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Ray Junior Bearcats
Copper Basin News
The Ray Jr. High baseball team capped off its undefeated season by winning the Central Jr. High League Championship. The top-seeded Jr. ‘Cats defeated 4th-seeded Globe in the championship game, 9 – 0.
The Jr. Bearcats won the championship just as they did their previous nine games – with strong pitching and a lot of offensive firepower. They didn’t allow a hit and struck out 15 Globe hitters in the championship game.
“The group of kids that we had, they jelled really well together,” Assistant coach Frank Luchega told the Copper Basin News. “Their work ethic was also important to the success of our season.”
Including their two tournament games, the Jr. Bearcats outscored their opponents 103 – 23 for an average margin of victory of almost eight runs per game. Their closest game of the year was a 7 – 6 win at Superior Jr. High.
Julian Cruz, Bobby Meza, Fabian Valenzuela, and Cole Yocum were the Jr. Bearcats named to the CJHL All-Tournament Team.
The Jr. Bearcats were led by head coach Bobby Meza. His assistants are Billy Meza, Sr., Frank Luchega, Shane Olsen, and T.J. Meza.
The CJHL Champion Jr. Bearcats are: Cole Yocum (1), Bobby Meza Jr. (4), Nathan Molar (6), Theodore Alvarado (7), Fabian Valenzuela (8), Julian Cruz (9), Jaden Pace (12), Morgan Bray (14), Spencer Bryce (16), Angel Manriquez (19), Danny Garcia (20), and Ian Chao (21).
Andrew Luberda began writing for Copper Area News Publishers (CANP) in February 2013 after working 15 years in Healthcare Financial Management. Andy covers sports for 11 high schools. His stories are published in Copper Basin News, San Manuel Miner and Superior Sun, in addition to the San Tan Valley Daily PRSS and CopperArea websites. Additionally, he has written human interest stories and business profiles. In May 2012, he earned an AAS in Sports Management at Central Arizona College before graduating with a BS in Communication from Arizona State University in 2014. He and his wife, Kelli, have three sons – AJ, Kyle, and Kade.
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