Audiences packed the stands of Dell Diamond on Saturday evening, with the eager anticipation of witnessing history in the making.
UIL’s Class 6A State Final featured a clash of H-Town heavyweights – Tomball and Pearland – which was a matchup that almost seemed destined to take place, considering both programs were deemed the best in the city, prior to the Spring season.
The Cougars (40-3) had their eye on bringing the championship back to Tomball, for the first time since 2013, after advancing past SA Johnson (2-0) in the round prior.
Similarly, the Oilers (37-8-2), who made their second-straight appearance in the State Tournament (seventh overall), was on a mission to reclaim their 1980-title status, following their rematch against Flower Mound in Friday’s State Semis, in which they won 2-1.
Following a series of back-and-forth exchanges, however, it would ultimately be Tomball who took gold, with a 4-1 victory over their Houston-area counterpart.
“It’s all because we have an incredible mix of talent and character in this program,” said head coach Doug Rush. “The kids on this team are unbelievable people and they do the right thing, work incredibly hard, which was seen throughout the playoffs.”
“It’s a six-week grind in the postseason. I’ve had teams that don’t want to practice as hard during this time, but this year’s team was bought in. They had a goal and they achieved it.”
During the heated war of attrition, Tomball’s Karson Reeder proved to be the genuine difference-maker.
The sophomore pitcher contributed the first RBI for the Coogs in the fourth inning (in which they scored all four of their runs), while also stifling Pearland’s elite lineup throughout the whole contest (1 ER, 5 Ks), leading to him being named the UIL-6A State MVP.
“I kind of just did my thing,” Reeder said. “I relaxed in the moment and didn’t overthink it, and did what I normally do. Growing in this organization has been fantastic. Our team-chemistry is phenomenal. Everyone gets along with each other, and it’s just been a blast to be on this team as we made our way to this point.”
Another one of Tomball’s leading figures is, without question, their senior catcher Cade Arrambide.
Through the four years of his exceptional high school career, the soon-to-be LSU Tiger has anchored coach Rush’s program, and he finally got to see all their efforts come to fruition Saturday night.
“Going into this year, we knew that this was going to be a very special team,” said Arrambide. “We knew that we had a chance to do really big things. So, our focus throughout the season was to take everything seriously – giving our best every single day.”
“This is something that I’ve been looking forward to since my freshman year, and we’ve been talking about it for that long. To finally do it in my final season, it’s the best feeling in the world.”
The No. 1 ranked team in the state (MaxPreps) lived up to the hype, in thrilling fashion.
Now, the Tomball community can prepare for the imminent championship parade, as the Coogs carry the team’s second title back home.
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