🏆 300

It was a big secret.

When the Waterloo softball team took the field May 14 against Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference foe Sebring McKinley, little did the Vikings know they were playing for much more than just getting a league win on Senior Night.

Their coach, Brenda Flarida, was on the cusp of history: A win over the Trojans would give Flarida the 300th victory of her coaching career. Only she had her team on a need-to-know basis.

"I didn’t tell anyone that that game was No. 300. My team did not know," she said. "I did not want to take anything away from their spotlight and their special night."

The Vikings took care of business, rolling past Sebring 12-2 to indeed give Flarida win No. 300 for her career. She stands at 301-194 overall in her 22nd season as a head coach and 289-187 in 21 seasons at Waterloo, her alma mater.

Afterward, the Vikings were let in on Flarida's secret. But for the coach, the day belonged to the players and the program she loves.

"My immediate thoughts when the game ended was I was so happy for my seniors because we won on Senior night," she said. "In that moment after we won, though, I thought to myself how grateful I am to all my current and former players for their dedication to our program."

The historic victory was a total team effort for the Vikings. Mackensi Kehrer and Grace Gombeda each delivered a double, single and two RBI, with Kehrer also picking up her ninth win of the season in the circle. Jenny Cieplinski had two doubles and a single, Logan Lynn and Savannah Francis each had a double, and Jewel Lilley and Amelia Summers had three singles apiece.

The win moved Flarida into some elite company locally and statewide: She became the 59th softball coach in Ohio history to reach the 300-win plateau, and she is now the third Portage County softball coach to hit that milestone, joining Dave Dubinsky of Southeast with 384 wins and Dave Mullenix of Rootstown with 382.

"To be in the elite group of Dave Dubinsky and Dave Mullenix, whom I have always looked up to and respected as amazing coaches in Portage County, is very humbling," Flarida said. "Those two men paved the way for Portage County softball from the beginning."

And Flarida has paved a road of success for the Vikings. The Waterloo softball program has stood the test of time under her direction, navigating yearly graduation losses, a switch in leagues and, yes, even a pandemic. To wit:

Portage Trail Conference championships in 2008, 2009 and 2016, and an MVAC title in 2018
District championships in 2010 and 2018
District runner-up finishes in 2007 and 2016
District appearances in 2005, 2009 and 2019

"I think the Waterloo culture transcends from the youth girls that play softball in the summer," Flarida said. "We have had and still have many good teams in the Portage Girls Youth Softball Association and girls that play travel softball in the summer. But over the years, we have multi-sport athletes at Waterloo who are hard-working girls who have a desire to work hard and win.

"The keys to success over long periods of time are creating a relationship with the girls and mutual respect. I feel that making a true connection with my team has been the key to our success. I care about my players on and off the field and they become part of my family. When former players come back to help or watch a game and support the program, that is such a compliment."

Over the years, Flarida's points of emphasis as a coach have become "the Waterloo way," providing a road map for her players as athletes and as people.

"The core values I instill in my team," she said, "and I say it every night before we play, is, 'There are three things we can control: our effort, our attitude and how we treat our teammates.' Win or lose, if we all do those three things, we are successful. In life or on the field, this is what we can control. We control our effort, our attitude and how we treat people in our lives."

The 2020 season, of course, was something the Vikings — and everyone else — couldn't control: The cancellation of the spring sports season because of Covid-19. Waterloo was coming off yet another appearance in the district tournament in 2018 when the ballfields fell silent a year ago.

"Losing the 2020 season was heartbreaking," she said. "Those seniors that weren’t able to finish their high school career, that was very difficult. When we started this season, we were just so grateful for every game we were able to play. Having a whole season taken away makes you realize to not take things for granted. This season has had its challenges with current players missing a whole season of growth. The seniors and juniors really stepped up and continued our tradition of our program."

While the Vikings indeed continued their winning ways in their return to the field in 2021, going 10-6 overall and 8-2 in the MVAC, the challenges have been unprecedented.

"I feel every softball and baseball team feels the effect of the lost season," Flarida said. "It was almost as if we lost two senior classes, so the underclassmen had to step into roles at the varsity level and make the adjustment."

Even the offseason, normally a time when softball players hone their skills and make their biggest improvements from one season to the next, was greatly limited due to virus protocols.

"Only a few of my players were able to play last summer. Some of the team participated in a Sunday night hitting league in the winter," Flarida said.

Now, with a season of play finally in the books and a full offseason of development ahead for her players, Flarida is looking toward 2022 and the potential next season could hold for her program.

And as the wins are likely to continue piling up, Dubinsky's 384 mark will draw ever closer. But true to her nature, it's the players, not her own achievements, that matter for Flarida.

"Reaching the all-time Portage County softball win record is not something that I really have thought about. I always take one season, one game at time," she said. "As we saw with last season, where it can be taken away, I try to stay in the moment and am grateful for the ability to still coach a sport I love and build relationships with girls that I will cherish forever. That’s why I’ve done what I’ve done for all these years — it’s my love for these girls that have come through our program."

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Flarida's roots run deep at Waterloo, where she was a three-sport athlete during her playing days. Flarida lettered all four years in softball, earning all-league honors as a sophomore, junior and senior.

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Another hurdle Flarida and the Vikings have had to clear during her tenure was the switch from the PTC to the MVAC four seasons ago. But the move has gone as smoothly as can be expected — and the Vikings haven't missed a beat.

"Leaving the PTC was difficult at first because of all the rivalries and schools we’ve played for so many years," she said. "But creating new rivalries in the MVAC didn’t take long, and still playing PTC teams in our non-conference schedule keeps our competition alive with our Portage County teams."

Tom Hardesty is a Portager Sports columnist. Contact him at tom@theportager.com.

Inside this issue:

Hardesty

Flarida joins an elite circle of Portage County softball coaches

High School

Baseball

Softball

Track

College

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