Road to City Final Runs Through Valley

Conor Jackson grabbed pitcher Greg Acheatel in front of the mound and hugged him so tightly it looked as if he were applying the Heimlich maneuver or auditioning to take on The Rock in a WWF Smackdown performance.

“He lifted me three feet off the ground,” Acheatel said.

El Camino Real High players were ready to reach for the clouds after a 13-1, five-inning City Championship semifinal victory over Roosevelt on Thursday at Pote Field in Griffith Park.

The Conquistadores (21-8) earned a chance to play Kennedy (22-11-1) for the City Championship on Tuesday night at Dodger Stadium.

“I’m telling you, I wanted to get there bad,” said Jackson, the All-City shortstop who had two hits and two runs batted in. “I can’t wait.”

In a season of ups and downs, four-time City champion El Camino Real has never lost its ultimate focus--winning the City title.

Losing three times to West Valley League rival Chatsworth wasn’t pleasant, but look who’s still alive.

“Playing for this team, you think of two things,” first baseman Jason Kort said. “You think about Chatsworth and you think of Dodger Stadium.”

Everything changed for the Conquistadores a week ago, when they scored seven runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to pull out a 7-6 first-round victory over Sylmar.

Surviving the scare, the team has responded by playing two of its best games of the season.

“It freed all our emotions,” Jackson said. “It freed all our bats.”

In its last 13 innings, El Camino Real has scored 28 runs and looked every bit like the team that was tabbed the City title favorite before the season.

An eight-run third-inning left Roosevelt (28-6) feeling helpless. And there were no cheap hits off left-hander Francisco Figueroa. On three consecutive first pitches, Jackson hit a run-scoring double, Kort hit a two-run double and Sean McElroy hit an RBI single.

El Camino Real’s batting order from No. 1 to No. 9 has no easy outs. And the players’ confidence is rising.

“I love these guys,” Kort said. “They play their hearts out.”

There are many players responsible for the Conquistadores’ playoff surge.

Start with Acheatel (9-4), the sophomore right-hander who pitched a four-hitter. He struck out one and walked one.

Remember, El Camino Real lost its supposed ace, Josh Deneau, in March for disciplinary reasons. Acheatel stepped in to pitch against top teams and possesses the kind of mental toughness that should help him at Dodger Stadium.

“He’s nails,” catcher Mike Leduc said. “For a young guy, he came out and threw a heck of a game.”

There’s senior third baseman Beau Savage, who had an RBI single Tuesday and is the second-leading hitter on the team. He was cut from the varsity last season and spent his time with his face full of grease from working on his 1963 Nova.

“It’s the greatest feeling,” Savage said. “Since the first day, I’ve been dreaming about this.”

There’s senior center fielder Tim Harding, one of more than 30 students selected to be valedictorian. His single in the second inning on a fake bunt started the Conquistadores’ offense.

“There’s nothing like it in the world,” Harding said about reaching the final. “It’s a great experience and we’re going to remember it forever.”