The final glitch in the Briar Woods Falcons’ mission occurred when a tremendous thunderstorm whipped across Radford University’s athletic fields June 11, delaying the start of the Virginia AA championship softball game for more than two hours.

Being sent back to their bus, already in uniform, to wait out the tempest may have been just what the Falcons’ doctor ordered, according to Jennifer Traina, the only head softball coach in the school’s six years of existence.

“They played a bunch of silly games like they always play, and they just kinda laid around and got to relax,” she said. “I think that because they were sitting around for so long, they didn’t have the luxury of being nervous anymore.”

At that very moment those same relaxed, non-nervous players—giddy in the aftermath of their 9-1 win over Dulles District foe Woodgrove to claim Group AA supremacy—deluged their unsuspecting coach with the frigid ice water of their 10-gallon cooler.

“So hot and now so cold!” Traina stammered, shuddering from the sudden unrequested bath as the Falcon players cheered raucously.

The inverse of her utterance could describe Briar Woods’ season. Sporting a roster that carried as many freshmen (eight) as non-freshmen, the Falcons (25-4) lost three of their first 10 games to formidable first-year program Woodgrove and traditional powers Loudoun County and Broad Run.

Then Traina’s group hit stride, reeling off 15 consecutive wins on their way to Dulles District regular season and tournament championships and an appearance in the Region II title match, which they dropped to Woodgrove (24-5).

The Falcons rebounded in the state tourney, getting past Powhatan and Broadway by a combined 12-1 score to set up their fifth meeting of the season with the Wolverines.

“Last night we [coaches] sat down and I said that at the beginning of the season ... I would never have said that we would be here right now,” Traina said. “We had to work hard to get those girls on track.”

Shortstop packs punch

Kristina Karagiorgis, one of a handful of Falcon seniors, put her team on track when she slammed a fastball from Woodgrove pitcher Allie Reed down the left-field line. The blast ricocheted off the foul pole above the 205-foot sign, plating Karagiorgis and two teammates for a 5-0 third-inning lead.

“I just saw it off the bat and I was really excited,” said Karagiorgis of her third homer of the year and second in as many days. “I feel it kind of started us off.”

The first-team All-Dulles shortstop added a pair of RBI singles to drive in a school-record six runs.

“She came out and hit amazing. That’s huge for us, because when a team knows that Macy [Jones] is really good and they pitch around her, it makes it harder,” said Traina, lauding the offensive virtues of Karagiorgis and No. 5 hitter Kasey Ball.

Jones, Ball and Jillian Olson each contributed two hits to the 14-hit effort.

The suddenly inflated cushion was more than enough for junior lefty pitcher Macy Jones. The district’s Player Of the Year scattered seven hits and fanned nine in going the distance for her 23rd victory of the campaign.

The Wolverines had faced Jones on four previous occasions, defeating her twice. The Falcons—particularly Jones—were aware of the challenge Woodgrove presented.

“She told the girls [the previous night], they’re gonna hit the ball, because they consistently do,” Traina said. “We knew we were going to have to work behind her today.”

Jones had to extricate herself from several jams during the state championship game, including a bases-loaded two-out situation. Usually good for a double-digit strikeout total, Jones relied heavily upon her defense to make outs against the Wolverines.

“I was just trying to stay tough and throw my game,” Jones said.

The Wolverines pushed across a run in the fifth, but the Falcons tacked on two in the sixth and two more in the seventh off Woodgrove reliever Alexa Hillyard. Jones did the rest.

“I’m so excited, I can’t even describe how I feel right now,” Jones said. “This is the hardest I’ve ever worked in my life ... I’ve never been on a team where everyone wanted it so much.”

Minor setbacks

The long weather delay prior to the title game was the latest manifestation of the Falcons’ theme for the season, “Minor setbacks for major comebacks.”

As the Falcons practiced the day before the Radford trip, their locker room at the Brambleton school was burglarized. Then, as they got on the road to southwestern Virginia, the air conditioning in their charter bus broke, necessitating an hour-long detour to get a new bus. Then, when the team finally made it to Radford and prepared for their semifinal contest, the umpires were 45 minutes late in arriving.

“But then we won the game,” Traina said. “So this morning we were wondering, what’s our minor setback?”

That question was answered when dark clouds rumbled overhead, moments before the scheduled first pitch.

For Traina, bringing home the ultimate trophy is a kind of redemption. The Briar Woods coach was a Loudoun Valley pitcher—coincidentally coached by Woodgrove’s helmsman Joe Spicer—when the Vikings lost a state title game in the late 1990s.

“I was bawling, a nervous wreck, physically exhausted,” the Falcon coach recalled of that day. “Today I’m bawling again but this time I’m happy to be crying all over the place. I didn’t want to be on the other side again today, because that side sucks. I’m so happy, I don’t care if they dump 20 water coolers on me.”

Nearly an hour after the last out, after hugs and tears and endless picture-taking by parents and supporters, the players and coaches of Briar Woods gathered to sing out their customary cheer one final time this season.

“Falcon family!” arose their shout, in unison, under a now clear blue sky.

To view more photos of this game go to http://loudountimes.smugmug.com/Other/Girls-state-softball/17568918_SDHGxG

Briar Woods Falcons

-Seniors
Kasey Ball
Tracey Carney
Alex Fierszt
Kristina Karagiorgis
Jillian Olson

-Junior
Macy Jones

-Sophomores
Emilie Ball
Lynn Brantley

-Freshmen
Jasmin Bradley
Jordan Counts
Casey Forbes
Caroline Fowler
Caylee Goad
Carrie Keevey
Kacie Kondrotis
Kayla Shroyer

-Head Coach
Jennifer Traina

-Assistant Coaches
Lori Lentz
Chris Starke

-Managers
Krystan Douglas
Lakshmi Kopparam
Grace MacJones
Courtney Porsch
Toshali Randev

Video: Briar Woods High School’s softball team celebrates their first-ever state championship after recording the final out in a 9-1 victory over Woodgrove June 11 at Radford University.—Times-Mirror Video/Carl Lukat