Huntingdon Valley's Rafael Fernandez Takes Home League Co-MVP And 10 Others Make All-League Team

For the second straight season (Jake Yannessa last season) Lower Montco's League MVP comes from Huntingdon Valley. Rafael Fernandez was named the leagues Co-MVP with the Morelanders Mike Janas while 10 other Huntingdon Valley players are named to the All-League team.

League MVP: Rafael Fernandez .405 avg, 32 Hits, 9 Doubles, 19 RBI's, 14 Walks, .547 OBP

"Im thrilled for Raf he really deserved the award" Head Coach Evan Horn said, "He was not only an incredible player but as the season grew on he was the leader of the team and took being the team captain very serious. He was first to the field and last to leave. He was very supportive of his teammates and was the first one to let you know what he thought. I just love this kid and with a tear in my eye I am so sad to see him graduate from this team"

Fernandez was not only great with the bat but even better with his glove as he only committed 5 errors while making an unreal 117 plays. His bat did the taking as well as he hit .405 with 19 RBI's out of the lead off position.

"His defense is what got him the MVP award. Everyone puts offense in front of defense but for once the defense won" Horn continued "He was as clutch as they come with the bat but was even more clutch when it came time to field the ball. There was a play early in the season while playing at Caderbrook when I saw him make a diving play up the middle to then get up tag 2nd base and throw to first for a double play. From that point on I really noticed how valuable he was on that side of the ball"

Huntingdon Valley had a total of 6 First Team All-League players.

"When you have that many 1st team all-league players it is kind of weird that you don't win the championship" Horn said "When the league is this good I guess anything can happen. Yes this season was great coming in first place with the over all best record but you cant be satisfied with just that you have to step your game up and bring home the ultimate goal and it just didn't go our way this season"

2nd Base: Callan Palmer .260 avg, 17 Hits .387 OBP, 2 Errors

"Cal was a 3 year starter for me. He was on the team when the team was in the basement and was a huge part of the teams turn around over the last 3 seasons. I was just saying the other day that he was 100% committed to the team and only missed 2 games in 3 seasons. He is almost over looked a little because he isn't a gap hitter and wont hit a home run but when the game is on the line he was always part of the teams huge comebacks. He is also leaving the team this season and I am so sad as I wont be able to put C.Palmer Number 2 in position 4 anymore. I am really going to miss him"

3rd Base: Jordan Pocrass: .385 avg, 25 Hits, 2 Doubles, 3 Home Runs, 21 RBI's, .447 OBP

"This season was Jordan's first season as a full time player for me. He is not only a great baseball player but a better person. Always smiling, always asking questions and was the Assistant coach on the field with Raf. Jordan hit some long home runs that is for sure but as the season moved along he knew it was more about winning games that batting stats. There was a huge play in the semi finals against Caderbrook when I asked Jordan to bunt and as I expected he did it and helped us win the game. What else can you ask for from a true ball player"

Catcher: Ryan Killion .385 avg, 15 Hits, 3 Doubles, 3 Triples, 11 RBI's, 14 SB, .505 OBP

"Ryan was huge down the stretch for us. He came to play and brought his A game. I love the way he plays the game. He plays with the edge that some kids don't and that is what makes him go. He is mentally tough and works his butt off to get better. There was a play early in the season that sums up the way Ryan plays the game. We where in the 2nd game of a doubleheader at Southampton in the bottom of the 8th inning when with one out Ryan hit a double. Earlier in the game I told the kids to not second guess yourselves on the bases and if you think you can steal 3rd to please try it. Well Ryan did that and was safe. He later scored the winning run because of it. This tells you a lot about him"

DH: Matt Meyers .543 avg, 19 Hits, 4 Doubles, 3 Triples, 1 Home run, 15 RBI's, .605 OBP

"Matt was huge again this season for us. He hit a huge walk off home run the 2nd game of the season against the Morelanders and really carried our team for a few games after that. He was forced to DH because of a shoulder injury but at times played 1st base. He played 1st like he did it his entire life. When Matt puts his mind to something he will always do great. Matt is going to play baseball one day at a high level and coaching him was an honor"

Pitcher: Sean Weiss 7 Wins 0 Losses, 7 Complete Games, 2 Shutouts, 48 IP, 1.17 ERA

"Sean was the biggest surprise of the season by far. He pitched every big game for us and was a true work horse. 7 complete games, 7 wins what else can you ask for. He is really a lovable person with his personally and we all grew to love the kid. He is truly a wood bat pitcher. He keeps the ball low, throws strikes and really needs the defense to eat up the balls. All season long he did that and because of him we played for a championship. Every team in the league always asked me who he was and at the league meeting they all voted for him. He was well deserving of this award and I cant wait to see him next season"

Morelanders Walk Off With League Championship

It had been five years since any team not named Fort Washington was able to call itself the Lower Montco American Legion Baseball League champions. But after Tuesday night’s game between the Morelanders and Huntingdon Valley, a team other than the Generals has finally captured the title.

Thanks to a walk-off RBI by Mike Cavanaugh in the bottom of the seventh inning, the Morelanders were able to sneak by with a 7-6 win over Valley at Masons Mill Park, giving the Morelanders their first championship in five years.

After allowing No. 1 seed Valley to score four runs in the top of the seventh to keep the game going, the Morelanders loaded the bases and won on a groundball by Cavanaugh to score Charlie Hooker and give the Morelanders the win.

“It’s great,” Morelanders manager Ken Irwin said. “These kids are with us in the high school program and a summer team last year and they really did well. They were starting to believe they could win early this year and I’ve never seen a team win so many games in their last at-bat that these kids have won this year.”

In the win, the Morelanders (16-8-0) got contributions from everyone.

In the bottom of the first, after Valley (14-9-2) got an RBI single from Brian Buckley to score Ryan Killion, Colton Hooker and Kyle Walder both recorded RBI to put the Morelanders up 2-1. In the bottom of the second, Cavanaugh and Colton Hooker scored on a two-run single to right field.

In the fourth, Charlie Hooker hit a two-run double to score Colton Hooker and Robert Knox and put the Morelanders up 6-1.

But Valley had an answer, scoring four runs in the top of the seventh, highlighted by an RBI double by Killion and bases loaded walks by Lewis Palmer and Paul Buckley.

“As you saw, we don’t quit,” Valley manager Evan Horn said. “The seniors on the team who are graduating are our main reason for that and they led the way the whole season.”

Valley, which finished with the best overall record in the league in team history this season, was playing in its first championship game since 1992. The team was led by Buckley, who went 1-for-2 with two walks, one run and two RBI. Pocrass went 2-for-2, while Lance Goodman drove in a run. Callan Palmer went 1-for-4 with a run scored and team captain Rafael Fernandez walked twice and also scored once.

Mark Rushton started and took the loss, while Ross Goodman finished the game with a strong showing on the mound.

“To be honest, the last few pitchers we’ve used in the playoffs were really good pitchers, but we didn’t use them a lot this year,” said Horn, whose team played five games in four days to make up for several postponed games from the regular season. “I asked them to pitch today and they both gave me everything. I’m going to miss them, as they’re both seniors and great ballplayers.”

The Morelanders were led by Charlie Hooker, who went 2-for-4 with a run and two RBI. Walder finished 2-for-4 with an RBI, while Colton Hooker went 2-for-3 with two runs scored. Knox went 2-for-3 with a walk, a stolen base, two runs and one RBI. Matthew Kohn stole two bases and scored one run.

Cavanaugh scored one run to go along with his game-winning at-bat.

“It felt good to get that last hit,” he said. “I just sat back on a curveball and waited and put it in play. Good things happen when you do that. This win feels great and I love playing with this team.”

Edward Decker pitched the final inning, walking one batter while not allowing any hits or runs while earning the win for the Morelanders, who will now begin play in the Region 3 tournament this weekend.

“This group of kids is just to winning,” Irwin said. “Nothing ever fazes them and it’s a tribute to these guys.”