I have to admit; I was pulling for the Buchanan softball team to pull off something I knew deep inside was a long shot.

I wanted the Bucks to win the Division 3 regional championship and extend long-time head coach Mike Welsh’s career at least one more game.

Buchanan faced a huge challenge in beating an extremely talented Coloma team on its home field Saturday, but as I was covering the Division 2 regional in Edwardsburg, I was still hoping for a miracle.

It never came.

The Bucks advanced to the title game with a 5-1 win over Hopkins, but unlike the Comets, who played the opening game of the day, Buchanan had to get right back on the diamond and play.

Perhaps a break would have helped the Bucks. Perhaps if Coloma had to play in the heat of the day and then jump right back on the field it may have made a difference.

We of course will never know.

What we do know is that Welsh gave Buchanan 28 great years of varsity softball.

The Bucks won their 12th district championship the previous weekend to go along with 10 district titles and 692 career victories.

Only Lakeshore’s Denny Dock and Edwardsburg’s Randy Brooks, who happened to be playing each other Saturday for the Division 2 championship, have won more games.

I have had the pleasure of knowing all three of these men for a very long time and I can tell you no one has done it better than Welsh, Dock and Brooks.

They coach the right way. They care deeply about their players and they are committed to their communities.

I know I have never known three finer coaches who have always been there for me when I needed something for the paper.

I am honored to call all three of them friends.

I have known about Mike being let go after this season ended since back in March. It was tough to hear and as the season progressed, I kept hoping someone would figure out a way to let him go out on his own terms.

I personally do not agree with the decision, but I am not privy to everything that is going on in Buchanan, so I am going to let them handle things the way they see fit.

But that does not mean I am happy about seeing Welsh have to walk away from the game because someone else said he had to.

Personally, I would have let him coach another year so that he could reach 700 career victories, a milestone that very few coaches ever reach.

I also know that with Mike leaving the game that Dock and Brooks cannot be that far behind.

Both have coached a very long time. Dock has already retired from coaching football and teaching. At the end of each softball season I wonder if I will get that phone call or email saying that they too are calling it a career.

Hopefully, that call or email will not come any time soon.

I wish the best for Welsh as he begins the next chapter of his life. If he so chooses to continue coaching at another school they will be lucky to have him.

Scott Novak is sports editor for Leader Publications. He can be reached at scott.novak@leaderpub.com.