By Brian Shaw | [email protected]

Although the Cottonwood Colts season ended somewhat surprisingly at home during the first round of the 5A state softball tournament in a two-game sweep to No. 17 seed Bonneville, there isn’t anything shameful for them to hang their heads about. 

Last year, the Colts were able to play in only two games due to the pandemic. And so this year, getting a chance to play a full season and have the success that earned them a No. 16 seed at state was reason enough to celebrate.

The Colts (11-9) finished 2021 losing in two straight games to Bonneville, 23-0 and 17-6. In what turned out to be the season finale on May 17, the Colts fought back after going down 13-0 in the first inning to make their last outing of the year respectable. 

Junior pitcher and infielder Gianna Hohaia had a huge game, hitting a double and a triple and had two RBI’s, while taking the mound for Cottonwood. Senior Hailey Thompson hit a triple and fellow senior Mykenna Rolfe had an RBI in the loss. 

Going 9-5 in Region 5 was also a great way for the Colts to close out playing in this region, because in 2022 Cottonwood will be reclassified and placed into a new league—one that will stretch from Vernal to Tooele and continue all the way south to Payson. 

Cottonwood will also be saying goodbye to several seniors, including Thompson and Wolfe. It’s the end of the line as well for Katheryn Alvarez and slugger Faith Godina, all of whom will be missed—especially Godina, who was the Colts hitting leader in home runs with four in the year and in RBI with 34. Rolfe wasn’t far from Godina in RBI’s, though; she had 30 total and led the team in doubles and triples. 

The majority of the Colts are slated to return next year, giving an already dangerous Cottonwood team that averaged a whopping 17 runs per game in league play and players like the junior Hohaia many reasons to be optimistic about next year.