In the boys varsity baseball locker room, one could only hear the deafening sounds of yelling, cheering, and celebration after defeating the second seeded Kellam Knights on their field by a score of 8-6.

The win secured the Falcons the Conference title. The team ended the season with a 16-4 record and are one step closer to their state championship goal. After three years on the team junior Will Brewer was full of emotion.

“I was as hyped as a hyena, let me tell you. Everybody was going crazy, so crazy I thought we were going to flip the bus over on our way back to school. It is a great feeling winning and we deserve it,” Brewer said.

However, the Conference title wasn’t the only reason they were playing to win.

A few days earlier, the team received a devastating phone call that the Andy Altman, a volunteer coach, field maintainer, and arm specialist, had passed away due to a heart attack.  The boys took it hard; a huge blow to the whole program.

Altman made a huge impact not only on the Falcon baseball program, but on the community as a whole. The team decided they had no other choice but to leave it all on the field.

Junior Troy Kovalchek, who suffered a major personal loss last year, was hurt over Altman.

“He was a great man and he really helped out our team throughout the years. We owe him a lot and it’s sad to see him gone,” Kovalcheck said.