Darrington softball team enjoys a bit of normal at game

SEDRO-WOOLLEY — It’s been a difficult week in Darrington for the Loggers’ softball players.

Wednesday afternoon, some of them got to see a familiar sight: a softball field.

The Darrington High School junior varsity team and several varsity players took on Sedro-Woolley in a game at Janicki Fields on Wednesday. It was a chance for the team to get a little normalcy after a trying week after Saturday’s deadly mudslide.

“This is good for them,” said Darrington varsity coach Sue Howard. “It’s a positive thing. This is something they know. And they needed a break. They’ve been so immersed in all that other stuff. They needed a break.”

Many of the girls have helped in recovery efforts. Taryn Tamez, Breanna Valencia and Marissa Pennington are three players that have helped pack lunches and prepare and serve dinner for the Darrington community as it recovers from the Oso mudslide.

The trio estimated they’ve made more than 1,000 peanut butter and jelly, ham and cheese and turkey and cheese sandwiches since Saturday.

“We’ve been making lots and lots of sandwiches,” said Tamez, a sophomore.

The players even found time to make a few sandwiches before catching the bus to their softball game in Sedro-Woolley. Once here, however, they got to play a game they love for a couple of hours and avoid thinking about everything going on back in their hometown.

Which wasn’t easy.

“I think that it was good to get away from the town a little bit,” Pennington said. “We got our minds off of what’s happening there. But it’s still hard.”

Added Valencia: “When you’re playing it just gets your mind off of it. It helps a lot. It’s a really good stress reliever, too. It really helps.”

Darrington High School Athletic Director Cory Ross said it was important to try to return the athletes’ lives to normal, if possible.

“To get the kids’ lives back to the way they were — or close to the way they were — is a huge focus,” Ross said. “We really want to get everything back to normal as best we can so they can see how the season goes and maybe give them something to cheer for.”

Sedro-Woolley coaches talked to Darrington coach Howard to see if the Loggers were still up for the game. Howard said her players wanted to show everybody that the team — like the Darrington community — was rallying.

“It was a great opportunity for the team. It was a JV game and everybody came,” Howard said. “Everybody was supporting one another. Some are running on very little sleep, but they came here today and saw it as an opportunity to support our town and show people that even in this hard case, we’re still pulling together.”

There was also another unusual situation that arose in the game: the Sedro-Woolley players were concerned about being upbeat around Darrington’s.

The Loggers welcomed the happiness.

“The coaches talked to us and they said, ‘Our girls want to support your girls in any way, but we’ve got a couple of kids that might be laughing because they’re having a good time. Is that OK?’” said Howard. “We said, ‘Let them. Our kids need to hear that. They need to do that, too. They deserve to have some fun.’”

It wasn’t just nice for the Darrington players. It was nice for the parents, as well.

Robbi Bryson, whose daughter, Summer, plays for the Loggers, said it’s tough not to think about the tragedy. However, she’s not surprised at the hard work put in by the Darrington community — including the softball team.

“No matter the situation, that’s Darrington,” Bryson said. “They want to help. They want to do what they can. It doesn’t surprise me. That’s just Darrington. The best people in the world are from Darrington.”

Darrington held an 8-7 advantage when the game was called in the fourth inning — Sedro-Woolley had reserved the field for an hour and 45 minutes, and the time was up.

They were leading, but the score was unimportant to the Loggers.

Or, really, anyone else.

“I guarantee, both teams don’t know the score,” Howard said. “And it wasn’t about the score today. Today was just about being together, having a good time, being positive and just taking something away from it in a positive light that everybody can feel good about. I think it’s really cool.”

David Krueger covers high school sports for The Herald. He can be reached at dkrueger@heraldnet.com.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

A firefighter stands in silence before a panel bearing the names of L. John Regelbrugge and Kris Regelbrugge during the ten-year remembrance of the Oso landslide on Friday, March 22, 2024, at the Oso Landslide Memorial in Oso, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
‘Flood of emotions’ as Oso Landslide Memorial opens on 10th anniversary

Friends, family and first responders held a moment of silence at 10:37 a.m. at the new 2-acre memorial off Highway 530.

Julie Petersen poses for a photo with images of her sister Christina Jefferds and Jefferds’ grand daughter Sanoah Violet Huestis next to a memorial for Sanoah at her home on March 20, 2024 in Arlington, Washington. Peterson wears her sister’s favorite color and one of her bangles. (Annie Barker / The Herald)
‘It just all came down’: An oral history of the Oso mudslide

Ten years later, The Daily Herald spoke with dozens of people — first responders, family, survivors — touched by the deadliest slide in U.S. history.

Victims of the Oso mudslide on March 22, 2014. (Courtesy photos)
Remembering the 43 lives lost in the Oso mudslide

The slide wiped out a neighborhood along Highway 530 in 2014. “Even though you feel like you’re alone in your grief, you’re really not.”

Director Lucia Schmit, right, and Deputy Director Dara Salmon inside the Snohomish County Department of Emergency Management on Friday, March 8, 2024, in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
How Oso slide changed local emergency response ‘on virtually every level’

“In a decade, we have just really, really advanced,” through hard-earned lessons applied to the pandemic, floods and opioids.

Ron and Gail Thompson at their home on Monday, March 4, 2024 in Oso, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
In shadow of scarred Oso hillside, mudslide’s wounds still feel fresh

Locals reflected on living with grief and finding meaning in the wake of a catastrophe “nothing like you can ever imagine” in 2014.

The rezoned property, seen here from the Hillside Vista luxury development, is surrounded on two sides by modern neighborhoods Monday, March 25, 2024, in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Despite petition, Lake Stevens OKs rezone for new 96-home development

The change faced resistance from some residents, who worried about the effects of more density in the neighborhood.

Rep. Suzan DelBene, left, introduces Xichitl Torres Small, center, Undersecretary for Rural Development with the U.S. Department of Agriculture during a talk at Thomas Family Farms on Monday, April 3, 2023, in Snohomish, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Under new federal program, Washingtonians can file taxes for free

At a press conference Wednesday, U.S. Rep. Suzan DelBene called the Direct File program safe, easy and secure.

Former Snohomish County sheriff’s deputy Jeremie Zeller appears in court for sentencing on multiple counts of misdemeanor theft Wednesday, March 27, 2024, at Snohomish County Superior Court in Everett, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ex-sheriff’s deputy sentenced to 1 week of jail time for hardware theft

Jeremie Zeller, 47, stole merchandise from Home Depot in south Everett, where he worked overtime as a security guard.

Everett
11 months later, Lake Stevens man charged in fatal Casino Road shooting

Malik Fulson is accused of shooting Joseph Haderlie to death in the parking lot at the Crystal Springs Apartments last April.

T.J. Peters testifies during the murder trial of Alan Dean at the Snohomish County Courthouse on Tuesday, March 26, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Bothell cold case trial now in jury’s hands

In court this week, the ex-boyfriend of Melissa Lee denied any role in her death. The defendant, Alan Dean, didn’t testify.

A speed camera facing west along 220th Street Southwest on Tuesday, Nov. 21, 2023 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
New Washington law will allow traffic cams on more city, county roads

The move, led by a Snohomish County Democrat, comes as roadway deaths in the state have hit historic highs.

Mrs. Hildenbrand runs through a spelling exercise with her first grade class on the classroom’s Boxlight interactive display board funded by a pervious tech levy on Tuesday, March 19, 2024 in Marysville, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Lakewood School District’s new levy pitch: This time, it won’t raise taxes

After two levies failed, the district went back to the drawing board, with one levy that would increase taxes and another that would not.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.