MEDINA, Ohio — There are prime examples in sports of teams with super fans: the Knicks have Spike Lee, the Lakers have Jack Nicholson, and in Cleveland the likes of Drew Carey, Machine Gun Kelly and Steve Harvey support the Browns, Cavs and Guardians.
A high school in Medina has a super fan you're more likely to see on a farm than at a sporting event.
“Official mascot is the Hornets — we are the Highland Hornets,” said Brent Belsole, head coach of the Highland High softball team. “Middle of the game — a goat went running across the field, and it had a Highland jersey on. How often do you have a goat at a softball field, right?”
Roo is a six-week-old Nigerian dwarf goat who is being cared for by the Martin family after losing her mother. She was also an instant hit with the team.
“It’s pretty crazy, but it’s a lot of fun,” said Rick Martin, father of player Kiley Martin. “Everybody smiles when they see her, so it’s just been fun to be around.”
Roo is a favorite, not just with the players, but with fans and parents as well.
“We got her when she was two weeks old, so we’ve been bottle-feeding her for about a month,” said Roo handler Kelsey Denholm. “We did not expect all of this because it just started by us having to bring her. The team just caught on to liking her.”
Roo isn’t just the unofficial mascot; she’s also the team’s good luck charm.
“Roo is the rally goat now,” Kiley said. “Pretty much won every game since Roo has been coming. Whenever she doesn’t show up, we end up losing. Whenever she’s there, we win.”
“Way to go Roo! As soon as we brought her over we started getting strikes,” one fan said.
“They love her, she’s great,” Kiley said.
“The goat’s a hit, yep!” Belsole said.
In terms of unofficial mascots and rally animals for high school softball teams, Roo is undoubtedly the GOAT.
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