Road Warriors ‘A’ squad caps stellar year with runner-up finish

WASILLA — It was a good summer to be a Road Warrior.

About a week after the Alaska Road Warriors ‘AA’ team posted a runner-up finish in the Alaska American Legion State Championships, the Road Warriors ‘A’ squad also finished second place in its season-ending tournament, earlier this month in Anchorage.

The Wasilla post’s junior varsity team was the only 100 percent J.V. team to compete in the open tourney, coach Myrl Thompson said.

“I’m just totally proud of these guys,” Thompson said. “Not only did they play good ball, but they rose to the occasion.”

Thompson said the tourney, seen as the unofficial American Legion state championship for the ‘A’ level, included two varsity squads — Bartlett and Eagle River. A number of the teams also had a handful of players who saw action at the ‘AA’ level during the season.

But with a team made up entirely of junior varsity players, Wasilla beat West, Bartlett, Chugiak and Fairbanks before falling to South Anchorage in the final game.

Thompson said his squad faced varsity starting pitchers in four of the five tourney games. South had Josh Crapps, who was named first-team all-state at the varsity level, on the mound against Wasilla in the title game.

“Those were good pitchers, too,” Thompson said. “Especially the all-state kid.”

South edged Wasilla 5-2 in the final, using a pair of runs during the seventh inning to help seal the tourney title.

“We were hanging right in there with them,” Thompson said. “We could have very easily won the ball game.”

Thompson’s squad finished the 2010 season 28-4 overall and enjoyed a 16-game winning streak during the middle of the season. Considering the second-place finish by both the ‘A and ‘AA’ teams, Thompson said he’s excited about the success and potential for the team in the future.

“It’s a very good possibility that the Road Warriors will be a winning club for years to come,” Thompson said.

Contact Frontiersman sports editor Jeremiah Bartz at sports@frontiersman.com.