It was a massive year for the Falcon baseball team, going 28-5 over the course of three months to claim the state title, as well as a number of other awards and honors along the way.

The season began at the Falcon Invitational, a locally hosted tournament in late February where the squad from Fountain Hills won their season opener against Holbrook, 9-1.

The Falcons had 10 wins under their belts before suffering their first rare defeat of the season, a narrow 8-6 loss to Notre Dame in mid-March.

The regular season ended with another one of those few losses, this time a 5-4 defeat at the hands of Saguaro. But that game didn’t seem to have any effect on the Falcons as the team headed into the post season.

The local boys made sure that was their final loss of the year, going undefeated through the state tournament and claiming the crown with a 5-4 win over Empire to become the 2013 state champions.

The Falcons were a force to be reckoned with on the diamond this season, racking up quite a few impressive stats. Andrew Bryniarski led the Falcons in just about every offensive category while the team batting average totaled an impressive .350. Cory Kukkola led on defense, putting in a .942 fielding percentage.

On the mound, Nick Wojtysiak pitched the most innings this season at 60.2, totaling a big 93 strikeouts. Devin Foyle and Andrew Bryniarski shared the top ERA, both going 1.40 in 45 and 55 innings respectively.

With numbers like that, the Arizona Baseball Coaches Association named Andrew Bryniarski the Player of the Year. He was joined by Nick Wojtysiak on the all-state first team while Cameron Russo, Cory Kukkola and Devin Foyle made the second team. Finally, their coach, Mike Briguglio, was named the Coach of the Year.

So, in short, not a bad year for the Falcons. Not by a long shot.

When asked where the team’s greatest strength could be found, Briguglio said it was on the pitcher’s mound.

“Our pitching was outstanding,” he said.

“Andrew, Nick and Devin, their stats were incredible this season. They really carried the load for us, big time. Andrew led us in almost every offensive category and Cameron Russo was huge batting fourth, behind Andrew, protecting him in the lineup. Russo also had a huge year for us. Cory was steady, Devin was steady, Paul was steady offensively. I think we just had a really well balanced team.”

Looking back at the 2013 season, Briguglio said the Falcons certainly reached their goal.

“Every year we start off and our goal is to win a state championship,” he said.

“Only one team wins their last game and we did it in exciting fashion, so we couldn’t be happier. Now [the guys] get to enjoy the fruits of their labor.”

Briguglio said the team had fantastic leaders this year, especially in Cameron Russo and Dakota Neidhardt.

“Having Josh Tant and Justin Steuber return to the team after a year off was a huge boost, too,” Briguglio said.

“Josh did a great job at catcher down the stretch and Justin’s competitiveness playing in right field was great. A lot of good energy from a lot of great kids.”

But while the Falcons became very familiar with the thrill of victory this past year, Briguglio said it was their reception of defeat that caught his attention.

“The turning point in our year was being 10-0, going to play Notre Dame and we lost,” he said.

“We were up 6-4 in the seventh inning and ended up losing 7-6. Notre Dame ended up being the Division II state champion, but our kids weren’t happy with just doing well against them. They didn’t care who they were playing, they thought they should have won that game.

“That’s when I really thought we had something special, when they showed that type of attitude. It made them that much more determined to get better and stay focused on the prize.”

It didn’t hurt, either, that the guys were a close-knit group, both on and off the field.

“The chemistry was phenomenal this season,” Briguglio added.

“The kids really like each other. We walk to the field every day together. We finished working on the field together. And that goes for everything in between. I heard that, after the championship game, they had sparkling cider in the parking lot for an hour and a half, just hanging out with each other. That camaraderie was our strength.”

But as one season ends, another one isn’t too far off from beginning. Briguglio said he likes to give the guys the summer off, though some play in other leagues to keep their skills up through the hottest months of the year. Once August rolls around, though, he said he’d be ready for fall ball and winter ball, preparing for 2014.

“I have no doubt in my mind that their goal is to repeat,” Briguglio said.

“We return quite a few guys next season. I think Fountain Hills baseball always has a target on its back as the program has evolved over the years. I think that target has grown exponentially after this season. My job will be to keep them focused and continuing to do what’s been a good recipe for success for us.”

Briguglio said that he’s excited for the 2013 season and eagerly anticipating 2014. As always, he said he and the boys are thankful for the town and fans that choose to make that journey with them.

“I really want to thank the town, both the Town itself, and the people who came out to the games,” Briguglio said.

“We had huge support, including a lot of alumni players. I saw at least 20 former players at the state championship. I was really excited to see them and everyone else come out and cheer for us. It’s truly a town team. We’re very grateful, very blessed, for all of their support.”