The West Henderson Falcons baseball team defeated the Asheville Cougars in the first round of playoffs with a 6-3 win on May 2.

They are now moving on to the second round of playoffs to take on Northwest Cabarrus High School in Concord, North Carolina on Friday, May 10.

“Winning the first playoff game was really special,” senior Caleb Penner said. “It was just an accumulation of all the hard work we put in during the season, and it was just overall a huge win.”

Many members of the team said the season started off slow this year, making it a struggle to stay focused.

“Getting the boys to believe that we’re going to turn around and get back on the right track was one of the biggest challenges,” coach Wesley King said. “We also dealt with some injuries early on and keeping everyone healthy.”

However, King said one of their greatest strengths this year was coming together to build a family-like bond on and off the field.

“I think we have a lot of different parts that can mix and match against other teams so that helps us create a strong game plan and make quick changes if we need to,” King said. “Which is also a good thing because it helps us prepare for games,”

Penner said he agrees with coach, that this has been one of the best seasons for the Falcons yet.

“Overall, we’re more of a team,” Penner said. “We love being around each other. We hang out a lot more outside of baseball and outside of school. We have each other’s backs no matter what.”

By: Kera Putnam, Staff Writer