By ALEX SPONSELLER The District I champions Warwick Continental American 12’s fell in the state final 4-2 to North Providence last week to end their summer.

WCA got off to a rocky start in the state tournament, falling behind 5-0 in the first inning to Smithfield and eventually falling 9-3. The 12’s bounced back strong the remainder of the way, going 2-1 with wins over Riverside and then avenging their loss to Smithfield to advance to the final game.

North Providence jumped out to a 4-0 lead early, and despite cutting into the lead some, WCA was unable to close the gap.

“Overall it was a great season and a great ride for the kids. It was nice to see them not quit even when they fell behind. There was a big development with the team and it is because they came together and played for one another … seeing them fight for each other and never quit on anything. Our last three games together were elimination games, so to knock off two of the best teams in the state was really impressive,” said WCA 12’s coach Dave Geer.

Geer was thrilled to see his team continue to battle and face adversity head on throughout the summer tournaments.

“This (tournament) was really a microcosm of how this entire season went for this team. We fell behind early to Smithfield and battled back, then the next three games were elimination games and we won two of them. It just shows how tough mentally this team is,” Geer said. “I’ve also got to give a lot of credit to our coaching staff. We really tried to preach ‘team’ to this group. To play for one another and to believe in themselves because we believed in them.”

As the 12’s turn the page to next season, Geer and WCA will remember this year’s 12’s for their leadership over the past three years and their strong final performance this All-Star season.

“They’ve meant a lot to the league. Being leaders on their rec teams and then coming together to compete as All-Stars. They showed how strong the Warwick Continental program really is. It was a great summer for Continental,” said Geer, who also gave a shout out to the other teams in the league, including the 11’s who fell to Cranston Western in the state finals. “To have two teams come out of districts and compete at states, it just goes to show the dedication of the coaches and league. It shows just how deep in talent Continental is as well as with coaches and volunteers.”

The WCA 12’s included: Braeden Geer, Braiden Sawyer, Timothy Blackwood, Charlie Brown, Ryan Santo, Nick Andruchow, Manny Loud, James Boughman, Jack Proulx, Drew McCaffrey, Spencer Knutton, Brady Slinn and Chase Prata.

The WCA 11’s included: Brayden Randall, Jackson Field, Kenny George, Collin Freitas, Mario Cerullo, Logan Fernandes, Jason Vieira, Ryan Gee, Brayden Irick, Brody Lomas, Jonathan Langlais, Paxton McGuinness and Ryan Ingerson.