Alex Miller
Game Recap
Leprechaun offense awakens, pitching staff dominates in 9-3 win
The Royal Oak Leprechaun offense struck early against the Rockford Rivets, plating four runs in the first inning and three in the second, which was enough to earn a 9-3 win at home on Saturday night. Preston Barr (Michigan) was fabulous in his debut; he retired all 12 hitters he faced, striking out nine, including seven in a row.
“I was feeling it out there tonight,” Barr said. “My slider was sharp, curveball was there—landing it for first-pitch strikes, and then coming with the heater and finishing guys off.”
The Leprechauns’ offense had struggled to begin the second half of the Northwoods League season, but they came alive early against Rockford. In the first, after the first two batters were retired, Ryan Tyranski (Cincinnati) and Tristan Crane (Texas A&M Corpus-Cristi) earned walks, and Jack Dauer (Yale) delivered with a ground ball single to right field to knock in both runs. Owen Turner (Yale) followed with a single, before Nolan Alvord (Grand Valley State) walked to load the bases. Parker McDaniels (Cincinnati) walked to add the third run. Turner scored on a wild pitch to make it 4-0, Royal Oak.
“It was due,” Leprechauns field manager Chris Faust said. “[Our guys] took their same approach in the box; we talked about just staying patient, waiting for our opportunities, and we took advantage of them early.”
In the second, Aidan Schuck (Oakland) doubled to left, and Preston Leon (Minnesota) joined the party with his own double to score Schuck. A few batters later, Dauer reignited the flame with a bloop double to center that he hustled out, scoring Leon. Turner singled to right to knock in his college teammate, Dauer, to make the score 7-0. All but one of the Leprechauns’ first seven runs came with two outs.
Royal Oak piled on two more runs in the fourth, with Turner working a bases-loaded walk, and McDaniels taking a hit by pitch with the bases again loaded, giving the Leprechauns a 9-0 lead.
The pitching staff brought the Leprechauns home. Jake Coulter (Hope) worked a shutout fifth inning, as the Rivets picked up their first hit from Tommy Townsend (Butler), who had both of the Rivets’ two hits in the ballgame. All three Rockford runs came in the sixth with Nick Brady (Thomas) on the mound.
Gavin Moczydlowsky (Michigan State) did his best to match Barr’s fiery start. Moczydlowsky picked up a three-inning save, striking out six and only allowing one base runner.
“[Moczydlowsky] kept it simple today," Faust said. "Same thing as Barr. He was working ahead of hitters. He had his slider working for him; his two-seam was running, so super competitive and efficient. That’s what I liked the most out of that—I think he threw 34 [pitches] in the three innings. Super efficient—love to see that out of Muzzy.”
The Leprechauns improved to 19-22 overall and 2-3 in the second half, while the Rivets sit at 17-21 and 4-2 in the second half, as both teams race for the second half playoff spot in the Great Lakes East. The two teams face off Sunday at 4:05 p.m. at Memorial Park.
Feature Story
Beloved football coach killed by drunk driver
On August 19, head football coach Ben Jones was killed in a car crash. While stopped at a red light, Jones was rear-ended by a drunk driver. He was 30 years old.
Jones had been at Cranbrook for five years and was entering his second year as the head coach. Loved by his players, Jones seemed to be growing into one of the school’s next great coaches.
Athletic Director Steve Graf recognized Jones’ impact on the players, both on and off the field.
“Coach Jones had a bright future, and he cared about our athletes, more so than just football,” said Graf, who worked with Jones as the wide receivers and defensive backs coach. “He really embodied what I think a great coach does. It was safe to say we were more than just peers, or boss and employee—he was a friend.”
Jones played college football at Hillsdale College, after winning two state championships at Muskegon Catholic Central. Jones worked as an investor at Schwartz and Co.
Graf first met Jones back in 2015, and had an excellent first impression.
“I thought he was a great young guy—energetic, interested, and he had football experience at the high school and college level as an athlete,” Graf said. “I thought he’d be a great addition to our staff.”
Jones was hired as the offensive and defensive line coach and quickly connected with the players.
Murari Nelluri ’19 served as a running back and defensive back for the Cranes. In a text message, Nelluri, who now attends the University of Colorado, Boulder, called Jones “a man of character,” adding that he “was like a father figure [to me].”
Senior captain Bryce Hall described Jones in a similar manner, saying that Jones “was like a dad to everyone on the team,” who turned the team into “a family on the field.”
In 2019, Graf was back to coach searching, this time for a head coach, when he received a visit from Coach Jones.
“We were getting ready to open the search, and Coach Jones knocked on my door and said ‘I don’t think you need to look any further. I’m your guy, and would love for you to give me a shot,’” Graf recounted. “We sat in my office and talked for about three hours. I hired him, and the rest was history. He did a phenomenal job.”
As a lineman, Hall worked closely with Jones. He felt Jones brought the team closer together through the hard work he put them through.
“There would be days I would go home thinking, ‘I really can’t stand this guy,’” Hall said. “It’d be 105 degrees and he’d have us running sprints. But we’d come back the next day ready to do it all over again. He was going to push you to be the best person you can be. To me, that’s really all you can ask for in a person.”
Junior Jace Danielewicz appreciates the challenging work Jones put the team through; he believes Jones’ coaching prepared the team for the future.
“You may not have enjoyed every second of it, but you definitely enjoyed the rewards from the hard work he put you through,” Danielewicz said. “You didn’t stop until you got it right.”
Jones leaves behind a legacy of both personal and football mentoring. He often spoke with players about their futures on and off the field.
When Hall told Jones he intended to play football in college, Jones told Hall that in order to take him to the next level, he would have to coach him differently, to prepare him for the future. Jones’ coaching paid off—Hall recently committed to the University of Pennsylvania to play Division I football.
“He taught me that you have to earn what you want and aspire to in life,” Hall said. “Nothing is going to be handed to you. You need to put in the work for it.”
Hall added, “I wouldn’t be the man I am today without Coach Jones.”