It was close but no cigar and we're not happy with that anymore. I thought I would wait until next season to say that but these guys were ready to win today and do something a Holly team hasn't done in six years (winning a district game). These guys were on the ropes and were scared but we didn't make it happen.

I started a freshman, three sophomore and a junior and we just took the second-place team close to the wire. Everyone contributed off the bench and this was a giant step for our program. We are 1-16 but we are improving and we played with these guys that are 9-3 in the league. We pretty much took their crowd out of the game.

They will play more summer league ball than they have ever in their life and more than any Holly team has ever done in school history. I am excited about the future.

Waltham played well. They did a good job of handling the pressure. Early in the game, I thought we had a chance to win.

Last year, I put [the changeup] on the back burner because I thought I could always throw it, and it cost me. I'm going back to what got me to the big leagues. I'm not going to re-create myself. The cutter might be the pitch of the millennium, but it's not something I'm comfortable with.

Coaching changes are hard. But we came here to win championships, and we just thought it would carry over.