Andover Townsmen
June 22, 2021
They started from the bottom, or near the bottom, and now the Valley Warriors AAU 11-year-olds are champions.
The Andover-based baseball program, seeded 14th out of 18 teams in the two-week New England AAU Championship playoffs, went on an epic tear en route to the title.
The Valley Warriors won all five games and outscored their opponents a whopping 85-45.
“It was an amazing, special run,” said assistant coach Todd Murray.
The Warriors advanced out of the Pool 5 in the first round with wins over No. 9 and No. 4 seeds. The second game, against the Ocean State Outlaws, saw the Warriors come back from a 9-2 deficit to win 21-12. The comeback was highlighted by a Gus Concemi three-run home run in the top of the 6th inning. Gus went 3-for-3 with 4 runs scored and 4 RBI.
They advanced to the semis after knocking off No. 3 seed Wachusett Baseball, 16-10. The offense was paced by Griffin Murray, who went 2-for-3 with a home run, and Boden Wood who went 3-for-3 with three runs scored and two RBI. Sam Feeley got the win.