- November 5, 2024
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Some of the players on the U8 Flagler Falcons baseball team wear glasses. Some don’t. A few wear wear necklaces and bracelets. Many don’t. But they all wear red Under Armour cleats. And on Saturday, they all tasted victory.
The Falcons, an all-star team featuring some of the best players from Flagler PAL, captured the Gary Taylor Celery City Invitational on Saturday.
The tournament was actually held in Sanford last week, but the championship game was postponed because of inclement weather. Because the Falcons were the top overall seed in the tournament, Flagler won a coin toss and hosted Palatka Saturday in the championship game.
The Falcons fell behind early, 1-0, but went on to score six runs in the third inning to take a 7-1 lead.
Flagler went on to win the championship, 13-4.
“It was a fantastic performance of great talent, dedication and self discipline,” said Matt Mehalko, assistant coach. “This is a wonderful achievement for our baseball organization. What an amazing community event. We couldn't ask for anything more.”
The team features 13 players who were picked out of a pool of about 85. Chris Hansen is the manager, and assistant coaches include Mehalko and Jeff McNaughton.
Much of the team began playing together around 4 years old. The Falcons will compete in a tournament June 20, in Ocala, for a state qualifier. If the team places at that tournament, it will have a chance to compete for a state tournament in July.
