Since Class 4A softball went to a district format for the regular season, the Kingfisher High School program hadn’t fared particularly well.

For much of the past decade, the Lady Jackets had placed no better than fifth in the district, which equated to an early exit in the playoffs.

The Class of 2027 was supposed to change that and it wasn’t lost on the three members who stuck it out all four years.

“Coming into high school, there has always been a high standard for us three to help lead this program to success,” said Liliana Garramone, the team’s starting left fielder.

“Since seventh grade, everyone has sort of had the expectation of the 2027 class to do something special with this program,” said catcher Adlee Friesen.

“Coming into this program,” added pitcher and shortstop Kinlee East, “there has always been the expectation, as well as a goal of mine, to take this program far.”

The trio didn’t shy away from those “great expectations.”

They played their fall seasons and then spent much of their springs and summers competing for various softball clubs.

The contributions were there in their freshman seasons, but the success was minimal. KHS went 14-17, won three district games and finished sixth.

It got better in their sophomore campaign as they improved the overall record to 23-9. KHS was 6-6 in district games, good enough for fifth place.

The improvement was there again in 2025 as KHS won 25 games.

The Lady Jackets were 7-5 in their district, placed third and were just a few runs away from second place and the opportunity to host a regional.

For their efforts, East and Friesen earned all-district first team honors as juniors while Garramone was honorable mention.

In the offseason, each of the three also committed to continue their careers at the next level.

Garramone was first as she announced she was headed to Austin College in Sherman, Texas.

Then came East, who committed to Southern Nazarene University.

Friesen later announced she would play for the University of Science and Arts (USAO) in Chickasha.

But despite the team’s improvement, individual successes and college offers, KHS hadn’t yet taken that next step in softball.

Their senior season offered one final chance.

The first district game was the second game of the season and the Lady Jackets dispatched of Bethany 8-2.

The second district game didn’t take place until two weeks later. It was also 8-2, but the Lady Jackets found themselves on the wrong side of the score at home against Elk City.

But since that Aug. 24 game, KHS flipped a switch.

The Lady Jackets began to rattle off wins, including a big one at home against Woodward on Aug. 27.

About a week later, KHS had to make the return trip to Woodward, a team seeking revenge for its only loss of the entire season.

The Lady Jackets didn’t oblige and earned the sweep with a 2-0 victory.

Five days later, Kingfisher got its own shot at avenging a loss when it traveled to Elk City.

For just the second time in their seniors’ careers, they beat the Elkettes 5-4.

Those last two wins sent KHS from District 4A-3 contender to the leader atop the standings.

And the team never gave up that lead.

On Monday, it made history when it clinched the district title with a 7-0 victory at Clinton.

That put Kingfisher’s district mark at 10-1. No matter the outcome of Tuesday’s district finale at Bethany (after press time), the Lady Jackets can’t be caught in the standings.

With that comes the right to host a regional, which will take place next Thursday and Friday.

“Winning any district is tough,” said head coach Tiffany Goodwin, who took over the program this season after serving as an assistant one year under Morgan Dutton. “I think we have one of the toughest districts in 4A. Up and down, our district is solid, so to go 10-1 is really impressive.”

Prior to the season, the team set goals.

They included winning the district, hosting a regional and winning a regional.

Two of the three have been accomplished.

“It’s awesome to see us keep checking off the boxes,” Goodwin said.

KHS has won district championships before, but in different formats when teams were assigned to a district series.

Never before had the team claimed a regular season district crown that also had significant postseason implications.

“This year we were finally able to put our pieces together and make history,” said Garramone.

With only three seniors - there were four seniors to start the year, but Savannah Hardison suffered a season-ending knee injury - the pieces included several underclassmen.

That includes a big crop of talented juniors.

One of them, Lily Voth, pitched a three-hit shutout against the Lady Reds.

Voth, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL, struck out four batters and didn’t surrender a walk.

Another is Kendall Farrar, who leads the team in most offensive categories, including a .630 batting average. She was 1 for 4 with a team-high 2 RBIs at Clinton.

Addison Johnson was 2 for 4 with a run scored and Callie Blair went 2 for 4 with an RBI and a run.

Yet another junior, Ryan Scammahorn, spent most of the season starting in right field and hitting in the second spot of the order. She injured a knee recently, forcing her out of the lineup.

Her replacement, sophomore Leni Murray, was 1 for 4 and drove in a run.

Freshman Avery Harder has started at second base all season and made a highlight reel play in the field.

“This is my favorite group I have played with,” Friesen said.

The seniors did their part as well.

East was 1 for 3. Garramone went 2 for 3, picked up an RBI and scored twice.

Friesen also went 2 for 3 and scored two times.

Kingfisher steadily built on its lead piece by piece, scoring one run in each of the first and third innings, two in the fourth, one in the fifth and two more in the sixth.

That sent Kingfisher into the field in the bottom of the seventh with a comfortable lead.

Harder recorded the first out on a grounder to second.

Johnson caught a pop fly in foul territory near third base for the second.

Then Voth coaxed another popup, this one to East at shortstop.

She stared into the bright sky, watched the ball fall into her glove, clinched it tightly, then let herself smile.

All the while, Garramone was running in from left field with a huge smile on her face as well.

The team had a mini celebration after the final out, then met in right field with Goodwin and assistant Riley Dacus.

The brief meeting ended with a group hug and a team picture.

“This is a great accomplishment for these girls,” Goodwin said. “They have been working their butts off since this summer and it’s awesome to see that hard work pay off.”

Added East: “This year we were finally able to put it together and accomplish something I will never forget. Being able to make history in my last year with my best friends will always be something I’m proud of.”

Friesen has played multiple infield and outfield positions during her career and this season filled in where her team needed her most.

“I think all the highs and lows have finally paid off this year,” she said. “We have been consistently solid with our game and I’m so proud of the things we’ve accomplished so far.”

Garramone has also played a number of positions during her career.

“This group of girls is special and getting this opportunity to be a part of something big will always be something I’m grateful for,” she said.

Their leadership on and off the diamond has paid dividends, said their coach.

“These seniors are amazing,” Goodwin said. “They are great kids who also work hard. They love to play the game and that makes it so much more enjoyable to coach them.”

But, as Friesen said, “the job’s not finished.”

“We still have a ton of work to do in order to accomplish the rest of our goals,” she said. “But to be the program’s first district champion feels very special.”

“This group of girls is special,” East said. “Being able to persevere through setbacks makes me hopeful for what the rest of the season will bring.”

Regardless if the team checks another box by winning the regional or even reaching state for the first time ever, Goodwin said the senior group has lived up to the great expectations it has played with for four years.

“They definitely left their mark here,” Goodwin said. “They wrote their names in the history book for the Kingfisher softball program.”

[ Editor’s note: For more photos from Monday’s game, see the KT&FP Facebook page.]