There finally came a time that was beyond Joy Griffin’s control.
Like it or not, her softball-coaching husband and son were going to meet head-tohead, with a state championship at stake.
Husband David coaches Perkins-Tryon, which entered the Class 5A state tournament ranked second, and son Chance coaches North Rock Creek, which was the No. 1 seed. Both teams won their first-round games, setting up the clash in the finals Monday night at Hall of Fame Stadium. “She won’t let us schedule each other in the regular season, but she couldn’t do
“She won’t let us schedule each other in the regular season, but she couldn’t do anything about it in the state tournament,” said Chance, in his second year at NRC.
“It was really a dream come true, something we’ve talked about the times that both of us have made it. Him being a year away from retirement and me being fresh in my career to it all.”
When it was done, North Rock Creek was a 15-0 winner and a state champion in its second season of playing slow pitch. The Lady Cougars also made the state finals in fast pitch, but lost to Washington and made the state tournament last year in slow pitch.
In this year’s state tournament, they suited 12 players - senior Jayden Haney, two juniors, five sophomores and four freshmen. “Two years ago, if you’d told me we’d be in the state finals twice, I’d have thought
“Two years ago, if you’d told me we’d be in the state finals twice, I’d have thought you were crazy,” Chance said. “But that’s the type of kids in the school. They set a high standard.”