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ONAWAY – Sadie Decker and Ema DeMaestri are relatives.
The two Onaway seniors have also played together in their respective sports for years, whether it’s on the volleyball court, the basketball court, or the softball field.
They’ve been triumphant in big games, while also falling short in some.
But what the two Onaway softball standouts agree on is that they’ve had no problems with the grind of playing three sports throughout their high school careers.
“Most of us play three sports, so we all have a really strong connection,” Decker said. “We all know each other, we all know how we play, so I think that helps us.”
“I think that it’s helped us learn how to play with each other in the other sports,” DeMaestri added. “We’re used to communicating with each other, and we know how badly we all want it.”
Last Saturday, the duo played a major role in the Cardinals earning district glory by beating Rogers City in a championship clash. This district run has been sweet for the two Cardinals, who bounced Inland Lakes – a rival they’ve had trouble beating in both basketball and softball during their careers – prior to taking down the Hurons in Rogers City.
As three-sport athletes, DeMaestri and Decker have taken on all sorts of challenges throughout the years, with DeMaestri playing three years of varsity basketball, and Decker competing for two years on the varsity. In volleyball, both played three varsity seasons, and to wrap it all up, they’re finishing their softball careers with four varsity years to their names.
Impressed by their ability to continuously take on the three-sport challenge is Onaway volleyball coach Steve Watson, who praised two of his leaders for their dedication for every sport they play.
“They work hard in their respective seasons, whether it’s spring, fall, winter, whatever it is,” Watson said. “They’re good teammates to the kids around them, so those kids look up to them, and they always have a positive attitude. They do all those things that matter, forget the skill level stuff because each sport is a little different, but they provide positive, role model situations for the younger players in particular.”
As both have competed in their sports, those around them have appreciated their desire to keep on going, especially Watson, who knows how difficult the challenge of replacing the three-sporters will be.
“When kids like that graduate, there’s holes to fill because every team needs kids like that,” Watson said. “When they walk away, somebody else is going to have to be that kid, which is kind of big shoes to fill.”
Throughout Onaway’s showdown with Rogers City, Onaway’s fans voiced their positive support, which inspired the Cardinals to bring the title home. After being handed the trophy and medals, DeMaestri and Decker were certainly thankful for their supporters.
“Hearing them cheer today was probably the best part,” DeMaestri said. “At some points it was like they were way more excited to see this happen than us, so it’s just great to see a lot of support coming in, and I’m very proud to have done it for them, because it’s been such a long drought for our softball program, who was very good for a long time, so it feels good to kind of bring that back to life.”
No matter what happens going forward, the two three-sport Cardinals will go out as winners and great role models to those aspiring to have the same success.
“Both are really good sports,” Watson said. “You want to play in the big moments, and it’s important to not change your behavior in those moments.”
The Cardinals travel to face Harbor Springs in a 10 a.m. regional semifinal on Saturday.
Contact sports editor Jared Greenleaf at jgreenleaf@gannett.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @sportsCDT
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