June 29, 2007

Seniors lead Cathedral High School to baseball title

Senior Mark Branigan clutches the ISHAA Class 4A state championship trophy after Cathedral High School beat Kokomo 7-2 on June 16. Mark is the son of Roger and Barbara Branigan, who are members of St. Pius X Parish in Indianapolis. (Submitted photo by Doug McSchooler)

Senior Mark Branigan clutches the ISHAA Class 4A state championship trophy after Cathedral High School beat Kokomo 7-2 on June 16. Mark is the son of Roger and Barbara Branigan, who are members of St. Pius X Parish in Indianapolis. (Submitted photo by Doug McSchooler)

By John Shaughnessy

After 11 seasons as the head baseball coach at Cathedral High School in Indianapolis, Rich Andriole knows that each team has an opportunity to create its own special character.

He also knows how hard it is to win an Indiana High School Athletic Association state championship.

“The reality is there are a whole bunch of teams that set similar goals and, at the end of the year, only one team can say they achieved the ultimate goal,” Andriole says.

The 2007 Cathedral Irish baseball team attained their goal, beating Kokomo High School 7-2 in the IHSAA Class 4A state championship game at Victory Field in Indianapolis on June 16.

“These guys were incredibly competitive,” he says. “They stayed focused the whole season. Game in and game out, whether they were behind or ahead, they competed.”

The coach credits that approach to the team’s seven seniors: Anthony Agnew, Mark Branigan, Steve Darragh, Brent Lee, Dan Madia, Chris Parker and T. J. Stark.

“One of the special parts is the relationships that are formed, developed and bonded in a season,” Andriole says. “During a season, we spend more time together than we do with our families.”

He believes those bonds will last. So will the memories.

“There are a whole bunch of lifelong memories that will come out of this,” says Andriole, who also led the 2001 Cathedral baseball team to a state championship. “These players will carry these memories with them the rest of their lives. That’s special.

“You feel a sense of incredible achievement. It’s also humbling. You feel how lucky it is to experience this achievement.” †

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