Having the season canceled was a disappointment, but Dan never dwelled on it. And I thank you all. That set up the showdown at Weaver Park in front of a huge crowd, The game was tied after 6 innings and went into extra innings until the the 8th inning when Clarion walked it off with the win in one of the craziest plays you will ever see. Game Stats Season Stats Apr 24, 2023 @ 8:52am Stats Updated The Bobcats were 3-2 winners over Chartiers-Houston in the Semifinals/Western Final. You are all greatly appreciated and I cant thank you enough. Coming off a Division II State Championship in 2021, Keystone returns with a new face at the helm. Congratulations to one of the nicest men I have ever been associated with! Dan you always said work hard and good things would happen and they did. A throw back to a simpler time, when we only gave a select few the honor of being called COACH. Longtime assistant coach Douglas Cooper enters his first season as head coach of the. Opening night we had fireworks with the movie Field of Dreams on the speakers. Longtime Educator and Administrator and Clarion Area School District Superintendent Joe Carrico. As bad as we both wanted to win, after the game we were always good friends. She was their ace in 2021 and the Morning Journals Pitcher of the Year with a school record 30 wins and an ERA of 1.35. "That drives us to do exactly what it is that we need to do to make sure that we get to the places where we have been in the past.". Toreally know Dan is to appreciate his sincerity and caring for everyone. Enjoy some games with your family you deserve it! The Wildcats have made an amazing 18-state appearances in the Final Four of the Ohio softball prep playoffs with four state titles (1999, 2006, 2012 and 2018) with the 2012 squad being tabbed as National Champions. He was always accommodating and friendly. They werent just players to him, they were people he cared about, and continues to care about after they leave school. Ritter also earned CAC Academic All-Conference laurels all four years. Keystone High out of LaGrange, Ohio is one of the most storied high school programs in the country. We would have to set up pumps to get the water off of the tarp. Dan has been a well respected softball coach in the KSAC as well as the state of Pennsylvania for many years. The other thing that impressed me was how deeply he cared about the students on his team. Clarion Area Softball Coach Dan Shofestall retired recently, closing out a stellar thirty-plus year career that spanned parts of five decades, patrolling the diamonds, including Little League Baseball, Little League All-Stars and for the past fifteen years with the Bobcats. In typical Dan Shofestall fashion, when I mentioned wanting to do an article and wanting quotes, he was a bit hesitant, not wanting to miss anyone who he felt should be recognized. Book your tickets now! All characters from Gilligans Island! Alyssa played her high school ball for Altoona and spent her college years as a pitcher for Juniata College. When the schedule was released it was always a game I looked at to see when we played them. Volunteer Help the coach manage this team. Keystone's Bowser earns statewide coaches' award By Rodney L. Sherman, CLARION NEWS Editor Sep 20, 2022 KNOX - "She's a team player, the team comes first," Keystone Girls Softball Coach John Stiglitz said of senior Natalie Bowser. They were good and rightfully so. "When coach (Cooper) stepped away, I knew that it was going to be a turning point for our program," Gibson said. Anyway, I could go on and on singing Dans praises, but Im sure anyone whos ever had to great fortune to meet or be around him, already knows that. On January 19, 2005 The Clarion Area School District hired me to be the new softball coach at Clarion Area. Practices were set up to achieve this. I will always remember how hard Coach Dan worked, whether it was spending all day prepping the field, preparing for practice and having his girls ready for the game before it started. The things he did for the program behind the scenes is going to be hard to replace. I would often attend practices and observe the coaching staff and learn from them. I feel the same way about Randy Leadbetter, Joe Ferguson, and Dave Beers. She wants to pitch every inning, every out in every game.. It is my honor to call Dan my friend and one of the best coaches I have ever had the pleasure to coach with. Played at 3 Fields: Mondauk Park in Upper Dublin, Whistlestop Park in Colmar, Fellowship Park in Lansdale and Keith Valley Middle School in Horsham. Dan always wanted to climb the mountain and try and be the best. They dont come any better than Dan and I wish him nothing but the best in his future endeavors. I worked with 5 Athletic Directors in my 18 years at Clarion and without their help I could never have been a coach. As someone who has coached Keystone softball for almost two decades, she believes the relationship that she has grown with the players will be a tremendous asset. Well, I believe the quotes reached me by Saturday afternoon or early evening. (Above Image by Kim Constantino: 2019 Coach Shofestall, with Kait Constantino after presenting her with her District Nine Silver Medal). Coach Dan, thank you for being such an important figure in my life. We cannot rest on what happened last year.. We finished the year 24-1 and although the ending was not how we wanted the season to end, the ride we took together get to the State Final as a team and community is something Ill always remember. He said he knew he umpired that game and was amazed at the improvement in such a short time. The use of software that blocks ads hinders our ability to serve you the content you came here to enjoy. And the quotes, as always, were very complimentary and very well thought out. Many people say that when you play and coach for Coach Dan, you truly become a member of the family, he sends every player past and present a Christmas card, every year! This is going to be a second year and transition. Dan was never a great athlete and never really played ball himself so he was completely self-taught. From my family, the players, parents and families, coaching staff, opposing coaches, fans, media outlets, Booster Club, Athletic Directors, School officials, booster clubs, umpires, Clarion Little League, Borough employees, area businesses, local clubs etc the list could go on forever and ever. I told him I would help. Looking for 21-22 info? The field preparation not only helped CAHS but also helped Clarion Little League Softball. A native of Throop, Pennsylvania, Ford graduated from Mid Valley High School in 2016, where she was a four-year starter on the basketball and softball teams and was team captain of the softball program since her junior year and earned an Outstanding Teammate Award for the Spartans. Having you as our coach was one of the best times in our lives. Dans passion for coaching and his commitment to youth was refreshing. We wish Dan all the best, good health and relaxation in his retirement. Edgar, their father was a wonderful man and his wife taught in the same building with me. Coming off a record-setting season, Cooper plans to keep Cassell motivated to continue to get better, knowing that his team has a lot of goals to accomplish. We are thankful for Coach Dan! The thing about Dan is that no one prepared more than he did. On 4/14, the Keystone Oaks varsity softball team lost their home conference game against Brownsville (PA) by a score of 5-4. Because of his muddy clothes, Dan was the topic of many comments and funny jokes, however we all knew that without his efforts many home games would have been cancelled due to poor field conditions. As the day wore on, it was evident that the ice wasnt going to melt. Longtime Clarion-Limestone Basketball Coach And Longtime Little League Baseball Coach Joe Ferguson, I happen to be on vacation this week but wanted to make sure to send something on Dan since. Can play with only 1 but penalty for doing so. Your destination for buying luxury property in Grenoble, Auvergne-Rhne-Alpes, France. ryan bown. Im sure Coach Shofestall has made a huge impact on the lives of many of the young ladies hes coached. Alison Ritter - Softball Head Coach/Academic Coordinator - Softball Coaches - Keystone College Athletics Keystone College Athletics Main Navigation Menu Quick Links Composite Schedule Live Game Links Staff Directory News Archives Fingertip Facts Social Media Sports Men's Sports Baseball Basketball Cross Country Football Lacrosse Soccer One time after it rained, a cold front moved in and the water on the tarp froze with a sheet of ice on it. To this day I still get a Christmas card from him every single year! Former Longtime Redbank Valley Softball Coach John Sayres. When I coached with Dan we would spend hours debating, planning and debating again what we should do and how we needed to improve. Obviously, that was many years ago and I continued to marvel over his dedication to his sport, his team, his players and his community. Two of my former players (Riley and Quinn) even got married and live in Georgia, last I heard. Its been fun. I had been coaching Little League the previous twelve years but I always kept track of High School softball and had great interest in it. He always strived to become a better coach. This is a man that sends Christmas cards to players and families he coached decades ago. Since resigning as Clarion softball coach, I have been busy going through a lot of my old papers and I was shocked at how much I have accumulated over the last 30 plus years. As fate would have it, we ended up winning a district title, which at that time, I believe had been a twenty-one or twenty-five year wait for the Clarion area. He is truly one of the good guys. This is the unseen part that few saw. Keystone Softball Roster 2022-23 Players (22) Staff (2) Do you have a team photo? I will also cherish the time he gave to my family! He would spend hours before and after practice making sure everything was ready. chris mattison. Dan was of course an amazing softball coach but an even better leader. They know what it takes and the hard work thats involved to get the job done. In 2014 we lost many of the players from the previous season, and most of the team had played little ball if any at all. Evans was a standout softball player for the Giants from 2001-02 to 2004 and she also served as head coach during the 2012 season, leading the Giants to a 19-17 record (11-11 CSAC), including a postseason appearance. Randy, years later, would be one of my assistants on our softball team. He will be greatly missed. On a side note, most people dont know that Dan is a closet Notre Dame fan. LOL, Longtime Clarion Little League Coach, Umpire And Board Member Joel German. On Oct. 20, Cooper announced his retirement from. Current And Longtime Keystone Softball Coach John Stiglitz. He is not one to take credit for his players accomplishments, but rather deflects the success of his team to others. Fifteen of their twenty-two wins were shutouts. Clarion came into the game at 23-0, while Chartiers-Houston entered at 22-0. mariah.ford@keystone.edu. I was asked by Dave McClaine to write an article for the Clarion Sports Zone on my coaching career at Clarion Softball and Clarion Little League over the years. The last time Keystone went to Division III, the Wildcats were state runners-up in 2001 under former coach Larry Shaw. Former Longtime Clarion Area Softball Assistant Allen (Pete) And Wife Robin Peterson. He had a tremendous gift to make every player feel important and integral to the teams success. You blended teams better than anyone with your caring way. Each player he has coached during his tenure becomes part of his family. Some were wins some were losses. It is the home of our softball team, but it was also where I spent much time in my early years of coaching. Longtime Clarion Softball Assistant Coach and longtime Clarion Little League Baseball Coach Randy Reynolds. Coach Shofestall brought some old photos for the article by the other day and as we were in the driveway talking, Dan would share a number of old memories from Little League and All-Stars, something like, Great All-Star team My First League championship team, great players, some really good parents and assistant coaches. Dan being Dan, no patting himself on the back. The most recent updates will appear at the top of the wall dating back to prior seasons. director of college recruiting. He is knowledgeable of the game, but always is looking to be better. She hit two RBI singles in the first inning to lead, 1-0, and sixth to tie the . I didnt mention very many names for the reasons I stated at the beginning. 11 inch ball. We had a game that evening with C-L and we had no choice but to push the ice off of the tarp with brooms onto the grass outfield. For someone who has spent nearly his entire adult life sitting at a computer and typing in words fora living, youd think Id have some idea of how to convey my thoughts and feelings about Dan Shofestall stepping down as Clarion High Schools softball coach. Throughout every practice, he always preached about working to get 1% better each day. Keystone softball: Doug Cooper announces retirement; Wildcats look for new coach Doug Cooper will always cherish his time at Keystone. 6 Seasons 56-93 Overall (.376) / 42-34 CSAC (.553), ALMA MATER His teams always got better as the season went on. On Dec. 23, the Wildcats hired longtime assistant coach Gina Gibson to fill the void. You can add hard working, loyal, dependable and genuine. !. Here are a few comments on my perspective of Coach Dan Shofestall. NCAA Champion Magazine. Little did we know that would be the last time we would be together as a team. The Bobcats made the District Nine playoffs all but one season, winning districts in 2011 and made the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) playoffs four times (2010, 2011, 2016 and 2019), winning the West Championship and advancing to the State Title game in 2011, and advancing to the quarterfinals in 2019. Every weekend Ben's Bus will be waiting for you at arrivals. Ill leave it there, knowing that although he may have retired from coaching and Ill miss him dearly, well always have a connection that will stand the test of time!!! "I want to build upon the success the program has had in the past and looking forward to working with the student-athletes.". Rhne-Alpes, former rgion of France. You were all amazing. I have known Dan for a very long time before coaching against each other. Win or lose we knew you would be there by the way we didnt lose many. Longtime Clarion Softball Assistant Coach John Stroup. PERSONAL Giants advanced to the winners' bracket semifinal round of the double-elimination CSAC Championships and finished in third placeGraduate senior Shannon Lloyd named to CoSIDA Academic All-District 4 Team as well as All-CSAC First Team Also earning All-CSAC honors were First Team selections freshman Jordan Frye and senior Paige Mokychic, andSecond Team selection freshman Brooke Staple 10 players named to CSAC All-Academic Team. For several seasons we had many ladies that had little experience. 1. At that time Franklin was our big rival. (by the way my garbage man is a player I coached in Little League All-Stars in 1994 lol). But in his assessment, there is too vast a number of individuals that have worked with him in his passion for the kids for him to recall everyone. Bats/Game-ball: Wood softball bats are used with a 11 inch ball. Apr 24, 2018 | In the News. Allen also yearly sponsors the Allen Peterson Academic Achievement Award, given to a senior member of the softball team who meets all criteria. The rivalry between Sorce and Burns was great! The 2023 season will be different for Keystone softball not only because of the new head coaching hire, but also because they dropped to Division III from Division II over the summer. For 18 years you have navigated a very successful program worthy of acknowledgement and celebration. I remember an assignment where we had to choose an important leader in our lives and see how they stacked up against the textbook assessment. Some special notes on the 2011 team: They scored 301 runs for the season. That allowed us to get more done in our allotted time than any other team, and over the course of a season that makes a big difference. She will replace former coach Doug Cooper, who retired in late October. 2 Women required in the field. Most of them I have been throwing out into the garbage.
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