In the Midst of History

"We don't ever think about losing," Broad Run third baseman Reagan Doiron said. "It's not even in our head."

On Friday, with temperatures creeping into the mid-80s, the Spartans burst through conditioning drills led by Delahaba, who in three seasons in the pitcher's circle has compiled a 75-1 record. A boom box behind home plate crackled the latest pop songs as the players sweated through plyometric drills along the left field line. They were silent, their faces red with fatigue. The Spartans rose last week to No. 2 in USA Today's national high school softball poll, but the players are oblivious.

"You think about that game [tonight] that we have to play," Delahaba said. "If you slack off today, you might be regretting it. If you're going to lose, you want to know that you worked hard the whole time. And this is not the time to slack off."

Broad Run's players have been feeding off each other's intensity since they began playing together nearly eight years ago. Most have followed the recent trajectory of the burgeoning softball scene in Loudoun, joining travel teams and competing year-round. In the fall and summer, 12 of the team's 14 players spend that time traversing the country, playing against the finest softball talent.

This year's Broad Run team likely will produce one of the largest crops of NCAA Division I talent of any single team ever in the Washington area. Five players have committed to Division I programs, and three others are expected to play at that level.

"I've seen good teams -- really good teams -- but I've never seen anything like this," said Steele, who has coached softball at Broad Run for 17 years. "When you have a good team, there's always a weakness somewhere that you can try to exploit. But these guys do it all. There's just no weakness anywhere."

Delahaba has thrown 125 consecutive scoreless innings, a VHSL record. She exudes confidence, only bristling during the rare times when Steele has demanded she intentionally walk an opponent. "She doesn't want to give anyone anything," Steele said. "She believes she can get anyone out, and she's probably right."

Delahaba, who has signed with Villanova University, is one of four players who have started since they were freshman; second baseman Michelle Clohan (James Madison), shortstop Ashley Kramer (Longwood) and first baseman Karla Powell (Wisconsin) are the others. That is the core of a team that is being mentioned along with the Northeast High team that won four straight Maryland 2A championships from 1988 to 1991, and Johnson's Northern High teams that claimed three consecutive 3A titles from 1994 to 1996. Some say it rates with Surrattsville High in the late 1980s and early 1990s, when Olympian Michelle Collins pitched for the Hornets.

"I would say they're in a group of maybe 10 of the greatest teams to ever play in the area," said O'Connell Coach Tommy Orndorff, who has coached in the area since 1972. "It's a program that's used to winning. It's not just this year -- they've been good for years."

Broad Run's players cannot avoid seeing the national rankings, or hearing comparisons to great teams of the past. They embrace the expectations and pressure. The winning streak has continued for so long now the players have stopped counting.

"It seems like it's not real," Broad Run junior catcher Haley Johnson said. "It's been so long, it's almost like a habit. We keep doing it over and over again. Hopefully we won't have a loss to bring us back into reality."

As practice wound down last Friday, Steele did not have to remind the Spartans to stay out of trouble over the long weekend, or to keep their focus. Sweaty and sore, they shuffled into their cars and off to their homes to rest up for the next day, when they would continue to work toward their growing legacy.

"To look back in 20 years and see what we've done is going to be amazing," Powell said. "It's a really special thing that we have now."