Everett Little League Red Sox clinch 2024 Major Division city championship

By Joe McConnell

Manager Marc Harr’s Major Division Red Sox finished second during the regular season with a 14-4 record. The Angels ended up on top, but in the playoffs both teams reversed roles, when the Sox defeated the halos two games to one in the championship round to secure the city crown.
The Sox began the postseason against the third place Rays, and that series also went three games, before Harr’s crew eliminated its worthy opponents.
“In both series, our bats came alive and our fielding was on point, but in the end the pitching was the key to our success,” said Harr.
Niko Kotsiopoulos pitched five-plus innings in the second game against the Rays. He then turned the pitching chores over to his big brother Dimitri after reaching the requisite pitch count limit of 75 for 10-year-olds. Dimitri, pretty much the team’s designated closer, did the rest to tie up the series.
Daniel Harr started the decisive Game 3 on the hill for the Sox, and he too went five-plus innings, when he reached the pitch count limit of 85 for 12-year-olds. But there was Dimitri Kotsiopoulos once again to lock down another win – this time the series clincher – to send his teammates to the finals against the Angels.
The Angels series followed a similar script. The Sox started slowly, losing the opener, but the Kotsiopoulos brothers teamed up again to lead the way in game two on the hill. The Sox won that game, 11-6.
In the championship clincher, Harr took the ball to start the game on the mound, and he got his teammates in position to win the 5-3 contest. Dimitri then closed it out to put the final exclamation point on the ultimate prize for Everett Little Leaguers.
Harr had nothing but praise for his closer, who was pivotal throughout the championship journey. “I told (Dimitri) to just throw strikes, and trust his infielders to make the plays, which they did,” said the manager.
All three pitchers were confident throwing to sure-handed catcher Allie Grant, who also threw out her fair share of potential base stealers.
When Niko Kotsiopoulos was not the starting first baseman, Symon Golden was practically flawless around the bag. Archer Polson was a solid second baseman, and he also contributed a couple of clutch hits to keep offensive threats alive during the final two semifinal and final games.
Dimitri Kotsiopoulos and Golden split the shortstop responsibilities. Golden was also seen at third, making the necessary plays to get the defense off the field quickly.
The Angels had a penchant to hit the ball up the middle, but when it came down to tracking flyballs centerfielder Elias Elmouttaki made the catches, including two grabs in the championship finale to help clinch the city title for his teammates.
Noel Cortes and Nathan Kenney were stationed in right and left, respectively to complete the outfield alignment for the Sox. Legend DiPaolo could be counted on to supply the hits to keep rallies going consistently throughout the regular season and playoffs.
Harr carried 10 players on the roster, and each and every one of them played at least three innings in every game. The coach knew early on that he had a team capable of winning it all. “In my eyes, I knew right away that we could win the title, but we just had to show it.” he said. “We really got going in the last few games of the regular season, just in time for the playoffs. Every now and then, they needed a wakeup call, but once we talked to them, they were back on track.”
That team effort, coupled with Harr’s assistant coaches Arturo Cortes, Billy Kotsiopoulos and Mark Kenney, formed a winning championship formula that these players won’t ever forget.