Schools

A Little Team That Is Playing Big

The underdog College Park High boys' basketball team will play for the Division II state championship on Saturday.

They are the little team that could.

The College Park High School boys' basketball team has knocked off bigger and more highly favored teams the past two weeks and on Saturday the Falcons will play for the Division II state championship.

It's College Park's first trip to the title game.

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"I don't think anybody expected us to get this far," said sophomore forward Joe DeMers, the team's leading rebounder.

"It's been a wild ride," added senior guard Mikey Eggleton, the team's captain and leading scorer.

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"The students, teachers and parents are buzzing with excitement for our boys basketball team," said Principal Paul Gengler. "Coach (Craig) Battle and the kids have done an outstanding job this year and deserve the honor to play for the state championship. No basketball team in our history has gone to this level of competition and for them to win the Northern California 2A championship last Saturday and play for the state title this weekend is truly an exciting event that mark its place in College Park history."

It's been an unlikely journey, to be sure.

College Park won the Diablo Valley Athletic League title with a perfect 12-0 record.

The Falcons were seeded fifth in the North Coast Section Division II tournament. They lost in the second round to fourth-seeded Montgomery High, 56-54.

There was some doubt College Park would even get invited to the Northern California Division II tournament. However, when Newark Memorial High moved up to the open division, it created an extra slot.

College Park was seeded 11th out of 12 teams. In the first three rounds, they defeated Chico High, Mt. Eden High and St. Francis High.

In the finals last Saturday, they went up against a larger and heavily favored Dublin High squad. The Falcons came away with an epic 93-90 overtime victory and the Northern California championship.

This Saturday, they'll face another larger team, the Southern Callifornia champion Redondo Union High Sea Hawks, a squad that has won 20 games in a row.

The game begins at 4 p.m. at the Sleep Train Arena in Sacramento.

To win, College Park will have to do what they've done most of the season -- play better than people expect.

Coach Battle said his team isn't as tall or as physical as most other squads. They rely on quickness and defense to overcome their opponents. In particular, his team is good on transitioning from defense to offense and they play with a lot of determination.

"We have a lot of speed and versatility and this team plays with a lot of heart," said Battle.

The team's defeat in the NCS second round has also given them keen perspective.

"I think they understand the season can end like that," said Battle. "They understand the sense of urgency."

"I think we knew after that game that it was win the next game or go home," added DeMers.

Battle, who is in his fifth season as Falcons' head coach, said his team will need to concentrate on Redondo Union's two stellar guards.

"We can't let those guys get their game going," he said.

The game is particularly important for seniors like Eggleton. In his sophomore year, the team made it to the NCS round. In his junior year, they made it into the Northern California tournament. This year, they got to the state title game.

"It's extra special," said Eggleton.

Whatever the outcome on Saturday, College Park High's boys basketball team seems to have a bright future.

There are four seniors, three juniors and seven sophomores on the squad.

That's a lot of championship experience coming back for the 2013-2014 season.


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