The 2011 edition of the Philipsburg- Osceola softball team may not go down as the most talented squad that coach Jim Gonder has ever fielded.

There have been other teams with players who have carved their names deeply into the Lady Mountie record book.

But when all was said and done, the 2011 Lady Mounties will stand alone at the top with a 25-1 record, the best in school history. They also completed a remarkable season on June 17, topping Brandywine Heights 1-0 to capture the school’s second PIAA Class AA softball title, joining the 2007 squad as the school’s only PIAA champions.

“I can’t compare teams, but they certainly figured out ways to get things done, didn’t they?” said Gonder, whose career record improved to 514-122 in 28 seasons.

These Lady Mounties were the MacGyvers of Centre County softball lore. Somehow, someway they always figured out a way to win, even in the toughest of situations.

Replace five starters from a talented team that lost 3-1 in 11 innings in the 2010 PIAA final? No problem.

Spend most of the first month of the season practicing on a gym floor? No problem.

Start the season with your No. 1 pitcher out with an arm injury? No problem.

Need a home run, a catch, a late-game hit? No problem.

Trail in a playoff game? No problem. Rebound from another playoff opponent’s comeback? No problem.

Need a suicide squeeze in the PIAA title game? No problem.

“Whether it was the longball or the short game, or excellent pitching or great defense, we were able to do what we needed to do to win games,” Gonder said.

“They believed the whole way through the season that good things could happen. As they kept winning and figured out ways to win differently, they really believed in their abilities.

They won 25 times in almost 25 different ways and the lone loss deserves an asterisk in the book. The 4-3 loss against Central Mountain was cut short by rain, with the tying run at third base in the top of the sixth.

“You always hope for it, but realistically with the schedule we play and the competition that’s out there, you don’t think you’re going to finish 25-1,” Gonder said. “You set goals and you work towards those goals, but holy smokes doing what we did is pretty special.”

Gonder says the secret to the success is simple: “Dedication, hard work and a great coaching staff.”

He said his players, through offseason workout and inseason practices, definitely took care of the first two.

“They know that if you work hard that there’s some dividends down the road if you’re willing to put the time and effort in,” he said.

And he spreads the credit among a coaching staff that many have joked is as large as the team’s roster. Nine coaches were part of this season’s title run.

“We get along real well and we’re good friends off the field,” Gonder said of his colleagues. “What’s good about our staff is that you can throw suggestions out there and provide input as how we can get better and they know I’m going to listen to what they say. We’ll see if it helps and if it doesn’t work, well, at least we tried it. We’re not afraid to try anything to make this team better.

“The guys all work extremely hard. This by no means is the Jim Gonder Show. There’s nine coaches on our staff and every one of contributes in our own way to get things done.”

But as humble as Gonder is, players say he deserves some credit, too. P-O is considered to be one of most fundamentally sound programs in the state.

“You do all of these tedious little drills and it’s like, ‘Aw, these again,’ because we do the same thing every time at practice,” Chelsea Rex said. “Gonder definitely knows what he’s doing. I think that shows that every single drill and all the little things are important. If we didn’t work on those things, we wouldn’t be where we are today.”

The Lady Mounties didn’t get rattled, even during two crucial moments in the playoffs.

In the District 6 semifinals, Ligonier Valley erased a 3-0 lead with a five-run second-inning, but the Lady Mounties recovered to win 8-5.

“We needed a circus tent for that particular inning,” Gonder said of the Ligonier rally. “But, they fought through it and came back won the came going away.”

In the PIAA quarterfinals, Greensburg Central Catholic scored two runs in the top of the seventh to tie the game 2- 2, but the Lady Mounties rebounded win the game with Carly Gonder’s single in the bottom of the inning.

And in the state title game, Macy Harpster’s squeeze bunt plated Kate Burge with the lone run and Rex tossed a four-hitter.

Brandywine Heights had the leadoff runner on base in five of the seven innings, but Rex and her teammates shut down the Lady Bullets each time.

Players now have had a chance to watch PCN’s broadcast of the game and experience the feelings from the title game again.

“It’s kind of weird watching yourself on TV,” Rex said. “I didn’t have a problem watching this year’s compared to last year’s tape. It’s awesome to see the replays and it makes you think you’re a big-time player. It looks like a college setting, like the big games in the World Series.”

In particular, Rex remembers her thoughts after giving up a single in the top of the seventh. “I remember being out there on the mound and they show me with that neutral face and I remember what was going through my head, ‘Oh crap, we’ve got to get these outs.’”

Postgame fire truck rides through town started a whirlwind week in the tight community, which in all likelihood set a PIAA attendance record with 1,400 in attendance for the title game at Penn State’s Nittany Lion Softball Park.

“The people are really excited and have been real supportive,” Jim Gonder said. “There have been lots of congratulations, lots of ‘Way to goes,’ lots of invitations, lots of neat things.

“I don’t think you can wipe the smiles off their faces. They’ve been smiling non-stop since last Friday.”

“People random have been coming up and saying like, ‘Good job’ and giving me a hug,” said center fielder Harpster. “They’re like, ‘How’s it feel to a celeb in town now?’ It’s awesome.”

“Without softball, it’s been weird,” shortstop Mackenzie Wilson said. “Just going out, people have been congratulating me. Our town in pretty excited.”

Wilson, who broke a school record with 48 hits and batted .552 this season, was one of five senior starters that Jim Gonder will have to replace. Rex (17-0 on the mound, school-record seven homers, .432 average), first baseman Amanda Arnold (.400 average), right fielder Kelci Knepp (.347 average), center fielder Harpster (excellent glove and .284 average) and left fielder Katie Carpin (.270) also will be sorely missed.

Gonder hopes this past season will serve as a baseline for future teams, even if it does sound like an episode of MacGuyver.

“This season was definitely full of twists and turns,” he said. “It kind of made it a mystery where we were. We never knew what was going to happen, but somehow we always figured out a happy ending for it.”