F our words, that’s all it take on a bit of fire, and her smile grows even wider. Raccoon. River. Conference. Softball. Sniezek, who is about to begin her sixth year in charge of the Gilbert program and her 20th season overall as a head coach, loves to talk about the league’s prowess, both in re- cent years and over the long haul. It’s the toughest non- Class 5A conference in the takes for Staci Sniezek to sit up in her chair a little straighter. Her kind eyes state, year after year after year, and you could even argue it’s as rigorous as the state’s largest leagues. Carlisle. Winterset. North Polk. ADM. Boone. They’re all state heavyweights seemingly every year. Other teams have historic pedigrees as well. And just think about this: Over the last three seasons, the RRC has accounted for 50 percent (12 of 24) of the 4A state qual- ifiers. The league sent four teams to state a season ago, five in 2021, and has boasted four state champions and three state runners-up in just the past six seasons. Marinate on those facts for a moment. They’re incredibly im- pressive. “If you want a measuring stick, you get it every single
Left to right: Zoey Jones, Evie Christenson, Lauren Sniezek, Adalyn Gauck, Delaney Eickert, Taylor Puck, Tovaria Smith, Greta Platts, Sammy Johnson, Emma Latterell, Olivia Latterell, Clara Newton, Cece Hart, Katie Sniezek, and Maddy Shannon.
night in this conference,” Snie- zek said. “There’s a great tradi- tion of programs and you get to say you’re playing against the best every single night. And every night, you have to bring your best.” In all, RRC schools have com- bined for 81 state tournament appearances and have gener- ated 15 state championships (the numbers increase to 89 trips and 16 titles if you include Adel before it combined to be- come ADM), with Carlisle and Winterset sharing the lead at five each. Four of Winterset’s crowns have come in the last decade, including a title in 2020
and back-to-back champion- ships in 2022 and 2023. North Polk (three) and Bondu- rant-Farrar (one) have both sat atop the state as well. Ballard has a state title too, which came in the summer of 2012. And who was the coach that led the Bombers to the top of the mountain? That would be none other than Staci Sniezek. Aah, now do you see where we’re going here? Sniezek knew exactly what Gilbert was stepping into when
SUMMER 2024 | GAME ON 19 2019, it was comfortable talking about it because you have to start thinking about it if you’re going to accomplish it,” Sniezek said. “Every year we’ve been together, we’ve taken another step toward that becoming a re- it joined the RRC back in 2020. The Tigers are the only confer- ence school to never reach the state softball tournament, and while that can be a daunting fact, Sniezek and her players use it as motivation daily. The group that breaks through — and it will happen — will be remembered forever. “When I first took over in
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