June 3 - Despite winning 61 of 78 games since 2014, advancing to four consecutive league championship games and three straight region finals, Chantilly somehow continues to mirror the low-profile approach of its head coach.
The No. 1 Chargers (22-2) enter tonight’s 6A North Region championship game at No. 2 Battlefield (22-3) having already clinched a third state tournament berth in as many years. They drubbed the Bobcats, 14-5, in a non-conference showdown five weeks ago in Haymarket, pounding out 21 hits and plating 13 runs in the fifth and sixth innings.
But coach Kevin Ford insists that outcome will have little impact on tonight’s game, considering the results came against Battlefield pitchers not named Jake Agnos or Keagan McGinnis, the Bobcats’ two Division I arms.
“I think it definitely should give us the confidence that we’ve played there before, which helps,” Ford said. “Hopefully, we’re coming in with a good feeling about how we swung it over there the last time. But in the grand scheme of things, does that game have anything to do with this game tonight? No.”
Since falling in the then-Concorde District final and then in the first round of regionals in 2013, the Chargers have taken a fundamental approach while becoming a fixture in games played in June. They won the program’s first region title in 2014 and advanced to the state final before falling to Western Branch. Last year, they made a run to both the region and state finals again, falling in both games to Madison, the later of which came in walk-off fashion against the Warhawks.
Known for a number of years for its solid pitching and defense, this year’s Chantilly team has been better offensively, perhaps becoming the most-complete team the program has fielded under Ford.
“The reason our team has done as well as we have, in my opinion, is that we’re a team up-and-down the lineup,” Ford said. “We don’t have a guy with more than one home run. Our whole lineup has been able to hit, and every game, it’s been a different guy coming through with big hits.”
Leading the way has been senior Jared DiCesare, a George Mason University signee who plays third base when not on the mound. Senior outfielder Jared Enders will also play at the Division I level next year at Holy Cross, with senior catcher Matt Padeway (Salisbury) and senior left-handed pitcher Forrest Wagner (Roanoke) heading to Division III schools, and senior shortstop Brett Norwood committed to play junior college ball at South Florida State.
DiCesare, who is 10-0 with a 0.53 ERA and is hitting .364, was named the region’s Player of the Year. Norwood (.368) and Enders (.403) were also first-team selections, and Padeway leads the team hitting .411. Wagner enters his start tonight 8-1 with a 1.42 ERA.
Having five players moving on to play collegiately is notable for a program that has one graduate, James Madison University outfielder Mike Sciorra, currently playing at the next level.
“Outside of Jared this year getting bit of notoriety, we just haven’t had many kids who are big-name college players, or somebody that really get promoted all that much,” Ford said. “I think our kids have handled it pretty well. And I’ve kind of enjoyed flying under the radar, as long as the kids get a little recognition at the end, which we have the last couple of years.”
The Chargers’ success this postseason, which includes a second straight Conference 5 championship, hasn’t been without drama.
It took Chantilly extra innings to shake West Potomac and its ace, William & Mary-bound Jamie Sara, in the opening round of regionals when senior outfielder Garrett Snedeker hit a walk-off base hit in the ninth inning. Then the Chargers were tested again in the semifinals, finally getting past Patriot and its Radford-bound right-hander, Austin Gerber, when Norwood drove in the winning run in the bottom of the seventh.
Things won’t get easier tonight, when they face the Virginia Tech-bound McGinnis.
“They’ve responded in our tight games in finding a way to win,” Ford said of his team. “I don’t think we’ve played our best ball lately, but they have found ways to win.
“They have the ability to not panic. They have the ability to not get down. If anything, it helps them to focus a little better.”
Photos of Jared DiCesare and Brett Norwood by Phil Dolinger
