End of the road
for the Catholic League

By Melissa Yerkov
Times Sports Editor

All good things must come to an end.
And unfortunately for Keith Chichearo, that time is now.
The shortstop had a successful run with Father Judge High School this year, leading the Crusaders to a 13-8 record in the regular season. The squad advanced to the quarterfinals on May 23, where they lost to North Catholic, 10-9, in eight innings at Widener University.
But that wasn’t the end for Chichearo.
The 18-year-old varsity player was chosen to compete with some of the best athletes in the tri-state area in the 22nd annual Carpenter Cup Classic.
Chichearo represented Father Judge, and the entire Philadelphia Catholic League, during the prestigious tournament.
And he did it with style.
"He’s a very good player," said Catholic League coach John Fleming. "You always know that he’s going to go out and play hard. He has a lot of heart, and that shows in his performance."
Chichearo helped the Catholic League beat Olympic-Colonial, 8-5, during the first round of the tournament on June 11 at Meiklejohn Stadium at the University of Pennsylvania.
However, after a 10-5 loss to Chester County in the quarterfinals on Monday, Chichearo’s high school baseball career was officially over.
The Catholic League made six errors in Monday’s battle at Meiklejohn Stadium, allowing Chester County to easily score seven runs.
"We don’t win these kinds of games with six errors," said Fleming. "Chester was opportunistic. Every time we made a mistake, they capitalized on it."
"I think we had a good chance to win it, but unfortunately came up short," added Chichearo. "We didn’t play as well as we thought we would. We didn’t make the plays. And it was a tough game because we really wanted to win this one."
It was a very tough loss for the Catholic League squad.
They had a lot to live up to this year.
In 2005, the team was crowned Carpenter Cup champion, after defeating Delaware County, 8-2, in the finals. Last year, they hoped history would repeat itself, but instead the squad fell short to Tri-Cape, 6-5, in the semifinals.
Although 2007 didn’t end up to be as successful as the Catholic League team had hoped, they did advance past the first round of the tournament for the fourth consecutive year.
But for Chichearo, the tournament was an entirely new adventure.
"This is my first time ever playing in the Carpenter Cup, so I was a little nervous," said Chichearo. "It was a lot of fun, though, and a really great experience.
"It feels a little weird playing baseball in June," he continued. "I’m not used to playing in the summer, but I like it. I enjoy the game, so the more I can play, the better."
Although Chichearo may have been one of the new guys in the Carpenter Cup, he’s no stranger to the diamond.
"I’ve been playing baseball for a while now . . . since I was a kid," he said. "When I was little, my dad would always be playing baseball with us, and it just stuck."
Not too much has changed since those Little League days. Chichearo is still a natural talent on the diamond. And his family members are still his biggest fans.
"They’re here today, which definitely helps," said Chichearo. "It’s always great to know that my family is here to support me. My dad is always pushing me to work hard, which is a great motivation."
Despite Monday’s losing score, the Chichearo clan was ready to celebrate.
After all, it’s been a great year for their son — both on and off the baseball field. He was named first-team All-Catholic in the Northern Division this season. And he is now a high school graduate.
"If feels a little weird that it’s all over," said Chichearo. "I know I’ll really miss my teammates at Judge, but I am excited to finally have graduated. I’m not sure where I’ll be next year. I might go to Burlington County College, but nothing is definite."
But one thing is for sure.
"Baseball is definitely something I want to keep doing," he said. "I love it." ••
Sports editor Melissa Yerkov can be reached at 215-354-3035 or myerkov@phillynews.com