Unlikely foes square off

POPLAR RIDGE - When Southern Cayuga softball coach Dave Hewitt sent out 75 emails before the season, to every Class B, C and D team in Section III, IV and V looking for new opponents for his team to play, he was surprised when just one coach responded.

Cato-Meridian's Matt Tehonica was intrigued. Like Hewitt's Chiefs, Tehonica's team was also young, but talented, and he agreed that playing a new squad could only help the program that he had brought back from four wins in four seasons to an 8-8 finish last year. Despite playing in the same county, the Chiefs and Blue Devils had never played each other before and neither knew much about the other going into Tuesday's game.

It couldn't have worked out better, for either squad.