FPHS baseball team recognized by Montgomery County Legislature

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The Montgomery County Legislature honored the Fort Plain High School baseball team Tuesday with a proclamation congratulating the players and longtime coach Craig Phillips on winning the state Class D championship.

District 2 Legislator Thomas Quackenbush read a proclamation, then yielded the floor to Phillips, who spoke for several minutes, talking about his team’s winning season after a slow start and praising the players for “accepting their roles” and working hard all season long. Members of the team were in the audience.

“At the beginning of the season I had my doubts about how far we could go,” Phillips said, referring to the team’s 2-2 record following season-opening splits with St. Johnsville and Saratoga Spa Catholic.

“We got a lot better as the year went on,” Phillips said. “[Catcher Drew Foreno] was a great player and [pitcher Jesse Heroth] won five games for us in the tournament. But you don’t win with [just] those two guys, you win with a bunch of kids that work very, very hard, that believe in themselves and have a lot of heart. And when you play for Fort Plain, not only do you have heart, but you have tradition and you have a lot of pride.”

Phillips said he would never forget this year’s team. “It just worked out that everybody had a role, everybody fulfilled a role, and if this is my last season, which is probable, I’ll always remember these guys.”

Phillips has said previously he will retire after this season, which was his 44th.

John Becker

John Becker is both a Reporter and Consulting Editor for The Compass. He and his wife Pat operate Abbey Farms in Amsterdam NY.

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