By Sean Duncan
JOLIET - Mike Napoleon has had his share of loaded squads in his 13 years as head coach of New Trier. While talented, this year’s Trevian team was for the most part untested. Certainly not a group of new faces that could bring home another championship trophy to the Winnetka school.
Think again.
Napoleon proved once again that every year has the potential to be a championship season, as the No. 5 Trevians, playing an uncharacteristic role of the dark-horse, stunned No. 2 St. Rita, 4-3, Saturday night in the Class 4A state championship game at Joliet's Silver Cross Field.
Napoleon's second state championship also marked his 400th victory at New Trier.
"Player for player, this is not our best team," said Napoleon, who also has won two second-place trophies. "But team-wise, this is our best team. … It's really an unbelievable feeling when you don't expect it."
As they've done all year, the Trevians (32-7) won behind their flawless defense, solid pitching and timely hitting. While New Trier did not commit an error in both state games, St. Rita (35-7) had five miscues in the game.
"We play phenomenal defense," said senior second baseman Jonathan Hall, who went 2-for-2 with two RBI, one run and was on base all four times. "We take a lot of pride in it. This is really a fairy tale ending."
With St. Rita leading 3-1 in the bottom of the second inning, a throwing error and subsequent glaring missed call by a field umpire put runners on second and third for New Trier with Hall at the plate. Hall promptly drilled a two-run double to tie the game at 3-3.
In the bottom of the third, Bob Cook (2-for-4) doubled with one out, which prompted St. Rita coach Mike Zunica to go to his bullpen, removing starter Scott Marinier (11-1). Hard-throwing left-handed sophomore Joey Filomeno entered the game, fresh off his lights-out performance in the supersectionals when he struck out nine of the 11 batters he faced.
New Trier senior first baseman Jake Carrow welcomed Filomeno with a run-scoring double, making it 4-3, which wound up being the winning margin.
"This is better than I could ever have imagined," said Carrow, who had two doubles in the game. "You dream about this, but this is so much better than my dream."
St. Rita threatened in the fifth, putting runners on second and third with one out. That's when Napoleon summoned in junior right-hander Eli Anderson to relieve starter Ryder Borre (4.1 IP, eight hits, three runs, seven strikeouts, two walks), who earned the victory. Anderson proceeded to strike out the next two batters to snuff out the fire.
In the sixth, Anderson snagged a line shot up the middle and turned a double play on it. Then in the seventh, after Justin Kopale (3-for-4, double, run) led off the inning with a single, Anderson bore down and retired the next three batters, the final one on with a strikeout.
"This is the closest team I've ever played on," said Anderson, who struck out three, walked one and allowed one hit in 2.2 innings to earn the save. "There's no way to put this into words."
Shane Conlon, whose two-run double in the first inning got St. Rita off to a 2-0 lead, had two hits for the Mustangs.
"We had five errors tonight, but we also had five great plays to go along with them," said St. Rita coach Mike Zunica. "Our guys played with an edge. You've got to tip your cap to the New Trier guys."