WHS earns spot at state

DARRELL L. BREESE/Frontiersman reporter

WASILLA - For Wasilla softball coach Sam Korsmo, this is what it's all about.

"All the adrenaline, energy and enthusiasm of a young team," he said. "It's great. The girls are just having fun and excited about heading to the state tournament again."

The Warriors travel to Fairbanks for the second straight season to play in the state championship tournament.

Wasilla, the No. 7 seed in the large-school tourney, opens play with No. 2 seed Lathrop, Friday at 8:30 a.m. at the Hez Ray Fields.

One of the toughest tasks for Korsmo this week will be keeping his players calm.

Since wrapping up the regular season with a 6-2 win over Houston Wednesday, his players have been eager to get things started.

"They were ready to go before we started playing tonight," Korsmo said. "That would explain the problems we had against Palmer.

Palmer surprised the Warriors with a 7-2 Moose win on Wednesday.

Korsmo said his team was so excited about the prospect of going to the state tournament, they could not sit down.

The Warriors will have had a full week off before finally getting to open the double-elimination tourney. Wasilla plays a minimum of two games on Friday. A spot in the semifinals of the championship bracket ensures a third game for the day. The championship match is scheduled for Saturday at 2 p.m.

Korsmo said getting to the tournament for the second time means a lot to his team.

"It's the start of building a winning tradition," he said. "Tradition is important. One just needs to look at teams like Chugiak and Juneau. One of them is always playing for the championship. The girls on those teams expect to win, and work to keep that tradition alive."

Korsmo said he expects the team to start a new tradition, by advancing deep into the tournament. Winning games Friday and staying in the winners' bracket could be the key.

"I think everybody realizes how big Friday is," Korsmo said. "The teams that pull off victories Friday are among the favorites on Saturday. If you lose a game on Friday, you've got to come back and win. That's tough for anyone."

Last season Wasilla lost a pair of one-run games in the first two rounds of the tournament, ending their season.

"We like to think that we're no longer the party crashers," Korsmo said. "We are building a program that belongs in the tournament every year. We'll see if we can do something this year."