efforts during the season grand finale, four Hawks played their way to All-Tournament recognition honors, with junior pitcher/third baseman Courtney Cooper headlining that recognition by being named as the Class 1A All-Tournament Team Captain. She was joined on that honors squad by the sophomore teammate trio of first baseman Chloe Severson, center fielder Nicki Wood and third baseman/pitcher Kendra Cooper, who earned All-Tournament honors for the second time after doing so as an eighth grader during Kee’s Class 1A State Tournament Runner-Up season in 2014.

It is only fitting that Kee’s best-ever season finish also produced the program’s best-ever season record. The Hawks wrapped up their 2016 State Championship season with a school record 39-6 overall mark that includes an undefeated Upper Iowa Conference championship standard of 18-0.

“The community support has been so incredible this entire season, we appreciate everything everyone has done for us,” Coach Hill shared. “The support has been great this whole season, but to see people from a small town come out at 1:30, 2:00 in the morning just to welcome the team home was unbelievable. And throughout the week at the State Tournament, it was so hot. We had parents and other supporters from the community help us out by offering to get things or do things for the girls, it was amazing. If we didn’t have that support and help from everyone, I’m not sure if we come home with that state championship. And that is something these girls will never forget. I’m confident that when they get to be in that position when they are older, they are going to remember how that felt and be more than willing to do whatever they can to help out. That’s the kind of people they are, and that’s what makes them that much more deserving of winning a state championship.”

For more complete coverage, pick up this week's print edition or subscribe to our e-edition by clicking here.