12-year-old All Stars bring home town’s first Section 1 title By Tim Fox WEST MILFORD With their Little League playoff dreams and a Section I title on the line, there couldn’t have been a more poised player to rally for the West Milford 12-year-old All Stars. Starting pitcher Aiden Stewart came through in the clutch just as he has throughout his young career. Known simply as ice, Stewart earned the nickname when he was eight years old for a memorable performance in a high-pressure situation. On July 24, he certainly lived up to his reputation. Stewart pitched six strong innings and drove in five RBI to lead West Milford over Madison, 11-3, and helped bring home the town’s first Little League Section I championship. West Milford moved on to the final four in Neptune to compete for the right to represent the state in the national tournament. “When they were eight, they were playing in a tournament,” Greg Stewart, West Milford coach said, recalling a story of his son’s younger playing days. “Bases were loaded. It was the bottom of the sixth, one out in a tight game, and they brought Aiden in. (Shortstop) Matt Tietz’s grandfather said, What’s this kid got ice in his veins?’” Ever since then, they’ve call him ice. Stewart’s remarkable performance came just four days after he suffered a 10-1 loss to this same Madison team. Stewart’s ability to bounce back in the championship game came as no surprise, however, to his manager. “We didn’t play defense for him,” Ed Pevny, West Milford manager said of his team’s performance in the loss on July 20. Four days later, West Milford played some defense and gave Stewart a lead to work with early on. With three runs in the bottom of the first, including a solo home run from Tietz, Stewart said felt more comfortable on the mound. In the bottom of the third, he came to bat with two men on. He deposited a three-run home run just under the scoreboard over the center field fence. “I was looking for a fastball just to make contact and get some runs in,” Stewart said. West Milford would tack on five more runs in the fifth, including a three-run shot from centerfielder Garvin Jones. Despite the lopsided victory on Monday, West Milford’s unlikely run to the section title was a roller coaster ride. Sectional play began on July 19 with something West Milford had never seen before Tim Tedesco a talented left-handed pitcher with a devastating curveball. Since the curveball is not something encouraged because of the strain it puts on kids’ developing bodies, most Little Leaguers have difficulty reacting to the unfamiliar pitch. Despite the frustration inflicted by Tedesco’s pitching, West Milford capitalized on a few mistakes and took home the hard-earned 4-2 victory against New Jersey Little League District IV champions, Bergenfield. West Milford’s Brendan Mayers was a force once on the mound for that game, striking out 14 against just one walk. “He just rears back and fires,” Pevny said of Mayers. “He hits his spots and stays ahead in the count.” West Milford suffered a crushing nine-run loss to Madison, but defying the odds, they rallied to win the next three games, including back-to-back victories against the tough Madison team. Pevny chalked up much of his team’s resilience to the experience they have playing together. “You have to remember most of this group went to the state finals at 10 years of age,” said Pevny. “Not only that, they’ve played a lot of additional baseball.” West Milford fought gallantly in the Little League state tournament held in Neptune, but fell one game short to Livingston on August 1. Behind a stellar pitching performance from eventual tournament MVP Zach Gray, West Milford lost 10-0. West Milford won its opening round game against CherryHill in the four-team double elimination tournament. After falling to Livingston 7-3 in the following game, West Milford battled back to the championship game by defeating South Wall and then shutting out Livingston 4-0. The team finishes the season as the second best Little League team in the state.