Benet grabs momentum in run to state

Updated: June 7, 2011 7:06PM

In 2009, Benet’s softball team recorded its best record — 31-6. The Redwings won an East Suburban Catholic Conference title and their sixth regional title. That was the year they were supposed to qualify for state and had great potential to win it all.

Benet, however, lost in the sectional semifinal to Naperville Central, which ended up going to state and finishing fourth overall in Class 4A.

Last year Benet was confident once again that good things were going to happen. Instead, the Redwings went 19-17 and lost to Naperville Central again, this time in the regional semifinal.

Now as the 2011 season winds down, Benet is 30-10 and heading for the state tournament, along with Moline, St. Charles North and New Trier. The Redwings will take on the Maroons at East Peoria in the semifinal Friday at 4:30 p.m. at the EastSide Centre.

Who would have guessed Benet would have gotten to this point — besides the Redwings, of course? They were given the No. 5 seed in the Oswego East sectional. They ended up third in the conference standings behind Marist and Marian. They lost 10 games in the regular season and were 12-8 at one point in the season.

Those are not exactly state-bound numbers and statistics, but the Redwings are going to state, and couldn’t be happier.

“We just keep believing in ourselves and just keep going strong,” freshman shortstop Marissa Panko said after Benet beat Richards, 4-1, in the Hinsdale South supersectional in Darien on Monday. “We were kind of the underdogs coming in here, but we know we can do this. We’ll just keep chugging along.”

“This is really awesome,” Benet pitcher Allyson Staats said. “I don’t think it has really hit me yet that we are going to state. It’s pretty exciting.”

Staats, along with seniors Shellie Schaffer, Nora McGuire, Tracy Griffin, Mikayla Panko, Laura Wise and junior Kendall Duffy were a part of the 2009 team whose season ended too soon.

“We all thought that year was the year,” Mikayla Panko said. “This is just great.”

“It was nice to have 31 wins that year....but going to state is just so much different,” said the Bradley University-bound Duffy, who won’t be too far from the college she will be attending. “It’s so emotional. It’s amazing, definitely amazing.”

The seven players know what it is like to have a great season. They are older, wiser and are ready to conquer the state tournament.

“They have the experience and are used to winning,” Benet coach Jerry Schilf said. “We’ve put it together this year, and it’s great.”

Benet has won 14 of its last 15 games. The Redwings beat Metea Valley, Plainfield Central, Naperville North, Downers Grove South and Richards in the playoffs to get to this point.

“We are getting hotter and hotter every game,” Mikayla Panko said. “I just can’t wait for the weekend.”

© 2012 Sun-Times Media, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be copied or distributed without permission. For more information about reprints and permissions, visit www.suntimesreprints.com. To order a reprint of this article, click here.