With sirens blaring and lights flashing, a parade on July 15 celebrated Lampeter-Strasburg's softball teams' state championship victory. Escorted by police cars, fire trucks and other vehicles, the team along with parents, friends, administrators, youth groups and others, wound their way through the community, starting at the Strasburg Railroad and ending at Martin Mylin Middle School. Coaches, school administrators and government officials spoke in front of the crowd after the parade. Words like hard-working, humble, respectful, and amazing were just a few repeated by the various speakers.

The Pioneers came from behind to defeat Armstrong 10-7 on June 18 at Penn State University. It was the second state title for the seniors who rose to the top in 2018. In 2019 the team again reached the finals but settled for second place and, of course, last year the pandemic prevented a season. So, in three seasons, the Pioneers played in three state finals. The senior class finished with an 81-8 record overall. The squad was 30-1 with 29 consecutive wins this season. They scored 328 runs on 128 hits, which included 33 homers, and gave up 58 runs.

"Wow, what a run. What we did was amazing," said head coach Gene Charles also pointing out that, in addition to winning the state crown, the team won their section title, the Lancaster-Lebanon League title and Districts.

The Pioneers are Champions. They won with class and made those around them proud to be a part of their accomplishments. They leave behind a legacy and have set a bar of excellence for others to follow. And hopefully, if those youngsters were paying attention, they'll say 'I want to be like that.'