Champion surprises Calallen
'Furries' inside Texas schools new issue among state GOP
Sports // High School Baseball
Lorne Chan
HALLETTSVILLE — Boerne Champion coach Chuck Foster guessed there might have been about two dozen people out there giving his team a chance.
Champion was up against Corpus Christi Calallen, the top-ranked high school baseball team in the nation. The Chargers hadn't cracked the Class 4A state rankings since the season started.
So it was with the most joyful shout that Foster told his team, "nobody thought we would win," after Champion's 4-3 victory on Friday in a one-game playoff.
"It's hard to have faith that you're going to beat the best team in the country," Foster said. "But we made believers of the world. They were made No. 1 this week, and they won't be next week."
Pitcher Bryce Dorn threw a complete game and fought off constant Calallen threats, leading Champion to the upset in the Class 4A regional semifinals. Champion (26-10) will face Lake Travis in the regional final next week.
Dorn, a senior lefthander, said he didn't have his best stuff Friday. He walked five and hit another. But Dorn (7-4) found his pitches when he needed them.
Calallen stranded 10 runners, including at least one in every inning.
"There isn't a better feeling, quite honestly," Dorn said. "Now we know if we can beat them, we can beat anybody."
The Wildcats countered Dorn with Wyatt Mathisen, a player signed with Texas and projected to be selected in one of the top two rounds of the MLB first-year player draft next month. Mathisen, primarily a catcher, entered Friday with an 11-0 record and 1.08 ERA.
Calallen (33-2) was named the No. 1 team in the nation this week by an ESPN poll.
Champion's first run came in the third on a ball that fell out of an outfielder's glove, and Josh Holcomb scored after reaching on a single.
Holcomb tied it at 2-2 with a solo home run in the fifth, which started a Champion rally in the inning. Zach Long scored on a wild pitch, and Luke Strieber scored what proved to be the game-winning run on an error at first base, putting Champion ahead 4-2.
Calallen cut the lead with a run in the sixth inning. Dorn recovered and left two more runners stranded. As Dorn battled, Foster said he stopped considering bringing in a relief pitcher.
"Every time I looked at (Dorn), he gave me this stare of 'Don't you dare,'" Foster said. "He was determined. He wasn't coming out of this game."
lchan@express-news.net
Twitter: @mysahighschools
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Lorne Chan covered high school sports at the Express-News from 2005 to 2013. He now covers local music and the arts.