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Palisades captures first district title

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The scene was set, and karma was in the air.

Heading into the fourth meeting against Notre Dame-Green Pond, Palisades’ Kyle McGrath had a good feeling, despite seeing his team drop three earlier meetings against their opponent.

“We knew we could beat them,” said the Pirates senior. “All three games (against them) were close.

“The game was super exciting, starting off with a fire truck escort up and seeing all the people lined up on (Route 412). It was topped by us getting to play at DeSales (University).”
In the end, the Pirates took home their first District 11 championship in school history.

Third-seeded Palisades (16-8) edged top-seeded Notre Dame 3-2 in the PIAA District 11 Class 3A championship at DeSales’ Weiland Park Monday afternoon. It was the first appearance in a district final for the Pirates since 2002 when they lost to Wilson.

Two weeks earlier, Notre Dame, the defending Colonial League and district champion from the 2019 season, was able to withstand a furious Palisades comeback and pull out a 9-8 victory in the league semifinals. The Pirates suffered 7-4 and 6-1 defeats during the season.

This time around, junior right-hander Jaden Newton – who had a brief three-inning stint against Notre Dame in the season opener for both teams – hurled a complete game, four-hitter over 104 pitches with six strikeouts and zero walks. He just was under the 105-pitch district limit and entered the bottom of the seventh with 95 pitches.

“Jaden threw a great game today,” said Palisades head coach Gary Koenig. “He has been solid for us all season. Throughout the year, we have relied on our pitching and defense.
“This was a great win for the school, and it showed how hard these kids worked all year. It was unbelievable.”

Newton helped his own cause with an RBI groundout in the first, and the Pirates plated solo runs in the second off an error and another on McGrath’s sacrifice fly in the fourth.
Like most of his teammates, Newton believed it was the Pirates’ time.

“I felt very good going into the game knowing my defense had my back in the field,” said Newton, who is 10-2 on the season. “Kyle McGrath made a game-saving diving play to stop a run from scoring.

“We also hit the ball well when we needed to in order to score enough runs. It feels great to be the first team in Palisades’ history to win a district title.”

Senior catcher Jon DeNato could see Newton develop into a rhythm throughout the season.

“Jaden is a great pitcher who has gotten better over time,” he stated. “He has been working with me and our coaches to perfect his pitches and make them the best they can be.”
DeNato had a premonition that his team could make a deep run this season.

“From the start, we knew we had a team in which most of us had played together since middle school,” he added. “We trained hard in the offseason to make up for the lost year, and we came to play from the first pitch of the year.”

DeNato is confident the team can take a few more steps in the state playoffs. The Pirates will meet District Two runner-up Scranton Prep Monday at a site yet to be determined.
He also believes most of his teammates from the school’s football district-winning team can make another surge.

“This was a huge accomplishment for a lot of us who all play multiple sports,” he said. “It has been a great year for all of us and it can continue.”

“This is a great feeling winning a football and baseball district championship in the same year,” added McGrath. “I’ve played with these guys since youth, and it is great to share a district championship with my friends.”


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