The Jackson County Central softball team is one win away from being “Back For More” at the State Tournament and a familiar rival awaits in the Section 3AA Championship on Thursday in Marshall.
The second-ranked Huskies play Pipestone Area for the section title.
The 24-1 Huskies are riding a 21-game winning streak into Thursday as the lone remaining unbeaten team in the section bracket after entering as the top South seed.
The 18-11 Arrows have five playoff wins so far as the second South seed. They must beat JCC twice after battling back through the elimination bracket.
The roles are fully reversed since these programs last played for the section title in 2023.
That year marked a seventh straight Arrows trip to State with only COVID interrupting them in a stretch dating from there back to 2016. That was also the 14th State appearance in Pipestone Area history but is the most recent for the 2007 State champions entering Thursday.
JCC hasn’t lost to Pipestone since the 2024 regular season and is now looking to repeat as section champion.
One of six straight Huskies wins in the rivalry series came in the title game at the Shelly Hotzler Invitational in Jackson this year. A win on Thursday would give JCC a sixth State appearance in school history as they hunt their first State championship since back-to-back titles in 2004 and 2005 under Hotzler. The Huskies also swept a road doubleheader this year on April 30 with a pair of run-rule victories over the Arrows.
Our coverage on Thursday from Marshall begins at 4:45 on KKOJ.
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