This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Sports

Blackwood 10-11s Ready for State Tournament

Blackwood heads to Red Bank on Monday for the start of the Little League 10-11 State Tournament.

A few minutes after receiving their medals for winning the Section 4 championship, the Blackwood Kiwanis 10-11 all-star baseball team took its newly won banner and took a lap around the field—a customary tradition for Little League champs.

Once the team got halfway around the field the players all stopped and huddled together for all of the family members, friends and spectators to take pictures below the scoreboard. Amid the laughing and celebrating, one of the team's coaches told the players that the next banner they were going for was a yellow one—the color of the state championship banner.

That quickly, the page had been turned.

Find out what's happening in Gloucester Townshipwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Blackwood begins its quest for a state title on Monday when it travels to Red Bank to take on the winners of Sections 1, 2, and 3 in a one-week tournament that will determine the top 10- and 11-year-old team in New Jersey.

Blackwood’s first game is against Section 3 winner Robbinsville, at 8 p.m.

Find out what's happening in Gloucester Townshipwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“We knew we had a good team but you never really know how it is all going to unfold,” said Blackwood manager Ben Zanghi. “There are so many good teams at the district and section level, so you can never get too far ahead. This team just kept surprising us each day because it was always someone different stepping up. I think that is one of the things that has made this so enjoyable for everyone.”

While no team is ever perfect, Blackwood can boast claims of having a perfect record. The team ran through the District 14 tournament with a 4-0 record. Blackwood took down crosstown rival Erial along the way, before defeating Audubon 10-0 in just four innings in the championship clincher.

Things got a bit tougher for Blackwood in the Section 4 tournament, yet the team kept on piling up the victories, again going 4-0 on its way to a title. Over that span Blackwood outscored its opponents by a combined 27-6.

“It’s amazing,” Zanghi said. “They are a great group of boys. Everybody contributes and you never know who is going to be the star of the game. It seems like each night it’s a different guy. … From our smallest guy to our biggest guy, they all make an impact. They play solid defense and we have great pitching, so it all comes together.”

Below is a look at how the tournament is constructed, field location and previous champions.

How the tournament works: The state tournament consists of four teams— the winners of Sections 1-4. If Blackwood wins its opener against Robbinsville on Monday, it will advance to the winner’s bracket final where it will take on the winner of Ridgewood/Section 2, on Tuesday. If Blackwood loses its opener, it will take on the loser of the Ridgewood/Section 2 game, on Tuesday.

The team that wins both of its first two state tournament games earns a spot in the finals and would need to be beaten twice. The finals begin Thursday and would conclude with a possible winner-take-all game on Friday.

All games are held in Bodman Park, in Red Bank.

Directions to Bodman Park: The field is located at 521 Patterson Ln., in Red Bank (07701 zip code). The suggested route is to take the New Jersey Turnpike North, then get on the Garden State Parkway until exit 109 towards Red Bank/Lincroft. Follow the off-ramp for two-tenths of a mile, then make a left onto Half Mile Road and stay on that for a half-mile. Next, turn right onto N. Bridge Avenue, and stay on that road for 0.7 miles. Finally, turn right onto Navesink River Road, and follow it for 0.8 miles before turning left onto Patterson Lane. The complex will be on the left.

The drive is approximately 1 hour and 35 minutes from Blackwood.

Previous champions: Par Troy East, of District 1, won the tournament in 2011. In 2010, the title was taken by Linwood, which came out of District 16. To find a more local state champion you have to go back to 2005, when Cherry Hill Atlantic won it all playing out of District 13.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?