By Aidan Mathews
At the conclusion of District 39 play, two Aptos Little League All Star teams earned the right to take home the championship trophy. Both the 8-9 and 10-11 age groups faired well in their respective championship games winning by way of the ten-run rule against Scotts Valley’s boys. The teams’ play was respected throughout the tournament, winning many of their games by a healthy margin and showing the rest of the District what to expect from Aptos in the coming years.
The 8-9 All Stars made the most of their allocated time in this year’s summer classic winning the only tournament that the age group plays in. Going for a 4-1 record gave this team its first of many rewards for the unconditional effort and heart put forth in their play on the diamond.
Head coach Peter Gaeckle reflected on his team’s success saying “the team did an outstanding job staying resilient when their backs were against the wall.” And resilient they were – the Aptos boys dropped their second game of the tournament to a respected Scott’s Valley team in a close match resulting in a spot in the loser’s bracket of a double-elimination contest.
With elimination knocking on the door, Aptos was able to fight their way back to the championship game to face the very team that handed them their first loss and defeated them twice to wield the District trophy.
The Aptos 10-11 group had similar fate in their District tournament. As did the 8-9 group, the 10-11’s lost their second game of the tournament to Scotts Valley in a close 11-10 finish. Despite the minor setback, the Aptos boys showed their toughness as well pushing the opposing teams aside on their way to the championship against their rival Scotts Valley. Aptos defeated Scotts Valley two times by a combined score of 20-0 awarding them the District title.
Due to District success, the 10-11 age group will move on to the Sectional tournament where they will be tested by teams they have never seen before on a more elevated level. When asked about the differences between the District teams and the Sectional teams, head coach Robert Modena commented, “The teams are better. Every team here was the District champion like us.”
Knowing full well that the unknown awaited them in Sectional play, the 10-11 team entered the tournament with a first-round game against Los Gatos where they put forth a great effort resulting in a 7-2 victory. Grant Kolassa was Aptos’ winning pitcher having spent six strong innings on the mound holding Los Gatos scoreless for most of the game. This outing by Shane was as much credited to him as well as to pitching coach Mark Eichhorn, the team’s asset that Coach Modena claims, “turns throwers into pitchers.”
The respected and successful play from the Aptos Little Leaguers coupled with the excellence in coaching leaves Aptos fans overjoyed for the present and future statements made by their boys of summer. The success of the 8-9 and 10-11 teams marks two more titles to be added to the remarkable history that is Aptos Little League.