WEST LIBERTY
The night ended with a reunion.
Landry Pacha, a Mid-Prairie junior, emerged from the Golden Hawks locker room following a 61-38 loss at West Liberty on Tuesday night and noticed …
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WEST LIBERTY
The night ended with a reunion.
Landry Pacha, a Mid-Prairie junior, emerged from the Golden Hawks locker room following a 61-38 loss at West Liberty on Tuesday night and noticed her former softball coach standing in a hallway. They playfully jostled and hugged.
It was an emotional moment for Matt Hoeppner, who coached Pacha as Mid-Prairie’s softball coach this past summer and is now the head coach in both girls basketball and softball at West Liberty.
“I hope they (the Golden Hawks) win every game except for the two against us,” he said.
Mid-Prairie’s basketball team includes three Golden Hawks who played for Hoeppner last summer: Pacha, Kylie Reinier and Cana Rediger.
During the pregame introductions, Pacha, a 39-game starter in softball, ran over to Hoeppner and heard three words from her former coach. “Good luck, kid.”
In a twist of fate, the Golden Hawks’ softball season ended on July 6 with a Class 3A tournament loss at West Liberty. Tuesday’s basketball game at West Liberty was the season opener for Hoeppner and the Comets.
Hoeppner had intended on returning to Mid-Prairie as softball coach in 2022, but West Liberty offered him the head coaching position this fall when former softball coach Chad Libby resigned. Hoeppner lives in the West Liberty area and has cousins on his wife’s side that play for the Comets.
The Golden Hawks and Comets will meet again January 14 in Wellman.
