A bit over 24 hours have passed since Clarion beat DuBois Central Catholic, 4-1, in the PIAA Class 1A baseball title game, and I am still trying to wrap my head around what we were all fortunate enough to witness.
And no, I am not talking strictly about the Bobcats winning their first PIAA baseball title. Nor am I talking strictly about DuBois Central Catholic playing in the PIAA title game for the second straight year.
Rather, I am talking about what a day, what a week it was for the local District 9 sports scene.
I have been covering high school sports for just over 25 years, and this is the No. 1 highlight for me on a personal level.
To cover a state championship game where I could look down at the field and say I knew every kid, every coach is mindblowing.
To cover a state championship game where I could walk around the concourse at Medal Field at Lubrano Park on the campus of Penn State University and recognize nearly every face is awe-inspiring.
To cover a state championship game where 20 minutes, a half-hour after the game the two opposing coaches are standing together on the concourse smiling and talking is what high school sports is all about.
For the great people at Clarion and their great fans, you understand their excitement, their joy because you know what great people they are.
For the awesome people at DCC and their great fans, you understand the sadness, their disappointment because you know what high-character individuals they are.
For those without a true rooting interest from District 9 who either made the trip, watched the game, or listened to the game you understand their pride. The pride that comes from knowing your area is now considered the best small-school baseball area in the state.
And don’t let anyone talk you out of that.
The best Class 1A baseball in Pennsylvania is played right here in your backyard. In the rural communities of Clarion, St. Marys, DuBois, Foxburg, Rimersburg, Emporium, etc.
You can’t argue that. The last two PIAA 1A baseball champions have come from those towns. Three in the last 10 played seasons have come from District 9 – we see you Johnsonburg – and an unreal 30 percent of the championship game participants (6 of 20) over the last 10 years In Class 1A have played on the ball fields in the corridor that starts around Foxburg on Interstate 80 and heads East to DuBois and north to Johnsonburg.
That doesn’t even get into the quality of baseball being played at the higher levels in Class 2A and Class 3A – where Punxsutawney has been a state semifinalist in each of the last two seasons and Redbank Valley and Karns City – Class 2A – have qualified for the quarterfinals during that span as well.
DCC coach Adam Fox has multiple times stated that iron sharpens iron. And that is true for baseball in District 9
No longer is it the WPIAL that teams should fear to play when the bracket comes out in Class 1A, 2A, and 3A, but rather those rural communities that harken back to yesteryear with six-block Main Streets, Fourth of July Parades, and yearly community festivals.
Right now, as we sit here on June 16, 2023, District 9 is the best Class 1A baseball district in Pennsylvania, no ands, buts, or ifs about it.
The credit goes to the players who have committed to becoming the best athletes in their sport possible.
The credit goes to the coaches – not just the high school coaches but the travel ball and Little League coaches as well – who have helped mold those players along the way.
The credit goes to the parents for encouraging and supporting the players along the way.
The credit goes to the communities who have stepped up both in spirit and financially to help these young men, these programs, become what they are today.
And with the young talent around D9, this ride might not be stopping any time soon.
Who knows, we could see another All D-9 title game again next year.
