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Pasta night leads to championship

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After graduating four seniors from the 2007 Class AAA state championship team, Susquehannock softball coach Dave Pollick wanted to find a unique way to band his 2008 group together. Pollick did and the team with three freshman in its starting lineup this season, won its second straight state title behind a 3-1 win over previously unbeaten Milton Area on Friday afternoon. He held a pasta night.

"Early in the season I said, “Everybody is coming to my house for pasta night” and they were all excited,” the coach said. “They come in there and I have all of these stations set up around the kitchen.

“They looked around and said, ‘What is this?' and I said, 'You as a team are making dinner. I will coach you.' So somebody had to learn how to make a pasta sauce, somebody had to learn how to cook pasta and we made a Caesar salad.”

The team building worked in the kitchen and obviously on the field

“The kids laughed and were throwing things at each other. Those are the kind of things that when it is all said and done that really pulls your team together, Pollick said.

“Now don’t forget we also have to spend sweaty, long days working hard and working on skills and techniques.”

Pollick continued.

“Chemistry is a critical element of all of this. It is talked about until you are ready to be sick in your stomach about it, but it is true.”

It all paid off with another title in the end, but with star pitcher Megan Sheaf returning next season the question had to be asked, does the coach think they can three-peat?

“Never say never,” Pollick said. “When people work hard and you trust them and they look at you and say, ‘Sure I can do this,’ anything is possible.”

He referred to a saying posted in the Warriors’ locker room that said: “When nothing is certain, everything is possible.”

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