By Sean Duncan

JOLIET - The smoke from the fireworks was still fresh in air, and there Shane Conlon was, standing on the over-soaked grass at Silver Cross Field, surrounded by media, with the Naperville Central student body chanting his name.

Indeed, this was Shane Conlon’s moment, having just outlived the hype and hoopla of facing his former team, the team he helped get to the championship game last year, and the team that he just threw a complete game against. While this moment was Conlon and Conlon’s alone, it took an incredible top-to-bottom team effort for No. 1 Naperville Central to defeat No. 3 St. Rita 10-4 in the Class 4A championship game Saturday night.

The Redhawks (38-4), who were the Prep Baseball Report’s preseason No. 1 team, lived up to their lofty expectations to secure their second state championship in five years. Conlon’s transfer back to his hometown high school after spending three years at St. Rita was a big reason why expectations were sky-high this season, and certainly Conlon didn’t disappoint.

The Kansas State-bound left-hander, who had pitched St. Rita into the championship game a year ago, struck out 10, walked two and allowed five hits and four runs in a 113-pitch complete-game effort to finish his whirlwind season at 12-0.

“I didn’t sleep much last night, to be honest,” said Conlon, who also threw a four-hitter and struck out 10 in the supersectional win over O’Fallon. “But once I got out here I was OK. … I just had to stay mentally tough.”

While Conlon rose to the occasion again for the Redhawks, it was their offense that consistently had St. Rita (32-10) back-pedaling. Naperville Central tallied 12 hits against three St. Rita pitchers, and every starter reached base at least once. Eight players recorded a hit and five drove in a run.

“That’s the thing that has helped us,” said Naperville Central coach Bill Seiple. “We can initiate from any spot in the lineup, and that’s why we’ve had success all season.”

Naperville Central jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the second inning when first baseman Bobby Czarnowski (2-for-2, two RBI), third baseman Nick Linne (1-for-4) and right fielder Mason Hallett (2-for-3, three runs, one RBI) strung together three consecutive singles. Hallett scored the second run on a double steal. In the top of the fourth, the Redhawks added two more runs on an interference call and a run-scoring single by catcher Ryan Walsh (2-for-4, two RBI).

Conlon was cruising through three innings, retiring the first nine batters he faced, five on strikeouts. But the Mustangs responded in the bottom of the fourth with four runs to tie the game. Sophomore Zach Soria, who delivered the game-winning hit in the bottom of the seventh in the semifinals against Huntley, led off the inning with a double. After an out, Mark Payton hit an opposite-field homer to left field. Initially, the home run was waved off because a field umpire had called timeout. But after some arguing and deliberation, the two-run shot was awarded.

Conlon proceeded to walk Joey Filomeno, and sophomore Stefano Belmonte followed with a single. DH Anthony Zawaski then tied the game with a two-run double and, it seemed, all the momentum was in St. Rita’s corner.

But before the large St. Rita contingent could get too excited, Naperville Central fired the knockout blow. The Redhawks responded with six hits in the top of the fifth, pushing across five runs. Hallett, Walsh, Matt Soria and Marc Mantucca (1-for-3, RBI) each had run-scoring singles to help Naperville Central mount a 9-4 lead.

“The fifth inning was the key to the game,” said St. Rita coach Mike Zunica. “We needed to shut them down. Really, it was them not allowing us to them down. It was a crushing blow.”

Said senior centerfielder Matt Cmiel, who went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs: “One through nine, we all hit up and down the lineup. There’s not an easy out.”

Naperville Central added an insurance run in the sixth when Cmiel doubled and scored on Czarnowski’s double.

After the fourth inning, Conlon found his groove again. He retired the side in order in the fifth and got a strikeout to end the sixth with runners on first and second. In the seventh, Conlon struck out the first two batters before inducing a flyout to end the game.

“[St. Rita] just kept battling,” said Conlon. “They’re a great team over there. This was a great team effort.”

Said Mantucca: “This is an unbelievable feeling. It hasn’t even sunken in yet. Expectations are great, but they don’t mean anything until June 12. … Shane had a wonderful season. I think St. Rita is realizing that Shane is a difference-maker.”

In the third-place game …

In a rain-shortened three-inning game, Stevenson defeated Huntley 5-0 to take third place in Class 4A. The Patriots finished out their best season in school history with a 35-4 record.

Senior right-hander Kyle Ruchim (8-2) had a perfect game going before torrential rains and lightning halted the game. Ruchim struck out four of the nine batters he faced. Senior first baseman Patrick Wilson hit a two-run homer in the first to ignite the offense.