PREP FLASHBACK : THIS WEEK IN COUNTY PREP SPORTS HISTORY

10 YEARS AGO

Edison and Westminster started the season as two of the top baseball teams in the county, with the Chargers getting a slight edge because of their offense.

But less than a month into the season, Westminster’s Rich Castle pitched the Lions to a 4-0 victory over Edison that started a 10-game winning streak, which included another victory over the Chargers.

Midway through the second set of league games, Westminster was 10-1 and two games ahead of Edison (8-3). Edison was looking for revenge and a shot at living up to its preseason reputation.

When the teams played the third time, Castle was again on the mound for Westminster, but Edison scored three runs on him in the fifth inning. Things just got worse for Castle’s successors.

Edison scored five more runs as Joey Kwolek homered and Steve Motello and Tom Duggan had run-scoring singles.

Postscript: Westminster had the last laugh, though. The Lions went on to win the Southern Section Major Division Championship with a 3-0 victory over Edison.

5 YEARS AGO

Western, the third-ranked team in the county, was led by the hitting and pitching of seniors David Tellers and Rich Lodding.

Western was 15-4 (7-1 in Orange League play), with Lodding and Tellers combining for a 13-3 record.

Lodding was 7-2 with 44 strikeouts and an earned-run average of 1.78. Tellers was 6-1 with 40 strikeouts, an ERA of 1.88 and walked only eight batters in 52 innings.

They also hit well. Lodding batted .352 with 18 RBIs and Tellers hit .333 with 21 RBIs.

Lodding now pitches in the Seattle Mariner minor league system.

Tellers, who went on to play at San Jose State and is doing well in the Pittsburgh Pirate farm system, said there was a reason for his high school success. He wasn’t distracted by a girlfriend his senior year.

“I have no money,” Tellers said. “Anyway, baseball comes first.”

1 YEAR AGO

El Modena’s Jason Schade didn’t get off to the best start of his career when the Vanguards played Leuzinger in a semifinal game of the Pride of the Coast tournament.

However, it may have been his best finish. Schade hit the first two batters of the game but then settled down to pitch a no-hitter as El Modena won, 2-0.