Head coach attributes success to seniors’ hardwork
For the second time in the past four years, the Gallup Lady Bengals won the softball state championship. Head Coach William Haines credits the team’s success with all the hard work they’ve put in this year.
“It was a lot of hard work and a lot of time that was put into it,” William said. “... I’m just happy we won another state title for Gallup High School.”
The team had a very successful year, finishing with a record of 24-6. They finished out the season by playing a double-header against the Artesia Bulldogs in the New Mexico Athletic Association State Softball 4A Championship. The Bulldogs won the losers bracket, so the Bengals had to face them twice in the double-elimination tournament.
The two teams played against each other in the second round of the championship tournament, with the Bengals sending the Bulldogs to the loser’s bracket with a score of 6-2. They encountered each other again in the championship round, where the Bengals lost the first game 1-0, but then came back later that afternoon to win 7-1.
William said part of the team’s success comes from having 10 seniors on the team. Two of them have even played for the Bengals since eighth grade.
“A lot of hard work is what led us to winning the state title,” William said. “It all goes back to our seniors, we had 10 seniors on the team this year. So there was a lot of hard work and experience.”
One of those seniors who has been with the team since she was in eighth grade is Seniah “S.J.” Haines. Taking time to reflect on her softball career at Gallup High School, S.J. said she was going to miss her teammates the most.
“I’m going to miss my teammates,” S.J. said. “We’ve been playing with each other since we were like 9 and 10, so we’ve been playing together for a long time. I’ll miss them having my back. They’ve been there for me both on and off the field.”
By Molly Ann Howell
Managing Editor
