(Benson school photo)

 

Benson is on the verge of revisiting a championship dynasty that once was. The Bobcats averaged 29 wins a year from 2006 to 2011 and took home three state championships (2006, 2008, 2011), a runner-up finish (2010) and a semifinal showing (2007) along the way. A quarterfinal result in 2009 was the only “glitch” in that streak.

The Bobcats shifted up to a reconfigured Division III after 2011 and the result was three straight quarterfinal finishes followed by a second-round setback in 2015. A move back to D-IV in 2016 resulted in a semifinal finish and a return to the top of 2A softball with a state championship in 2017. With a record of 29-1-1 this spring, it’s no wonder the Bobcats have earned the top seed in the 2018 2A state tournament.

Longtime assistant coach Yogi Wilson is in his second year as the helm of the Bobcats and he has seen it all in his 15 years with the program.

“Our playoff history is something that we are proud of,” Wilson said. “We have qualified for the tournament every year since 2003. In that 15-year span we have reached nine final fours and never lost a first round game. We have gone 4-1 in championship games and have an overall playoff record of 34-11.”

Wilson feels his current squad is the best offensive lineup the program had ever fielded.

“Our team batting average has been hovering around .500 for much of the season,” Wilson added. “We have belted over 50 homeruns as a team and scored over 450 runs this season.”

The Bobcats are led by seniors Emmarae Wilson and Hope Adams, juniors Katie Sherman and Abby Workman and freshman Emily Darwin.

Let’s take a look at some of the teams ready to take on the Bobcats:

No. 2 Camp Verde (22-6): The Cowboys finished in the semifinal round last year after earning a runner-up trophy in 2016 but the team lost two important pieces to graduation. Kayla Hackett batted .568 with 31 RBI, 10 doubles, three triples and four home runs last year and Madison Johnson batted .566 with 32 RBI, 12 doubles, a triple and two home runs. Still, there was plenty left in the tank for head coach Henry Smith and he just reloaded.

Freshman Jenna Huey is batting an incredible .628 with 28 RBI, 15 doubles, two triples and three home runs, sophomore Jacy Finley is hitting .583 with 42 RBI, 17 doubles and three home runs. Finley is also leading her team from the circle for the second year in a row with 18 wins and 205 strikeouts in 127 innings pitched. Finley went 16-7 last year with 165 strikeouts as a freshman.

No. 3 Willcox (21-9): The Cowboys lost to the Benson three times this year by lopsided scores of 13-0, 7-1 and 10-2 and Benson beat Willcox 4-1 in the first round of the state playoffs last year. In fact, the last time Willcox beat Benson was in the 2010 state championship game.  19 straight losses have followed.

Mike Patterson was the head coach when the Cowboys were on even par with their rivals and Trevor Ward was his assistant. This year, Ward is in his first year at the helm of the Cowboys and Patterson is his assistant. Under those circumstances, getting past Benson might be possible.

“The team has been successful this year in part to the off-season workouts in the gym, making commitments to the team and not the individual.” Ward explained. Ward lists senior Hope Lee and junior Samantha Kortsen as his team leaders.

No. 4 Morenci (18-10): The Wildcats lost to Benson 12-3 on April 23 and 6-1 in March. Joe Garcia is in his second year with Morenci and his team is led a by a trio of seniors. Shaunee Seballos is batting .571 with 30 RBI, 12, doubles, 10 triples and three home runs, Destiny Apodaca is hitting .539 with 29 RBI, 16 doubles, four triples and a home run, and Alexis Gregory is batting .519 with 37 RBI, 13 doubles and five home runs. Junior Jamiee Rodriguez has 31 RBI with five home runs and she leads the team with 17 wins and 122 strikeouts.

No. 5 Bourgade Catholic (19-8): The Golden Eagles lost to Benson in the state championship game last year. JinHee Huff has been the head coach Bourgade Catholic since 2005, winning it all in 2012.

“We have strong leadership and a positive outlook,” Huff said on her current team. “We set goals and work very hard on effective communication. Our team has drive and faith in our journey to be state champs!”

Huff lists Alexia Flores, Rachel Hammons, Mallory McDowell, Emme Maciel and Daisy Hernandez as her team leaders.

“We work hard to learn about ourselves and how to develop into strong, powerful, confident women who can self advocate and believe in their abilities,” Huff added. “We contribute to our community with a service project to feed the homeless on an annual basis, and we participated in the DBacks Race Against Cancer this spring. We believe in the aspect of bonding and being respectful and kind to one another on and off the field by practicing a constant and consistent contact with one another during the entire season.”

No. 6 Paradise Honors (15-5): Paul Hatcher is in his third year with the Panthers. The team lost to Benson in the quarterfinal round last year after guiding the team to the first playoff victory in program history.

“Our team has been successful because we have 14 young women on the same page,” Hatcher noted.

Freshman Ledezma Romero is batting .604 and senior Katie Hatcher has 45 RBI, 16 doubles, three triples and three home runs. Hatcher also has 10 wins from the circle.

No. 7 Trivium Prep (20-5): Jennifer Luque started the softball program at the school last year and she has them in the playoffs as a top-seed in two years.

“Three years ago, a group of girls wanted to play softball but we were not large enough to form a team, Luque said. “Three girls tried out for the baseball team and made it. During that time, they asked if I would still work with them on their softball skills and I agreed. Last year was the first time our high school had a softball team and I graciously accepted the challenge as head coach. Our team consisted of our three "Originals" and the rest were freshman. This year we have only gotten stronger and have been consistent both offensively and defensively.”

Luque’s team leaders are Ashton Holt, Cara Lozon, Brenna Taylor and Corinne Vasiloff. “Our softball community is a family,” she added. “We play for each other and this attitude has created an environment that keeps us all excited to be on the field."

No. 8 Kingman Academy (22-7): The Tigers lost in the first round last year and the 22 wins this year is the most ever by the young program. Senior Maryssa Edwards leads the team with a .561 batting average and 34 RBI. Freshman Lynsey Day has two home runs. Edwards and fellow senior Jessica Plew share pitching duties and the pair have combined for 194 strikeouts.