AUBURNDALE, FLORIDA - Saturday, May 2, 2015:

With its youngest squad ever, the Northside Falcons varsity team shocked the homeschool baseball world by advancing to the championship game before dropping a closer-than-the-score-indicates game to the returning champion Dallas Angels. This was the furthest the Falcons program has ever advanced and with only one player graduating (senior Tyler Brockner), the team promises to return strong for years to come.

The Falcons entered the tournament in one of the tougher pools, having to face the former champion Atlanta Barons, and this year's third place Marietta Saints. They blew through the first game with a lopsided (11-1) victory over the Barons behind the overwhelming firepower of Brockner on the mound and all-around team hitting at the plate. They dropped their second pool game, falling short against the Saints in an 8-3 loss. However, they had already secured a spot in the qualifying games that determine whether teams advance to Divison I or Division II.

At the end of all pool games, the Falcons were ranked #10 for the Q-Games. This pitted them against the #7 Charlotte Stampede, where Junior Cyle Metz would take the mound for the Falcons. A 10-4 victory over the Stampede on Wednesday moved the Falcons to Division I, where they would have to face the #2 Raleigh Warriors in the first round of bracket play.

The Warriors were undefeated so far and in fact had only given up one run in their first three games. Sophomore Rene Ramirez started for the Falcons and pitched a solid five innings. In what would become one of the closest games of the tournament, the Falcons pulled out a last-minute run and held off the Warriors in a nail-biting 8-7 victory. This set the stage for a semi-final matchup against the #6 Oklahoma City Broncos, yet another undefeated team. Brockner once again took the mound and held the Broncos to two runs on two hits, while the Falcons bats once again provided the necessary runs for a solid 7-2 victory. Brockner would end the season without a single loss, yielding only 10 hits in ten games.

The Championship Game was billed as "Dynasty vs Destiny". Unfortunately, the destiny part didn't play out as we might have hoped. Still, the game was a lot closer than the 4-0 final score would indicate. Junior David Kanada started for the Falcons and did a stellar job, keeping the team within striking distance during his five innings of work. Meanwhile the Falcons had to face a fresh Michael Johnson, the Angels ace who had only thrown 44 pitches (on Monday) and was working on five days rest. Johnson, who has a full-ride scholarship to DBU, threw consistently in the 90s throughout the game -- topping out at an impressive 96 mph! -- yet the Falcons managed to out-hit the Angels 7-5.

The Falcons had several opportunities to get on the board, including two early on that may have changed the dynamics of the game. But great pick-off moves by Johnson and solid defense from the Angels in general put an end to those hopes. The defense was actually quite solid from both teams and fans were treated to a well-played game of baseball. In the end, the Falcons fell to the defending champs...but not without opening some eyes along the way.

PS - The Falcons received four picks to the All-Tournament team, rewarding Brockner, Kanada, sophomore left-fielder Jacob Dungan, and freshman catcher Treet Williams.