MARK NANCE/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Montoursville coach Jeremy Eck has a chat with Noah Kirby at third base during a conference on the mound against South Williamsport this year.

Although it just won a 6-5, eight-inning walk-off thriller against South Williamsport, Montoursville players left the Lumber Yards field two weeks ago looking more worn out than thrilled.

The regular season’s last two weeks were an up-and-down grind, featuring some exciting highs and disappointing lows. The South game was Montoursville’s seventh in 10 days. After concluding the regular season 16-4, what the Warriors looked like they needed most was a couple days off.

That’s exactly what coach Jeremy Eck gave them. It was a chance to recharge, refocus and reset. When Eck drove by Giles Field one afternoon and saw players there working on their own, he knew things were looking up.

And, once again, Montoursville is looking down at the rest of District 4 Class AAAA, still the king of the diamond. Playing its first game in nine days last Thursday, Montoursville routed Athens, 9-3 and captured its second straight district championship. The work continues as Montoursville prepares for its state tournament opener next Monday against either Mid-Valley or Wyoming Area, but the time off and what the Warriors did with it, guided them back there.

“The nice thing is when you reset and do that and guys are at the field on their own, then you know that it matters,” Eck said after winning his ninth district title in 15 years of coaching. “When I drove by a couple times, I saw guys swinging. Guys were asking for me to open up the clubhouse, so I knew we were where we needed to be.”

Back in the district final for an eighth straight year, Montoursville controlled all facets against Athens; Logan Kirby throwing 6 1/3 outstanding innings, Jonah Heddings smashing a tone-setting, two-run home run and timely hits coming throughout the order. Put it together and Montoursville had the formula necessary to secure a fifth district crown since 2018.

The bonus is that Montoursville earned some extra time to savor this latest achievement, again earning a long layoff before playing Monday. The Warriors are far from satisfied and want more moving forward, but district championships are hard to come by, so they also took in the moment after dogpiling and posing for photos at Millionaire Mountain last Wednesday, again enhancing the program’s rich baseball tradition.

“It’s amazing. Back-to-back is something not too many people get to say and Montoursville has been able to say it a few times,” Austin Davidson said after going 2 for 4 with two RBIs. “It’s just a standard and we were able to come through and it feels amazing.”

“We came into this season with the expectation of getting back to a district championship and we had some struggles at points, but it feels good to overcome them and get the gold medal at the end of the day,” right fielder Carson Menne said after adding an RBI single and continuing his stellar defensive play. “It’s been a blessing to come on top the last two years.”

Montoursville left the Lumber Yards knowing it would have ample time to prepare for Athens after Midd-West and Selinsgrove were eliminated from 4A contention earlier that afternoon, assuring that districts would just be a two-team field. Eck knew his team was frustrated that it had struggled offensively down the stretch, but also remained confident, understanding the talent and hunger this team possesses.

So, following a practice the next day, Montoursville took the next three days off. When the Warriors returned to the practice field, they did so eager and determined. What happened over the last few weeks, good or bad, no longer mattered. The only concern was the next game.

When it was time, the Warriors went back to work, ironed out the kinks and hit the ground running against Athens, building a 4-0 third inning lead and never looking back.

“I know me personally, I just needed a few days to fix my swing on the Tee and not worry about practice,” Davidson said. “I just had to go work on my own. That really helped.”

“He could see we were in a funk. We needed to get out of that funk and then we got back to work on (the following) Sunday,” Menne said. “We had four quality days of practice and we came out and executed (against Athens).”

What Montoursville did following the regular season’s conclusion was nothing new. Eck has used a similar system at Loyalsock where his Lancers won two state championships and four district titles, and since returning to his alma mater in 2018. That includes last year when the Warriors reached the state championship.

Montoursville has officially been at this since last March and many worked hard throughout the offseason. The Warriors are not trying to re-invent the wheel here, just refine, focus and stay fresh.

“We don’t change what we do. We are who we are,” Eck said. “It’s more about resting our body and being fresh because if we’re fresh, we can come out and play good quality baseball.”

The latest district championship validated that belief as did last year’s lengthy playoff run. It’s about balancing work, play and rest and Montoursville found the right formula leading up to the district final.

And if it isn’t broke, Montoursville is not going to fix it. So, the Warriors have had a few days off as they prepare for their next challenge.

What the last two weeks have shown, what Eck’s teams have shown through the years is that a little rest and a little resetting can go a long way.

“We’re going to take 3-4 days off and people think I’m nuts but at the end of the year there is a lot of things going on for the seniors. It’s the end of the year and guys are tired and we’re not going to burn them out,” Eck said. “We’ve always done it that way. I think people question it at times. Even last year during the state run we had practice day and would take a day off. It’s just too much.”

So, Montoursville retook the field this week, excited and refreshed. District championships and state tournament opportunities are hard to come by. Only 16 teams reach states and, again, Montoursville is one of them.

Countless hours of work have gone into creating these moments, but a little time off, certainly has helped, too. The Warriors have the district gold medals to prove it.

“Even though we were 16-4, some of us were struggling, myself included offensively,” Davidson said. “We were playing great defense; getting great pitching but everything wasn’t jelling all together. I think (last Wednesday) everything came through and it worked out.”