PHOTO PROVIDED Hughesville softball players celebrate after advancing to the District 4 Class AAA championship game following a win at Elm Park.

The main reason Hughesville has enjoyed its best season ever could be powered by something statistics cannot measure.

It’s not necessarily tangible, but it can be viewed if one looks closely enough whenever the Spartans play. Simply put, Hughesville has developed terrific chemistry. The Spartans are taking the field not as individuals, but as one unit and the results have been historic.

Hughesville proves it again today when it competes in the Class AAA state tournament for the first time, playing at District 2 champion Mid Valley. The Spartans had only one playoff victory in 40 years of softball before this season. They doubled that in a five-day span, reaching the district championship for the first time and besting the previous program record for wins (which they tied last year) by four.

“Our chemistry definitely contributes to how well we play,” Hughesville center fielder Ashlynn Barlett said following a 1-0 district semifinal win against North Penn-Liberty. “We trust each other. We all get along.”

That has been evident all season and especially during the playoffs. Hughesville won hard-fought district games against Towanda and North Penn-Liberty and, despite a loss in the championship, still made a series of excellent plays against Loyalsock.

Look up and down the roster and one finds names of players who have been the team’s heroes at different times. Hughesville produced impressive wins against Montoursville, Warrior Run (twice) and 4A district finalist Central Columbia before defeating two of the NTL’s best teams in districts, often erasing deficits to do so.

It’s not just talent which has made that happen. It is belief in both themselves and each other.

“If something happens, I trust them to come back stronger,” shortstop Maddie Smith said. “I can go up to them and say, ‘Pick yourself up and go make the next play,’ and that’s what happens.”

“We have come together. If we make an error, we bounce back. We don’t dwell on those anymore,” left fielder McKenna Sones said. “It’s comforting knowing that even if there are runners in scoring position that we can get out of it.”

Hughesville displayed it again in that North Penn-Liberty victory. The Mounties had won four straight games the past two years against Hughesville, outscoring it, 27-3 in two this season. That included an 18-0 drubbing in the season opener.

Showing that it cares little about the past and only about the next opportunity, Hughesville played a near-flawless game in the semifinals, making a series of stellar plays which helped decide the game. Included in them was a double play produced by Smith, first baseman Jayla Koser and third baseman Addy Knight which squashed a potential game-tying rally.

That has helped senior pitcher Ella Breneisen enjoy a fantastic final high school season, breaking the program record for pitching wins in a season with 14. She opened districts with two shutouts and threw 15 1/3 scoreless innings before finally allowing a run.

“I attribute it to the fielders. They’re just amazing,” Breneisen said. “It’s nice to be able to trust the defense behind me. They make me a lot calmer.”

Hughesville has remained calm in tough situations all year. The Spartans rallied from four runs down, twice being down to their last three outs, in an 8-7 comeback win against Montoursville. They forced extra innings at Loyalsock after trailing by three runs in the seventh and scored 10 unanswered runs at Central after the Blue Jays went up, 4-2.

Chemistry and trust connects the players and that has formed an unbreakable bond. Hughesville has not won all its games but it also no longer beats itself and/or takes the field lacking confidence. Those days are behind and with just two seniors, what Hughesville is achieving this season could carry forward. It’s not just about this becoming a historic season but also possibly building a bridge to an even better future since this team has broken through that 40-year wall.

“It’s their hard work. It’s what my staff puts into it, what the captains (Breneisen and Sones) put into it and what the team as a whole puts into it,” Hughesville coach Dave Dimoff said. “It’s a collaborative effort. It’s all about them, about the players and about the assistant coaches. You always have players who graduate and lose good kids, but a culture that has been established and the belief they have produced has shown them that we can be successful.”

The future looks bright, but that can wait. It’s all about the present. Hughesville has proven itself to be one of the state’s top 16 Class AAA teams and has an opportunity to try and become the best.

Mid Valley is a tradition-laden program and a tough opponent. Still, Hughesville has overcome challenges all year. It has embraced the hard and blazed a new trail.

Smith has been part of something similar the past two years on the basketball court, helping that team reach new heights. With another season comes another opportunity. Hughesville has ascended far, but the climb continues.

“I was telling my teammates coming in this (district semifinal), ‘I’ve experienced it in basketball. This is a different feeling being in these big games. You want to do it,'” Smith said. “You just go out there and do what we know how to do. You just go out there and leave everything on the field. That’s all you can do.

“We’ve practiced it, we’ve done it, and we know what to do. We just have to make the plays and we’ll succeed.”