The Averill Park baseball team secured the Class A state championship on Saturday, capping a season that was as much about victory as it was about remembrance.
A Season of Remembrance
Coach George Brooks became visibly emotional as he reflected on the loss of his longtime mentor, Rob Bowen, who died in February at the age of 77.
Bowen first coached Brooks as a child and later served as his bookkeeper and motivator, shaping the program’s culture of encouragement.
Senior outfielder and pitcher Anthony Decker, who formed a close bond with Bowen, honored him by attaching a metal plate to his cleats that read 'For Coach Rob', a gesture that resonated throughout the clubhouse.
Throughout the campaign, the team kept Bowen’s chair and a framed photograph on the bench, a ritual that reminded them of the coach’s steady presence.
Brooks, now a four‑time state champion after titles at Hoosic Valley and Averill Park, said the championship was as much a tribute to Bowen’s enduring influence as it was to the players’ hard work.