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    HomeSportsBlair feeds off that ‘good emotion’ to capture corollary softball title

    Blair feeds off that ‘good emotion’ to capture corollary softball title

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    After a well-struck Sherwood hit careened off the gymnasium ceiling and into an awaiting Blazer glove, cheers echoed off the walls of Blair’s gymnasium. A stream of players donning red and black jerseys converged at half court, smiling and hugging with their collective goal of a county championship complete.

    “We were just going nuts,” senior Gabe Befus said. “It was a moment of emotion, good emotion.”

    The final out stamped a 6-1 victory Wednesday for Blair’s corollary softball team over the defending champion Warriors. The win marked the Blazers’ fourth county championship and first title in eight years.

    Sherwood’s Amari Allen finds his place at the heart of a two-time state champion

    Corollary softball is a modified version of softball — with the intention of making the sport more accessible to athletes with physical and mental disabilities. The teams typically pair able-bodied athletes who don’t play any other high school sports alongside athletes with disabilities to create a competitive, yet welcoming athletic environment.

    The sport is played indoors, with bases placed 40 feet apart and the pitchers mound between 30 and 40 feet from the edge of home plate. The game is a slow-pitch softball format, but athletes have the option to use a hitting tee at any point during their at-bats.

    The game also features “X” bases, designated spots for specific athletes who typically take longer to reach base following a hit, among other modifications.

    “It’s just meant to be more inclusive,” Blair Coach Lisa Moran said. “They’re trying to be inclusive and give an opportunity for kids who might not normally play a varsity sport.”

    Athletes from both teams felt that inclusion throughout the season as well as during the county championship game.

    Senior captain Manolo Citalan Hernandez wasn’t planning on joining a varsity sport when he arrived at Blair as a freshman, afraid he would be judged by teammates. He was recruited to the school’s corollary bocce team by a Blair resource teacher and joined the corollary softball team his sophomore year.

    “It’s so amazing, I love this team,” an emotional Citalan Hernandez said. “Ever since I played for three years it helped me improve my grades academically, it made me a happier person.”

    Sherwood senior captain Bryce Williams used to attend the Warriors’ games in elementary school and always wanted to play for coach Katherine Ross’s team. Born premature with mild cerebral palsy, Williams grew up playing basketball with his brothers and father, former NBA player Walt Williams, and also played baseball throughout his childhood.

    Wednesday, he got to pitch in the county championship game for the team he grew up watching. He also helped the team to a divisional title earlier in the season, an award that the team was given at the conclusion of Wednesday’s contest.

    “It’s a great feeling, a lot of people aren’t able to bring home a trophy,” Williams said. “It’s a great feeling to bring it home.”

    Blair took an early lead in the opening inning of the contest with a home run in the first at-bat of the game. The Blazers tacked on two more runs in the following inning before the Warriors grabbed a run back in the third frame.

    A two-run home run from Befus stretched the Blazers’ lead and they held on to win in comfortable fashion. Both teams were celebrated at the conclusion of the event, receiving trophies for their respective division championships while Blair was given additional hardware for winning the county championship.

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