Warhawks end season in district final

West Fork’s Zach Laudner slides across home plate for the Warhawks only run after the ball got away from Newman catcher Matt Fitzsimmons during the second inning on Saturday, July 15. (Kristi Nixon/Hampton Chronicle) By Kristi Nixon MASON CITY – Tears didn’t fail to flow the moment both stepfather and stepson stopped to think about […]

<p>West Fork's Zach Laudner slides across home plate for the Warhawks only run after the ball got away from Newman catcher Matt Fitzsimmons during the second inning on Saturday, July 15. (Kristi Nixon/Hampton Chronicle)</p>

Kristi Nixon

MASON CITY – Tears didn’t fail to flow the moment both stepfather and stepson stopped to think about their final game together.

Moments after the West Fork baseball team had its season come to a close in an 11-1 loss to Class 1A second-ranked Mason City Newman in the district final, Warhawk coach Lance Thompson and his senior catcher/lead-off hitter Clay Emhoff choked up talking about what the game meant.

“Baseball was something that gave us an opportunity to get to know each other,” Thompson said. “To grow together, it’s been a great pleasure coaching him and seeing him develop as a person, not only as an athlete, but as a person.”

An all-state catcher last year, Emhoff finished this season batting exactly .500 this year. The two spent years bonding over baseball