FINALLY… FORT LEE AMERICAN WINS DISTRICT 6 CHAMPIONSHIP

Posted in: Kids Sports on July 29, 2010 at 5:58 am |

Members of the Fort Lee American Little League contingent revel in the rhapsody of earning the 57-year-old program's first ever NJ Districts championship. The District 6 title-taking team, though, found its best-ever season stopped in NJ Section 2 skirmishes by losses to District 6 champ Lyndhurst American, 5-2, on Monday, July 19, and to District 8 winner Nutley American, 11-0, on Wednesday, July 21, in Edgewater. The eventual Section 2 champ was District 7 titlist West New York American. Photo by Bill Allen-NJ Sport/Action

By W. L. Bill Allen, Jr.
Director, NJ Sport/Action

FORT LEE–  Well before any of the players, players’ parents and coaches from the current Fort Lee/American Little League contingent were born and, most likely, before even some of the players’ grandparents were born, way back in 1954, that organization was born.

However, the FL/American League’s founders could not have possibly envisioned that it would take well into the next century for that association to garner a championship.

Well, surprise! It has, indeed, finally happened, as the FL/Americans have finally reaped the NJ District 6 championship and are competing this week in the NJ Section 2 Tournament in Edgewater.
Section 2 play (which seemed to be an “All-American” affair) opened on Monday night, July 19, with Fort Lee/American facing District 6 champ Lyndhurst and District 7 winner West New York/American battling Nutley/American, the District 8 titlist.

Last night, the two Monday night winners and the two first round losers squared off, with a game set for tonight between the two teams that are 2-1 in their first three games, with a 2-0 team waiting in the wings. Tomorrow is an off-day, with a potential championship game on Friday night. Or, if the two remaining teams each have one loss (2-1 and 3-1), the final game will be played on Saturday night.

The locals kicked-off their current campaign by rousting Ridgefield Park, 11-0, on June 26, prior to licking Little Ferry, 9-8, on June 27. Continuing in pool play, the FL/American bunch was flattened by FL/National, 10-2, on June 30 and lost to that same crosstown rival, 10-7, in the final game of pool play on July 7.
The two FL teams faced each other twice in District 6 pool play due the fact that Englewood Cliffs did not send a team to district level this year.

For the first time in the organization's 57 year history, a Little League from the Fort Lee American League has earned a district championship. The locals, seen celebrating their long-awaited accomplishment, are currently competing in the NJ Section 2 championships in Edgewater. Photo by Bill Allen-NJ Sport/Action

In Pool A, FL/National went 4-0, while FL/American and Little Ferry finished at 2-2 and Ridgefield Park 0-4.

The two top teams from each of the two pools move on to the district championship round and FL-A got the nod over Little Ferry based on the outcome of their head-to-head tussle.
In the title round, Fort Lee-American rattled Ridgefield, 2-0, in the first round on July 9, prior to clipping crosstown competitor FL-National, 6-5, in a semifinals showdown on July 10 and then passing Palisades Park/Leonia, 5-1, in the title tussle on July 12.
The Fort Lee/American roster includes catcher Richie Capone, first baseman Matt Tarabola, second sacker Josh Posner, shortstop Kai Otomo, third basemen Matthew Ware and Cory Hong, corner infielder Nick Menne, leftfielder Sam Keller, centerfielder Anthony Scrivanich, rightfielder Danny Duarte and second bagger/outfielder Zachary Ware, with Hong, Tarabola, Posner and Scrivanich making up the team’s pitching platoon.
Guiding Fort Lee/American are manager Scott Posner, a member of the Tappan Zee High Class of 1979, and coach Kevin Ware, a 1900 Teaneck High alum.
“This championship is all about the kids,” emphasized Posner. “The kids on this team practice hard and play hard and have worked hard to become very smart ball-players and that’s why they were able to win the district championship.”

Tags: baseball featured Fort Lee Little League