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Published Sunday, October 30, 2011 in Sports

Photo by Jeffrey Leo

Head coach Lisa Skelton celebrated the Lady Vikings' second state championship in four years.

Game Notes: Northgate state title might seem like old times

By Doug Gorman

The Newnan Times-Herald

COLUMBUS – For Northgate head softball coach Lisa Skelton and longtime fans of the program, Saturday's state championship against Whitewater might have seemed like old times.

After all, four years ago, on the same Field No. 6 at the South Commons softball complex, the Lady Vikings knocked off Cherokee County in much the same way as they did Saturday, winning the title with a victory decided by the international tie breaker.

"It was almost identical to the way we won it back then," Skelton said. "Same play and everything else."

***

SCHOOL OF (ATHLETIC) EXCELLENCE: Friday night the Northgate football team rallied from 17 points down to beat Whitewater. Saturday's victory over Whitewater in softball might go a long way in intensifying the rivalry.

"We are a school of excellence," shortstop Ansley Smith said. "We excel in all sports. We work hard at it."

***

TRUE STUDENT-ATHLETE: Northgate's Abby Allen might have had her softball career derailed by bone cancer as a sophomore, but it's been a fall to remember for Lady Viking athlete.

Earlier this year, the senior was named Homecoming Queen at Northgate, and Saturday afternoon, she was able to celebrate the state title along with her teammates, as they posed for pictures and received tee-shirts and medals.

***

SPARKED BY THE COMEBACK: The Lady Vikings were on the brink of being sent to the loser's bracket on Thursday when they were down to their last out against Paulding County in the first game at the Elite 8 tournament.

That's when the offensive floodgates opened and Northgate scored 10 runs in a row. After the comeback, Northgate kept the momentum the rest of the weekend, beating Union Grove and Ola to set up the meeting with Whitewater.

"To be able to come back like that was awesome," said Katie Sachs, who fielded the ball for the last out of the game against Whitewater. "This is just and awesome feeling."

***

TEARS OF EMOTION: As the Northgate softball team walked around the field in Columbus just minutes after they clinched the Class AAAA state title, tears flowed freely as the Lady Vikings were able to release a ton of emotion.

Shortstop Ansley Smith kept a firm grasp on the trophy that will no doubt be on display for Northgate community starting Monday.

"It is awesome," Smith said. "I knew we could do this. We worked hard for it."

***

INSPIRED EFFORT: Northgate coach Lisa Skelton dedicated Saturday's softball victory to her late father, Billy Miller, who passed away four years ago.

"He has always been my inspiration," she said. "He was always there to watch me play and coach."

***

REGION PROVES ITS WORTH: Region 3-AAAA might be the best softball region in the state. At this year's Elite 8, half of the teams came from region 3-AAAA, including Northgate and Whitewater. Union Grove, which was ranked No. 1 in the state, was eliminated Friday, and Ola was knocked out early Saturday morning. Defending state champion Jones County didn't make to the state tournament after getting beat in the Region 3-AAAA Tournament.

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