The North Farmington softball squad is smoking.

The Raiders have won 16 games in a row going into their district semifinal showdown with Catholic League power Farmington Hills Mercy on Saturday, a rematch of last season's state tourney throwdown captured by North Farmington 4-3.

This is not good news for the Mercy Marlins.

Skipper Dave Brubaker and his Raider diamond queens are currently 27-4 and looking to improve upon last season's run into the Sweet 16, where they fell decisively 11-1 to Canton.

North Farmington is led onto the field by all-state senior captain Katy Severson, who will be continuing her career in college next year at UofD-Mercy. Severson has been credited with all 27 of the Raiders' victories this spring from the pitching circle and is hitting a combined .504 over the last two seasons from the plate. She spun a 1-hitter back on Tuesday in her team's 3-1 defeat of Farmington in the pre-district.

Let's not forget Severson's fellow senior running mate, second baseman Katie Creighton, a .450 career hitter. Creighton is the ultimate 'glue girl' and along with Severson leads by example on and off the playing field and in the dugout. Brubaker's junior class is headlined by Kaitlyn Kendall and Nikki Wald and Megan Keller spark North Farmington's standout sophomore class contingent.

Creighton will be playing in college at Davenport University and Kendall was an all-league pick last winter on the basketball floor. Wald had the game-tying and game-winning RBI – both on perfectly executed bunt singles – in the team's pre-district downing of Farmington - and Keller is a D1 recruit in hockey.

All five of the aforementioned Raiders were selected all-league in the OAA last year when the squad claimed an OAA Red crown.

Burney sees the Raiders as one of his favorites to raise a state title trophy come CEREAL CITY TIME