by By Dan Ninham
Polson HS recently won its eighth state softball championship. This was the first one since 2012.
SaVanna Carpentier, 17, is a graduating senior at Polson HS in Montana. She was a member of the state champion softball team.
“My tribe is Confederated Salish and Kootenai tribes,” said SaVanna. “My clan is Salish.”
“I started my softball career when I was 10 years old and had a passion for the sport ever since,” said SaVanna. “In 2019, my team took 2nd place at the Class ‘A’ State Tournament, and I was awarded honorable mention.”
“This year we won the 2021 Class ‘A’ State Softball Championships, and 2021 All-Conference champs, and I was awarded 2nd team All-Conference,” said SaVanna.
“My tribal core values define who I am as an athlete because I always remember my roots in a good way,” said SaVanna. “I am a descendant from Chief Charlo, and that makes me proud of who I am today. I am glad I can represent my tribe well as an athlete and a student.”
“As an athlete I just finished my high school career,” said SaVanna. “I hope to play in college, and as of right now I am keeping my options open.”
“My greatest mentor is my head coach Jami Hanson,” said SaVanna. “He treats me with respect and honor, on and off of the field. He has shown me great leadership through my life.”
“Savanna was an exceptional leader in this year’s run to the state championship,” said Jami Hanson, head softball coach at Polson HS. “She always had a positive attitude and has overcome many obstacles in her life and I’m very proud of her.”
“I can’t wait to see on her upcoming accomplishments in the future she is going to be a great leader for our young people,” added Jami.
Juan Perez was SaVanna’s basketball coach for three years and assistant softball coach for four years.
“SaVanna has been a determined athlete,” said Juan Perez. “Her junior year she injured her shoulder in basketball. After some rehab she was cleared to come back and during practice she re-injured it and was out for the season. This kept her from playing high school and summer softball last year. She had surgery and after months of physical therapy and rehab she returned to the court for her senior year of basketball and the field for softball. She had many barriers thrown her way during her high school years but she continues to make good choices, smiles, laughs, and has a good heart.”
“She’s been determined to set the right example for her four younger siblings as well as her friends,” added Juan.
“SaVanna also had a stress fracture on her lower leg,” said Juan. “She hit a foul ball off her leg. She had to sit out a couple games and she wasn’t happy. She wanted to be on the field.”
“Yes I had to overcome a lot of obstacles to get the championship,” recalled SaVanna. “When Covid-19 hit, it ended our 2020 season of my junior year where I was looking forward to earning some hardware. Unfortunately, in early 2019, during winter basketball season I dislocated my left shoulder. I had to go to physical therapy for almost a year, and had surgery in June 2020. I was pretty upset I couldn’t play my junior year of softball, but didn’t feel too bad because it gave me time to heal over quarantine.”
“I was determined to play my senior year of softball. I worked hard to get my shoulder stronger than it was before. After having a pretty rough basketball season, it made my mindset stronger to earn a win,” added SaVanna.
“I overcame these obstacles by keeping my head high and believing in myself no matter how hard it could get,” said SaVanna. “I knew my hard work would pay off in the end.”
“During the softball season, a lot of our games were great!” said SaVanna. “A 27-1-1 record! We tied with Mission/Arlee/Charlo during the Frenchtown Invitational. That game definitely wasn’t one of our best games and our energy wasn’t where it needed to be. The energy level was also low when we lost to Class AA Glacier Lady Wolfpacks 8-7. Beside those two games, every other game was solid. Our bats were hot, and our defense was strong.”
“We started the season with blowout games,” said SaVanna. “We beat Butte Central 11-2, and our second game we beat Park 21-0. On May 20, we were titled Northwest ‘A’ Conference Champs! I think that was an exciting game, and Columbia Falls definitely put up a battle. In the end, we won 6-5. That had just brought us closer to getting to state and meeting our biggest goal of the season.”
“At the state tournament we had a few nail biters,” said SaVanna. “Going up against undefeated Laurel, was the matter of who was stronger mentally. It was a long game especially playing out there in the sun after just finishing up the last game. We had to keep the energy up if we really wanted to take it. We went nine innings and took the win 1-0. This took us to the state championship game. We took the title for the first time since 2012. This was Polson HS’s eighth State title.”
“This experience will help me in life in several ways,” said SaVanna. “Not only have I learned how to work hard to get what I want, but I’ve learned that if you set a goal for yourself then just go for it because nothing is impossible.”
“I have several different colleges interested in me whether they are from here in Montana or all the way to North Carolina,” said SaVanna. “It’s just the matter of what is the best fit for me.”
Photo Credit: Cheryl Starr
So proud of you Savanna 😍