Warrior captains’ focus on comradery has paid dividends
RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent
Montoursville’s Royce Bowes dives back to first as a Danville player attempts the tag during the District 4 Class 4A final at Bowman Field.
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Being a captain is one thing, but acting like one is another. Montoursville shortstop Royce Bowes witnessed past seniors put themselves above others.
He and fellow 2025 captain Brayden McCourt have done the opposite. They are just two of the guys, but they also are setting a positive tone. How powerful that tone is becomes evident when one sees that Montoursville will play for the Class AAAA state championship Friday at Penn State against Indiana.
“I want to have a special bond with each of these guys. I don’t want them to go out and say they couldn’t trust me or I was mean to them. We have respect for each other. We’re on the same team; we’re all on this together.”
And it has been all 18 Warriors working as one which has helped it become Eastern Pennsylvania’s best 4A team. Montoursville (20-4) is competing in the state final for the first time since 2006 and for the first time, period, as a 4A team.
That does not happen without strong leadership. Bowes and McCourt, along with fellow seniors Michael Reeder and Jimmy Mussina, have provided that. The ability to produce on and off the field has been critical to Montoursville’s success and the Warriors take a six-game winning streak into the state final.
“I had teammates as seniors who kind of just barked orders at us and didn’t treat us nice, and I really didn’t have respect for them,” Bowes said. “I always looked up to (2022 graduate) Maddix (Dalena). He was a great leader. That’s who I get my leadership from.”
It took some time this season for McCourt to settle into his captain’s role. A slow start frustrated him, but following a talk with coach Jeremy Eck and Bowes, McCourt has brought out his best and helped the team bring out its best.
Both McCourt and Bowes talk the talk but also walk the walk. Each has delivered clutch hits and excellent defense throughout the postseason. Both also have hit sacrifice flies and/or dropped sacrifice bunts, highlighting their desire to put team results ahead of personal glory.
“We both provide different roles as captains. Royce is the guy that is known for getting the job done and picking up guys when the make a mistake or something like that,” McCourt said. “I would say I am the energy guy; I get the dugout up and get everyone cheering. I also obviously pick guys up when things don’t go our way, but I also encourage.”
The playoffs have revealed how much that helps. Montoursville has never let up in five postseason games, never growing content. The leaders have kept players focused on what’s coming next and not about what already happened. Doing so helped the Warriors answer whenever Danville threatened in the district championship as it won, 7-3 and kept the team up when Fleetwood took an early three-run lead in the quarterfinals.
It also paid dividends in the Eastern Final when McCourt led off the fifth inning with a 345-foot double, fueling a five-run rally as Montoursville pulled away and thumped Pope John II, 6-0. The Warriors may fall behind at times, but Bowes and McCourt help ensure that they stay up and fight back.
“Brayden is the morale guy. He’s great at picking guys up,” catcher Noah Kirby said. “If you get out, he’s there to pick you up and help you focus on the next at-bat or the next play.”
Bowes is the same way and may be the area’s top shortstop this season. In addition to providing stellar defense, Bowes sparks the offense from the lead-off spot, hitting .462 with 16 RBIs and 32 runs.
He has hit safely in all five playoff games and Bowes teamed up with second baseman KJ Moore and McCourt to complete a monster double play to squash a bases-loaded, one-out jam in a scoreless game against Pope John II.
“He just continues to do it. He’s creeping up on 40 hits. There are guys that don’t have 40 hits in their high school career and he’s doing it in one season,” Eck said. “He’s a senior leader and the guys look up to him.”
McCourt has combined with Jonah Heddings and Reeder to provide thunder down under throughout the playoffs. Hitting in the No. 8 spot, McCourt is batting .417 this postseason and his on-base percentage tops .500. McCourt also has scored at least once in all but one playoff game and has consistently done the little things which have helped Montoursville win several big contests.
They say attitude often reflects leadership. And having Bowes and McCourt as captains says a lot about how Montoursville has reached 4A high school baseball’s final game in their final seasons.
“Royce to this team, he means a lot. As our lead-off guy he gets us going. He sets the tone for us. He doesn’t even need to get a hit but just his presence and approach at the plate gets us fired up,” McCourt said. “With me and him being named the seniors captains, we always try to bring up our teammates and keep the energy.”