William Monroe’s coach Mike Maynard has mentioned a number of times that this year’s edition of the Dragons wasn’t necessarily as talented as, say, the 2012 group that won a state title. But after Monroe fell 3-2 in a thriller of a Group 3A state final to Rustburg, Maynard wanted to clarify things.
“I’m not saying they’re not talented, but as one, they’re really talented, they’re really strong,” Maynard said. “They’ve been friends for so long and they play well together.”
That group took Rustburg to the brink, making the Red Devils earn every inch of the program’s first state championship. Junior lefty R.J. Payne allowed just two earned runs on the mound and Monroe used some crafty bunting and expert baserunning to claw back within striking distance in the fifth inning. But six runners left on base and Rustburg capitalizing on three Monroe errors sunk the Dragons in a bid for the program’s second state championship in five years.
“We fell behind and I saw some doubt in some of them’s eyes but my leaders pulled them together and the coaching staff did an incredible job,” Maynard said. “We fought back and played some small ball.”
Carson Stanley knocked in Rustburg’s first run in the first inning with an RBI single. The Red Devils tacked on two ore in the third when Drew Calohan and Daegan Phillips each hit triples and then a dropped ball in right field allowed Phillips to score.
“This was our goal from the beginning of the year and we stuck together through thick and thin and by the grace of God, we were able to make it,” Rustburg senior pitcher Hunter Campbell said.
Campbell threw a complete game and surrendered just five hits and two walks to the Dragons while striking out seven.
The Dragons got on the board in the fifth after Tyler Trevillian and Anthony Pritchett each reached on bunts. With the help of a couple of Rustburg errors and a sacrifice fly by Payne. Often this season the Dragons have been able to turn a break or two into a big inning, but Rustburg clamped down with a strikeout and a fly out ending that inning.
“I lost my footing on one, I’ll take responsibility for that but in the end, it turned out okay,” Campbell said.
Cody Spencer tried to jumpstart the Dragons to get over the top, smashing a double with one out in the seventh, but Monroe couldn’t bring him across. In the seventh, Campbell retired the side.
Spencer finished 2-for-3 with two doubles while Pritchett, Payne and Charlie Richards also had hits. Richards also had a leaping catch at shortstop to preserve the one-run deficit in the bottom of the sixth.
It was a frustrating finish for the Dragons, who knocked off the prohibitive tournament favorite Turner Ashby in the semifinals on Friday with a shocking 3-0 win.
“I feel sorry for my seniors, they busted their butts all season, but we were one of the last teams playing,” Maynard said. “We had a great year and probably made it further than some people thought we should, but when you make it to the final game you want to win it.”
Monroe didn’t this time, but Payne back on the mound and a slew of young players who appear primed to take on larger roles, there’s a good chance the Dragons could be a factor this time of year next season.
