Class 4A: Charles City completes comeback over Waverly-Shell Rock

CEDAR RAPIDS – Charles City had been there before.

Down two sets to none, just a few points away from elimination.

And like the Class 4A state championship game last year against Solon, the Comets rose up and completed the comeback on Tuesday against rival Waverly-Shell Rock, 23-25, 17-25, 25-23, 25-23, 15-8.

'We went from talking X's and O's to Jills and Joes a little bit there, where we just said, 'Let's start competing mentally,' said Charles City Coach Matthew Johnson. 'And I thought that was the big difference. Those first two games we played without really competing. Then it was just a matter of finding a little something – making them take one extra swing here, work a little bit harder to score their points.'

Down 2-0 to a Go-Hawks team they knew very well, the Comets didn't hang their heads.

The confidence gained from the title game against Solon in 2012 proved invaluable, as the girls stayed composed and gathered themselves up.

'I think there was a lack of panic, which is nice to see,' Johnson said. 'I think there was frustration without being panicked. Some of the girls were frustrated by some of the mistakes they were making because they were uncharacteristic. But instead of worrying about what we hadn't done well, we started focusing on the next point, one point at a time.'

One of the key players who returned from the championship team a year ago stepped up to lead the charge against the Go-Hawks.

Senior Mara Forsyth led all players with 23 kills, and knew the Comets had what it took to keep the dream of back-to-back titles alive.

'Last year, the same mentality went through my head,' Forsyth said. 'It's not, 'Oh my gosh, we're down two games,' it's, 'All right, let's go. We have three more games to go, we can do this.' Being in that situation and knowing what it's like – especially in the state tournament last year – just gives me that much more confidence.'

Forsyth said it was a goal of hers to be a leader this year and in this tournament, following the lessons she learned from seniors in years past.

Staying focused and confident was something she used in the huddle every point along the way back.

'That's what I told the girls,' Forsyth said of staying focused. 'We get in our circle and the first thing I say is, 'Hey, we won three games in a row to win the state championship. Our season did not come to an end last year because of that, and our season is not going to come to an end this year because of that either.''

Charles City will face either Harlan or LeMars in the Class 4A semifinals on Thursday.