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Final Four Berth At Stake

Maple Grove To Face Section V’s Avon On Saturday At Diethrick

Above is the Maple Grove baseball team after it won the Section VI Class C championship last Saturday. Kneeling, from the left, are Caleb Roller and Taige Jones. Standing are Coach Ryan Lucas, assistant coach Bob Lucas, Daren Vaillancourt, Tyler McPherson, Easton Tanner, Keontay Corley, Logan Fain, John Hairston, Brandon Reagle, Trevor Micek, Tyler Hall, Dalton DuBois, Zak Trim, Ayden Reagle and assistant coach Dave DuBois. P-J photo by Scott Reagle

Growing up outside Albany, Ryan Lucas played travel baseball during his teen years. His dad, Bob, was the coach.

“His love and passion for the game is something he instilled in me,” the younger Lucas said, “and it’s what I’ve taken to the field in my first year as varsity coach.”

The Maple Grove Red Dragons have appeared to get that message, too.

For as the calendar has flipped to June, the young men from the Dutch Hollow Road are still alive. In fact, at noon Saturday, they’ll take on Avon of Section V in the Class C Far West Regional at Russell E. Diethrick Jr. Park. The winner advances to the New York State Public High School Athletic Association Final Four in Binghamton on June 10.

“This has been a very memorable season,” Lucas said Thursday night. “I can’t say enough about this group. These guys take the field like brothers. They understand it’s a selfless game and they’re there to pick each other up. No matter the outcome, we’re going to remember this season and I’m very proud of these boys.”

Maple Grove enters Saturday’s game with a 12-6 record, including playoff victories over Randolph (7-0), Portville (1-0), Barker (4-2) and Allegany-Limestone (5-4).

Avon, meanwhile, is 17-4 and has knocked off Bishop Kearney (9-1), Lyons (7-5), Bolivar-Richburg (7-3), Campbell-Savona (1-0) and LeRoy (6-1) to set up the matchup with the Red Dragons.

“At this point in the playoffs, no matter who you’re playing, they’re a very good squad,” Lucas said. “I looked at their stats and they’ve got a handful of good hitters and it looks like they’ve got a couple of really good pitchers.”

Offensively, the Braves are led by Peyton Parmenter, who sports a .420 batting average and has smacked 14 doubles, one triple and one home run to go along with a team-leading 26 RBIs. Aaron Ghent (.421) and Max Countryman (.356) also possess potent bats.

On the mound, Padraig Coyne sports a 7-0 record with a 0.93 earned run average, while Countryman is 7-2 with a 1.95 ERA. Coyne has struck out 47 batters in 45 innings pitched, while walking just four. Meanwhile, Countryman has fanned 64 in 45.1 innings, while walking 17.

Lucas said he purposely does not advertise his stats — at least during the playoffs — but the regular-season batting averages of seniors Dalton DuBois (.420), Brandon Reagle (.342) and Trevor Micek (.300) were keys to the Red Dragons’ success offensively. Sophomores Easton Tanner and Daren Vaillancourt, and senior DuBois are Maple Grove’s top pitchers.

“When it comes to pitching, Easton and Daren pitch beyond their years and have done an outstanding job for us this year,” Lucas said. “When they take the mound you know they’re going to give everything they have. They’re not going to let off the throttle until the game is over.”

An elementary physical education teacher, the 27-year-old Lucas played baseball for two years at Jamestown Community College and for two more at Pitt-Bradford. This season he has been assisted by his father and Dave DuBois. Together, they quickly found out this edition of the Red Dragons was a “special group.”

“We’ve had strong leadership from our captains, Brandon Reagle, Trevor Micek and Dalton DuBois, combined with the hustle and commitment from seniors Logan Fain, Keontay Corley and Dakota Peck,” Lucas said. “From Day One, they’ve created the atmosphere that has taken them down a successful path.”

Whether that path will continue into next week will be determined by mid-afternoon Saturday.

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