By Kevin Mills,Staff Writer

STANDISH – Jillian Kimball hasn’t even played her first college softball game but already has fond memories on her new home field.

The Telstar senior celebrated her Rebels’ 1-0 victory in the Class C state championship Saturday. The win just so happened to come at Ward Field at Saint Joseph’s College, where Kimball will bring her game in the fall.

“I love this field already,” said the Telstar senior shortstop and pitcher, who has now won a state title, two regional finals and an MVC championship in Standish.

Kimball and her Rebel teammates went out in style in their final game together. They avenged a 2-1 loss to Central in last year’s state title. With seven seniors on the Telstar squad, five of which started as freshmen, the championship win was a long time coming for this group of athletes.

“We’re 62-7, our senior class is,” said Kimball. “That’s definitely a school record. We deserve this. We’ve been waiting for it for a long time. I remember in middle school talking about winning states in high school. That was our goal, and we finally did it.”

Telstar softball had gone 3-11 before Kimball, Jessie Farrington, Tiffany Jordan, Liz Rosenberg and Kayla Mills joined the starting lineup as freshmen. The Rebels were a long way away from their glory years when they won the state title in 1991, but good times were destined to follow this group. Stephanie Tripp and Chelsea Cozzolino also joined the lineup and have been staples on the infield corners.

“This is a great class, athletically,” said Telstar coach Jim Lunney. “We’ll be hard pressed to have a group like this back.”

The softball milestones, which include two regional crowns, the state championship, MVC titles and a perfect 18-0 record this year, are only part of the impressive credentials this group accumulated in four years.

“They’ve got the bar way up there,” said Lunney. “It’s an outstanding group of athletes. They worked hard. I’m very pleased and very proud of these girls. They earned it, and they deserved it.”

Their graduation leaves a significant void in the Telstar athletic community, but they’ve set a standard for future Rebels to follow. The softball team has just two regulars back in starting outfielders Josie Reiss and Abby Hutchins, but there’s some promising young talent, including pitcher Candace Hall, a cousin of Farrington’s.

“It will be tough to see them go,” said Lunney. “We’re going to miss them, but I told the underclassmen, we don’t expect us to drop. It will be a little hard, but we’re not going back in the pack.”

While the program has to move on without them, the seniors must adjust to life without each other. Rosenberg and Mills are attending Simmons College in Boston together and will play field hockey, but the rest will go their separate ways. Farrington will attend Endicott, in Beverly, Mass. Cozzolino will attend UMF while Jordan heads for USM. Tripp is looking into a culinary arts school.

“I’m happy and sad at the same time,” said Kimball. “We won, but that was it.”

A group that has worked, bonded and won together now continue on different paths.

“That’s what we were thinking about on the way (Saturday),” said Mills. “It wasn’t about winning but about it being our last game. We’re going to miss everybody definitely.

“It’s a perfect ending for a good four years,” added Mills, following Saturday’s climatic win. “I was just standing out in centerfield and watching it all happen. There’s nothing like it.”