ORONO — One ball sailed over the left-field fence for a home run, another was lined into center field for a single. At shortstop, Matt Powers was feeling a bit conflicted. He looked into the Deering High dugout for the signal from his head coach.

Powers got it. Get ready to pitch.

"I didn't want to take the ball," said Powers. "I wanted Flaherty to finish it. He had pitched so well."

This is when textbook coaching runs head-on into the emotions of players who don't want to let them go. Regan Flaherty had pitched six shutout innings. He was the heart of the six-player core of a Deering baseball team that was trying to brush aside a tumultuous 12 months and claim a third straight state championship.

Then Luke Duncklee led off Cony's last at-bat with a home run. A two-run lead was down to one. Charlie Partridge ripped a Flaherty pitch up the middle. The metal bat rang with the solid contact.

At short, Powers' mind was running on two tracks. This isn't the big leagues, where the phone rings in the bullpen and a relief pitcher starts to warm up his arm and his brain.

This was Deering and Cony playing for a state high school championship before dozens of fans who had just put away their umbrellas. A game where the very idea of a bullpen can be a luxury. Your best players are playing, not waiting their turn.

As Flaherty went into his delivery, Powers focused on where the play was if the ball was hit to him. Between pitches, Powers started visualizing himself throwing to his catcher.

In the Deering section of the bleachers, two baseball men intently watched their sons. In 1983, Marc Powers pitched a one-hitter on this field, leading Deering to the state title. Then he came to Maine to pitch for John Winkin.

Ed Flaherty had played here, assisted Winkin here, and dreamed of coaching his own Division I team here. Now he was watching the younger of his two sons pitch his final high school game.

Regan Flaherty got the first out of the seventh on a lazy fly, the second on a strikeout. He walked the next batter on a full count. The balls were high and away. That's when Coach Mike Coutts changed pitchers.

"Regan didn't want to come out and I can't blame him," said Coutts. "I understood why he wanted to stay in, but I had to make the change."

Coutts is the veteran coach but the new guy at Deering. He replaced Mike D'Andrea, who resigned following the fallout of last year's championship party at the home of his top assistant. Alcohol had been consumed. D'Andrea had built the program into one of the state's best, but bad decisions were smearing the success.

"Was it tough following Mike? In all honesty, no," said Coutts, who coached D'Andrea at Maine. "It was a very easy transition once they knew how I expected them to act. They were as good a group as I've ever coached."

Coutts had Flaherty's respect when he asked for the ball. Powers knew he had Coutts' confidence when he took the ball.

"This has been my job all season," said Powers. "I love coming into big games with everything on the line."

He hadn't warmed up. "I felt a little anxious but I have an elastic arm. I got two strikes and I backed away and walked around a little. I didn't want to overthrow. I took a deep breath."

Powers got the third out on a pop fly to shortstop. Everyone wearing Deering purple exhaled. A third straight title was theirs. Powers didn't need to reflect. Deering beat Cony, 2-1.

"This means everything. I can't tell you how good this feels."

Staff Writer Steve Solloway can be contacted at 791-6412 or at:

ssolloway@pressherald.com