Like all of his teammates, Jaden DeLuca was elated when his team won the Catholic League championship.
And he believes the reason the members of the Father Judge High School baseball team are so happy about bringing home this year’s Catholic League championship isn’t because they were on a team that was the best in a very good league.
They were happy because they did it together.
“Honestly, after we won, I was looking around and seeing everyone so happy, that was the best part for me,” said DeLuca, a three-year starter in the outfield for the Crusaders. “We just did it together. We’ve been playing together for so long and we really wanted this to happen. It was like a dream to all of us.
“I remember when we were in eighth grade talking about it. Just a group of guys from Northeast Philly who have played together their whole lives and then they win a Catholic League championship at Father Judge. It was important to all of us. We wanted to win, but we definitely wanted to win together.”
DeLuca and his team climbed that mountain when they bested La Salle in the Catholic League finals, but that was a while ago. Since then, the Crusaders have altered their goals for the year. Another one was accomplished when Judge beat Central in the District 12 6A championship game. And now the Crusaders are trying to be the best in Pennsylvania.
Judge is now preparing for a second round matchup against Central Bucks West after the Crusaders knocked off Plymouth Whitemarsh 6-2 in a first-round game Monday at Ramp Playground.
DeLuca belted an RBI double in the win. The star of the game for the Crusaders was Nick Shiffler, who blasted a pair of home runs in the win. Tim Gress went the distance for Judge, striking out six and walking none.
Judge is now three wins away from a state championship.
That’s more than the guys could have asked for when they started the year.
“From the beginning I knew we had a special team because of the guys who have been around forever and I knew we had a solid core of guys, but I didn’t know how good the league was, so I didn’t really know what we would do,” said DeLuca, who lives in Torresdale. “I expected it, but I didn’t, because I didn’t know the competition of the league. I expected to have a special year with these guys.
“To win the Catholic League, I feel like after we won that, we got our coach a championship. That was our main goal. But now we’re still playing together and we’re having fun, so our goal is to go as far as we can.”
DeLuca loved talking about the achievements of his teammates, but he was also sure to point out that there are other people who have helped the Crusaders reach this point. And his coaches are atop the list.
“We wanted to get our coaches a championship, because they’ve come close, made the semifinals a few times, but it’s so hard to win in the Catholic League,” DeLuca said. “Our coaches have been so important. Our coach (Mike Metzger) really cares about us and we wanted to win for him.
“And our assistant coach (Barry Kneedler). He’s been with us since before Judge. He’s helped us get better. We all wanted to win for each other, but we wanted to win for the coaches, too, because they are a big part of this.”
DeLuca has learned a lot from his coaches.
He’s also learned a lot from his family.
According to DeLuca, one of the most important aspects of his life is his family, and he enjoys spending time with them. Even when it’s babysitting detail.
“I’m really close with my family, and it’s cool because in my house, it’s my mom, dad, grandmom, grandpop and uncle, and right across the street is my aunt and her husband, and they have a kid and are expecting another,” DeLuca said. “I love being around them. It’s good because my grandmom watches (his cousin) and I’ll go over when I’m free and help out just to be around them.”
Patience with kids might help him down the road.
Next year he’s bound for West Chester where he’ll continue his baseball career. He’s also eyeing a major in the medical field.
“I think I want to be a nurse because my mom is a nurse and she’s always been able to help me whenever I need it,” DeLuca said. “Either that or a physical therapist because I’ve had some great ones who have helped me. I want to do something where I’m helping. And I might go into something pediatric because I do like working with kids.
“West Chester was a perfect fit because I really like the school and they have a great baseball program. I’m really excited about playing there.”
But before he moves on to West Chester, he still has some fun things ahead of him.
After graduation, he’ll play for the Catholic League Carpenter Cup squad, and he’s also joining the Northampton team in the Pendel League.
But first, he has some work to do with his boys.
“It feels so good to still be playing, we’ve been doing this for a long time,” he said. “Winning is special, but yeah, it’s definitely more special to win with your friends. Hopefully we can keep winning.”
