Brooklynn Cardenas: The Fossil Ridge Softball Transplant
AURORA – In short order, Fossil Ridge has constructed one of Colorado’s proudest high school softball traditions, with 13 consecutive playoff appearances and a 5A state championship, which the program earned in 2020.
The Colorado Revised Statute (22-32-116.5) enables students who want to participate in an activity that isn’t offered at their school to participate in that activity at a school that does offer it. In this case, it has not only allowed Cardenas to play softball, a sport that she adores, but it’s also allowed her to experience a leadership role she otherwise wouldn’t have been able to.
“Establishing my role with this program is something that I’ve thought about since my freshman year,” Cardenas reflected. “Coming in, I was nervous because I didn’t go to school with any of these girls, and I was worried what preconceived notions they might have about Liberty, with the crosstown rivalry and everything, but they were all super welcoming. Now, I honestly think going to a different school kind of helps me maintain this leadership position because it’s kinda easier to compartmentalize Liberty being the academic side and Fossil Ridge being where I go to play softball and work with my team.”
Also helping to ease her acclimation process into the SaberCats’ program is Cardenas’ coachability.
“Brooklynn is exceptionally hard-working, very disciplined, and really just a model student-athlete who we feel lucky to have,” Fossil Ridge softball head coach Dave Philop said. “She leads by example and is extremely competitive, which makes it especially fun to watch her play. I think about how we got off to a slow 2-5 start last year, and how she just accepted the challenge and led the team to compete against some of the best teams in the state, with the desire to win a championship. Ultimately, the [semifinal] game against Chatfield got away from us, but her attitude was a huge part of us winning 16 in a row after the tough start.”
The moment Fossil Ridge turned its season around is a moment that Cardenas remembers vividly.
“We were 2-5, warming up, about to play Monarch High School, and we were just kinda going through the motions. It was just a really sluggish warm-up,” Cardenas recalled. “Our assistant coach, Olivia Damge, came up to us and reminded us of the legacy at stake. She was like, ‘ At this rate, you won’t make the playoffs, and you don’t want to be the team that ends a tradition that has been going on at this school for a decade.’”
Despite not even attending Fossil Ridge, the message struck a chord with Cardenas, and it had a major impact on the rest of the team, too. After re-focusing, and closing out their warm-ups strong, the SaberCats defeated the Coyotes, 18-0, to launch a 16-game win streak, during which they defeated their opponents by an average score of 10-1.
So much for that shaky start.
“That moment really lit a spark for us,” Cardenas said. “I really think it was that moment that helped all of us have a reality check, and remember that none of this lasts forever and that we have to earn it.”
“As a program, our goal is always to make it to the state championship game,” Cardenas shared. “It’s not to win a state championship, necessarily, or have a perfect season, but to grind it out and make it there so that we have a chance. But, considering how new our team is, we really wanted to focus on overcoming our internal struggles. Maybe you’re nervous, or tight, or not playing the position you’re used to playing, but we can come together and calm each other down and help slow the game down.
“The postseason is all about hunkering down and having everybody trust each other, believe in themselves, and feel comfortable. I feel like if we get that part of the puzzle locked in, we can make another great run.”
The Fossil Ridge SaberCats will have until Friday, Oct. 25, when the Colorado High School Activities Association’s 5A Softball State Championship Tournament is set to start, to lock in those remaining elements.
