ORWIGSBURG - Eleven Palmerton seniors exited the dugout for the final time on Thursday following a District 11 Class AA championship loss to Pine Grove.

Nobody enjoys losing, but these seniors had nothing to hang their heads about.Over the last two seasons, the class of 2016 appeared in back-to-back Colonial League playoffs and two consecutive District 11 championship games, having claimed the district title in 2015.Depth and leadership from the senior group were two main components of Palmerton's remarkable runs across the past two seasons."It's a good problem to have, and a bad one sometimes too," said Palmerton head coach Robert Hock of his very deep, experienced roster. "It's always nice when you can turn, look and see able-bodied personnel waiting to help out any way they can, it's a comforting feeling. You wish you could keep everyone in the game at all times, but it's just not the nature of the game."Of the 11 seniors, seven of them were starters, and three of them were captains.One of the senior captains, Reese Dugan, has had an exceptional career in the circle. She threw a no-hitter against Pen Argyl in the district playoffs earlier this week.Another captain, Kendra Pekurny, has done a ton of damage both at the plate and in the circle during her fine career."All of our seniors weren't the loudest bunch - they were somewhat quiet, but they all led by example and that's all you can ask out of them," said Hock. "I didn't know them as freshman. I came in their sophomore year, but I really got to know them well. They've done a lot for this program and for the school."The final captain might not have gotten as much press as the other two, but she has proved on the field why she is quite deserving of the title.Jordan Boyer has been a four-year varsity player and has never had any quit. Despite trailing by six in the final inning against Pine Grove on Thursday, she smacked a single and tried to stretch it into a double, fully extending and giving up her body to try and avoid a tag. She accounted for two of Palmerton's three hits during the game, and her final aggressive turn around first base symbolized her will to win at all times. She was the last player out of the dugout."She's been an anchor in right field for us and has been a great batter throughout her career," said Hock. "She's a good, heads-up softball player. She quietly goes about her business and does what she's supposed to do, and she knows how to do it. She's had a great career here."From the top of the lineup with Darion Jacoby, to the bottom with catcher Alyssa Acker, this veteran group was full of talented athletes. It's been a nightmare for opposing coaches to scout, as each one of the 11 seniors had diverse playmaking ability."I'll miss this bunch for sure," Hock said. "How do you not? I spend a lot of time with these kids and they're fun to be around. It will be difficult to replace all of them. It will be a whole different atmosphere next year."The culture will change and the torch will be passed along from one era to the next. A handful of younger Bombers has gotten its feet wet this season. The group will have to quickly become the new face of the 2017 edition of the Lady Bombers.Hock said Paige Frantz, Sadie Heiney, Alyssa Olewine, Paige Shupp and Avery Neipert will be a big part of next year's nucleolus."There will be a learning curve for sure, but I think we may raise a few eyebrows next year," Hock said. "I'm proud of this bunch. We had our banquet last week and we talked about things, we just reminded them that we were down and out at one point, but we got into both the league and district playoffs."They represented themselves and the program well by just getting to these places. I have to give them credit for the way they fought. We got to where we wanted to be."