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Norwood head coach Lori Drake was the short stop on the 1991 softball team.
“We weren’t expecting a district title back then 27 years ago, let alone a state championship,” said Drake.
The State banner still hangs in the Pirates’ gym, a subtle reminder that the team hasn’t been back to the final four since.
“I’m always just looking up there like I hope some day to get one of those,” said Pirates’ pitcher Payton Drake.
Until now.
“They just played hard ever since districts. Our girls just came together and all ten girls in the line up have done something big,” said Lori Drake. “I remember that being how we were. We just played one game at a time, one day at a time.”
There’s a lot of similarities between this team and the 1991 State Championship team, and that’s probably because it runs in their blood.
“We’re small town, a lot of people are related, but we have a lot of relation here on the team,” Lori Drake said.
Lori is now coaching her daughter Payton.
“She’s competitive like I was, and a little stubborn, probably like I was,” said Lori.
And she’s also coaching relatives of her former teammates.
“I know the twins, they play first and third for us, their aunt Tracey was the pitcher when my mom was the shortstop, so they have that connection,” said Payton.
“She always talks about how much fun it was to play at state, and to just have the chance. We honestly never thought that we would be the ones competing with her to get the same achievement that she did,” said sophomore Keyera Cornelison.
The 2018 Pirates feel like they need to win another state title in honor of their family.
“My mom did it, so I want to show her that we can do it, and show her that she can do it as a player and as a coach,” said Payton.
“We can’t drop it now, we’ve got to keep going! It’s just a tradition we need to start every few generations,” Cornelison said.
