James Friel kept on repeating the story as he laid on the trainer’s table, his sweaty uniform still on, his eye black smudged.
It didn’t matter that everyone who walked in – teachers, coaches, or friends – had already seen the play live. Or that he was retelling it to many of them.
He kept on going on. How good he felt upon releasing it. That he knew the conclusion once he let go of the ball, that he would nail George Washington pinch-runner Luis Toval at the plate to cap Poly Prep’s thrilling, 2-1 victory over the PSAL powerhouse.
Nobody seemed to mind the countless replays. The Blue Devils were reveling in the victory, too.
The entire team remained on school grounds – many without changing – for more than an hour after Friel’s game-saving assist. Like, if they left or threw on a pair of jeans, the previous two hours would be taken away.
“When are you guys going to go home?” coach Matt Roventini jokingly asked as he headed for the parking lot.
Make no mistake about it, Poly Prep is no underdog. The Blue Devils are an elite private school with a campus like a college. They have a field the best coaches in the city would drool over and a state-of-the-art weight room to draw in recruits.
Even so, this victory was profound, particularly since Poly Prep’s 56-game Ivy League win streak was snapped by Fieldston on Wednesday. Even more than bouncing back, it was a chance for Roventini’s club to prove it belongs with the best the city has to offer.
Since baseball has no unilateral end-of-the-year tournament, this is the best the Blue Devils can do, the once chance they have to state their case as a legitimate power.
It’s quite a step. Roventini has rebuilt the program, winning three straight league titles and two NYSAIS crowns before falling short to Berkeley Carroll last year. This year’s team has knocked off Catholic power Xaverian, GW, and Staten Island stalwarts Tottenville and McKee/Staten Island Tech.
Starter Richie Carbone, who went the distance on the mound, remembered the type of non-league foes Poly Prep faced when he first arrived. They didn’t feature major league prospects like Mike Antonio of GW.
This wasn’t just a victory for the current players or for Roventini. It was for the future, too, to show the current underclassmen what was expected.
“It’s great for the program,” the Johns Hopkins-bound Carbone said. “I’m really proud to be here.”