Falcons win league, but not sectionals

by Eric Keppeler
Niagara Wheatfield Tribune, June 15, 2006

By most standards, a high school baseball team that went 19-4, won its league championship and made it all the way to the sectional finals probably had a great season.

Unless you’re the Niagara-Wheatfield Falcons.

The Falcons made some strides this year, improving their win total by three from last season. N-W also won the Niagara Frontier League title outright after sharing it last season with Lockport. And nearly their entire lineup made the NFL all-star roster.

But the sectional crown remained elusive as the Falcons fell to Orchard Park for the second straight year in the finals.

It’s taking N-W coach Jim Hagerty a while to get over it.

A Good Year

“It’s taken me about a week to get to this point, but now I can look back on the season and say that we had a good year,” Hagerty said. “As far as sectionals go - I think I’m taking it harder than most of the kids, but life goes on. It really was a good year.”

The numbers are impressive as N-W hit .322 as a team while sporting a collective Earned-Run Average of 1.80. The number of Falcon all-stars reflects that.

Matt Haseley, Jon Smith, Tom Rieker and Joe Kephart all made the first team. Haseley was 8-2 as the staff ace with a 1.90 ERA. Smith at shortstop hit .424 with 24 runs, 28 hits, five stolen bases and 22 walks. Rieker at second base hit .346 with 23 runs and 24 RBI, also pitching a 5-1 record with a 2.40 ERA. Kephart, an outfielder, hit .319 with 23 runs and 18 RBI. On the mound, he went 3-0 with a 1.50 ERA.

Kyle Smith was the lone Falcon on the second team. As a pitcher and catcher, he hit .295 and also went 3-1 with a 1.60 ERA.

The third team featured Falcons’ Mike Guariglia, Stefan Marzahl and Scott Retzlaff. Guariglia at third base hit .301 with 24 RBI. Marzahl in center field hit .325 and scored 22 runs. Retzlaff made the team as a designated hitter, finishing at .382 with 16 RBI.

Hagerty made a case for outfielder Jeff Panza (.296) and first baseman Chris Gruarin (.333) as well.

Looking Ahead

He’s going to lose three quarters of his pitching staff to graduation in Haseley, Rieker and Kephart. The only other starter to move on is Marzahl.

So with much of the defense returning, the biggest question for 2007 will be the pitching. Kyle Smith will play a key role, as will some others who didn’t pitch this season because Hagerty didn’t need them to.

“I already have the depth chart out for next season,” Hagerty said. “We’re keeping track of the modified and the JV teams. That’s one of the reasons we’ve been so successful - the coaching staff works so well together. We talk all of the time and bounce ideas off one another. And of course, the kids have made a commitment to improve. Most of them play summer ball now, and that helps a lot, too.”