The girls, all dressed the same, gathered in the dust. They knew this was going to be a tough one. Not because their opponent was especially strong. They had learned quickly that being new to this they really couldn’t judge the ability of any of their challengers. There was little or no past experience with any of the other teams who came to play on their diamond. No, this one was going to be harder than all the rest because this was their last game with their beloved coach. And the sadness could almost be touched with your hand. Most of us know this amazing guy as a football coach, standing on the sidelines of MHS Varsity, JV and Freshmen Football games for the past 37 years. Or maybe you know him as a very much loved physical education teacher. However, these very lucky young softball players know him as “Coach” as well. Coach Masse’, Sassy Masse’ to the girls, is the coach of Manchester High School’s developmental softball team. Most of the student athletes on his team are freshman and some had never played organized softball before arriving at MHS. But I noticed early in their season that none of that stopped these girls from learning everything Masse’ was ready to teach them or striving to reach their goals, both personal and collectively as a team. Through Masse’s excellent coaching and inspiring encouragement they played other freshmen teams in and out of Manchester’s LL Division and beat rival East Hartford High School after nearly beating Glastonbury High School. When asked to describe their favorite part of this season, most of these young ladies described that Glastonbury game, including the gigantic rain drops that fell from the sky while they were warming up before the game. “My favorite part of this season was watching everyone improve,” said second baseman Izzy. Shortstop Rosanna agreed, adding that her batting has improved which is very cool since that was one of her personal goals. And then there was the pizza party, well deserved for beating East Hartford. All in all, it was a season filled with learning new things, never giving up on yourself, working hard as a team and making new best friends. Some of the season was bumpy and full of bruises. Several of those bruises were even named after which school dished them out. “This one is from that Glastonbury pitcher,” said third baseman Ashley. “Yeah, this one is from Glastonbury, too.” Rosanna, also known as Pinky because all of her brand new softball equipment is pink, recalled. She winced and pointed to her still-bruised right calf. Bruises aside, this young team had a very good season. And their improvement over the season is all due to their love for Coach Masse’ and his belief in them that shines through everything he says and does. This extraordinary coach even gave each team member a personalized note on their last practice together. I know they will keep them forever. “When I first joined the team, I thought it was going to be really hard because I had never played softball before. But Coach Masse’ just made me the best player I can be,” Ashley later commented. “Originally, I wanted to try outfield. But Coach Masse’ put me in the infield and that’s when I knew my strength was playing infield.” Her batting skills improved greatly with every practice as well and the warning “good batter” could be heard every time she stepped up to the plate during games. “He’s just a really great coach.” Those are pretty meaningful words and I heard them a lot during that last game. Nearly every girl I spoke to said those exact words. In fact, I think pitcher Stella said it at least seven times. No, they didn’t make my job of interviewing them easier. But the fact that I heard those words so many times made me start to believe that maybe “he’s just a really great coach” is all I needed to know about Coach Masse’s success. Masse’ said “This was a great group of girls to work with.” He had a lot of fun watching them all pour their hearts into their sport and improve so quickly. Sad, but true, this Manchester High School legend coached his last game of the season on Friday, May 17th and he did it with all the style and poise we’ve grown to expect from him. Ever have to say goodbye to someone you really didn’t want to say goodbye to? Sometimes it helps to say “see ya later” instead, but it still really means the same thing. Masse’ assured us all that he will be back for football season and will definitely coach softball next year. He has promises to keep all over Manchester High School’s campus. Before the game, he was seen promising Marquis Little, recipient of a Division 1 Football scholarship to Boston College earlier this year, that he will be there for MHS’s upcoming graduation and for anything Marquis may need once he gets to BC. Watching Masse’ walk away, even for a while, was hard to do. As the teary-eyed girls gathered together after their last game with him Friday afternoon, they reminded him to stay sassy. So, stay sassy Coach Masse and we will see you in the fall.
