Bronco bash: Middleburg celebrates Florida High School Athletic Association softball champions

The glitter flew. The music boomed. Even assistant coach Angie Adamson flipped head over heels in celebration.

A red-letter night in Middleburg red and white.

"We're state champs, baby!" Middleburg athletic director Jay Stilianou told the assembled audience.

After four-plus decades, this Clay County town is now a title town on the softball field.

Hundreds turned out at Alan Powers Field to welcome the Florida High School Athletic Association Class 5A softball champions as Middleburg players brought home the state trophy for an evening of community celebration.

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The school year had already ended when the Broncos' softball squad made history a week ago in Clermont. So Middleburg's players didn't get to experience the cheers and the congratulations in the hallways and the classrooms upon their return home.

But Thursday night was the next-best thing — maybe even better.

"Honestly, it was kind of surprising," senior pitcher Mallory Forrester said. "We expected a celebration but we didn't know how big it was. They never gave us any details. So it was an awesome surprise for us."

Following a presentation from the county school board, the team rode into the athletic complex on a truck and entered the stadium surrounded by the band, cheerleaders and a crowd of several hundred. Each one crossed the center of the field and dropped a chip into a bucket to symbolize the team's mission this year: "All in for all seven innings."

"Just to see so many of those faces here celebrating with us tonight was amazing," Middleburg coach Ashley Houston said. "I know it was great for the girls."

From 11-11 to the top of the Sunshine State.

Only five weeks earlier, Middleburg appeared to be limping toward the postseason, stuck at .500 (11-11) with losses in five out of six games. Then came a playoff run to be remembered for years to come.

That included a 13-inning victory over Tallahassee Lincoln, in a game moved forward 24 hours so that players could attend graduation ceremonies, and a pair of nail-biters at the final four in Clermont.

"Coach Ashley said, 'Finish the assignment,'" said senior outfielder Belle Mincey, who slugged the game-winning home run against South Lake for Middleburg's only hit in the final four. "Well, the assignment was finished, with nothing less than 100 percent."

Some of the night's biggest cheers rang out for senior starting pitcher Forrester, who shifted into buzzsaw mode once the calendar hit May — 13 hits and two runs allowed for the entire postseason. She nailed down 1-0 victories against Naples in the semifinal, a game the Broncos won without a hit, and Groveland South Lake in the Class 5A final.

"It just felt really cool that our community comes together and it really supports us, even though our season is done," she said.

Those efforts brought home a state championship that's not only the first for Middleburg softball, which had never previously qualified for the final four, but also the first title in a major team ball-playing sport during the school's 42-year history. The Broncos had previously endured several near misses, most notably in volleyball.

Middleburg's softball championship was the third for a Clay County school and the first since Oakleaf in 2017.

"We definitely were not expecting this [celebration] at all," infielder Kaelyn Hagan said. "But it was electric to come out here and see all of them here supporting us."

Clayton Freeman covers high school sports and more for the Florida Times-Union. Follow him on Twitter at @CFreemanJAX.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: High school softball: Middleburg High School champions honored in celebration