It goes without saying that there is a wealth of talent among area softball coaches. In many of those cases, coaches have been at the helms of their respective schools for years and years, gaining experience and learning slowly as they go along.

Maple Grove head coach Rebecca Allen did not have the benefit of decades of coaching experience when she entered the 2019 season, but you would not have known by the results.

After coaching one season of jayvee in 2017, Allen took over as varsity head coach one year ago and has already made her mark in a big way.

This past season she led the Red Dragons to a 17-3 overall record, including an 11-1 mark against league opponents to take home a Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division 2 West title.

She was named the CCAA Division 2 West Coach of the Year and brought home an overall Class C title to Dutch Hollow Road with a 14-6 win over Portville at St. Bonaventure University on June 3.

Maple Grove’s season came to an end with a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Section V champion Warsaw at the Martin Road Complex on June 7.

Now Allen can add Post-Journal Coach of the Year to an already sterling resume for 2019.

“Beating Portville in the Class C overall final game was one of those wins I will never forget,” said Allen. “It’s so easy in a small-school setting to start getting complacent and not wanting to play tougher teams for fear of losing. I loved that I didn’t see an ounce of that from my team.”

One of the most important decisions that Allen made this year was to make sure that her team was able to take a trip south during spring break. Traveling to Cocoa Beach, Florida, the Red Dragons were able to start to find the team identity that they would rely on down the stretch.

“Our spring break trip to Cocoa Beach Florida was storybook,” said Allen. “My favorite moment was coming from behind to win in the seventh inning against Bay High School from Ohio after entering that inning losing 5-0. I think that win really gave my team the confidence they needed to come back to New York, win the league, and set their sights on Class C playoffs.”

Like so many great teams, Allen’s squad relied heavily on senior leadership from players like Sammy Davis, pitcher Lynne Nordin, catcher Meghann Nolan, Elise Swanson and Tessa Warner–but Maple Grove was also a bit of a mixed bag.

Eighth-grader Erin Mansfield led her team defensively at shortstop during key stretches of the season as she played with confidence well beyond her years, while senior Clare Crossley added huge contributions despite playing in her very first varsity season.

Crossley hit .448 with 23 RBIs, a double and three triples and was named a CCAA Division 2 West All Star for her efforts, all after bringing little to no softball experience to the table. Her future path includes a NCAA Division II soccer career at Edinboro University, but Allen is certainly thankful that Crossley made a pit stop to try her hand at softball.

“The leadership from the upperclassmen was crucial,” said Allen. “Because of the strong leadership from my seniors this year, I really took advantage as a coach of stepping back and letting things happen during games or at practices that would ultimately let the team and their game grow organically. I felt I didn’t need to coach every pitch, that if I stepped back every once in a while, I would see certain players step in and rally around each other.”

Allen was managing a roster of 14 players that eventually grew to 17 during the postseason, which means that she will still have plenty to work with after losing a talented bunch to graduation.