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Days of bickering a thing of the past for Cougars

PLANT CITY -- The 2001 season was a bleak time to be a Durant player.

And it wasn't just because the Cougars had a losing record after they lost the first game of the district playoffs.

What ruined them was the bickering, the snide comments, the division among the players. Rare were the practices that ended without bitterness and fighting.

"It wasn't even about softball-related stuff," junior shortstop Ashley Fertic said. "It was never about how people played.

"It was usually someone saying something behind someone's back. Rumors and stuff like that."

The Cougars were the laughingstock of east Hillsborough, or at least it seemed that way to them. In an area where teams such as Riverview, Plant City and Bloomingdale consistently flourished in the playoffs, Durant was the ugly duckling.

"We see (Riverview, Plant City and Bloomingdale players) all the time," senior catcher Katie Kilfoile said. "It was always like, 'Oh, you go to Durant."'

One year later, the Cougars have shed their childish image.

An older, wiser Durant (20-6) will play in its first state semifinal today. The Cougars will face Countryside (32-1), ranked second in the state and No. 6 in the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association poll.

This comes after classmates at school told them, "Have a nice last game," before the region quarterfinal against Chamberlain. The Cougars upset the Chiefs 5-2.

Perhaps the only person who thought they could get this far was their coach, Melissa Sigmon.

"At the end of last year, coach Sigmon said she would never have another season like that," Kilfoile said. "She's too much of a winner."

Sigmon, a former Brandon and South Florida player, said she's not sure exactly what flipped the Cougars' switch, but it happened at just the right time.

"The difference is, they believe they are good," Sigmon said. "I always told them that, but I think there was a lack of leadership on the team. And a lack of confidence."

The Cougars didn't add any star players or ace pitchers this season, though they consider themselves to be one of the most well-rounded teams in the area.

Junior pitcher Mandy Garcia (1.04 ERA) said she's glad to be part of a team where everyone is considered an equal.

"We don't feel like we're freshmen and juniors and seniors," she said. "We're just one team."

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