'It's Our Time'

It wasn't until Cinnaminson (22-9) escaped the sixth inning of Sunday's Group 2 state championship—after Mahwah (25-4) loaded the bases with no outs—that head coach Kevin Merrill really allowed himself to think his team could pull off what no other Pirates team had done. 

"'It's our time,'" he said Monday, recalling what had gone through his head at the end of the nail-biting sixth inning, when he watched pitcher John Bednarek clamp down, allowing no runs on his way to pitching a complete game.

Though Bednarek certainly had a standout performance—"He's a big-game pitcher and he showed it"—the 2-1 victory over the defending Group 2 champs was a total team effort, Merrill said.

"They just wanted it so much. They wanted to be part of Cinnaminson High School history," he said. 

The team had already made history by winning the semifinal game last week, and becoming only the second team in school history to win the sectional title. But that wasn't enough for these Pirates.

"They weren't happy to just be there," said Merrill.

When the game ended, he described the scene as "pandemonium in the dogpile on the mound. Just pure excitement. A sense of accomplishment like no other."

"They had a remarkable run," he added. "They deserve all the credit."

While the players certainly earned the victory, Merrill also praised the outpouring of fan support the team received throughout its inspiring playoff run.

"We probably doubled the Mahwah crowd," he said. "The atmosphere was tremendous ... It's just amazing."