The picture was one of a youth team he helped coach when the players were in the 9-10-year-old range. Flash forward and those players now comprise one of the state’s top 4A high school baseball teams.

What a ride it has been.

That ride has carried Montoursville back to Blue Mountain High School where it will play Holy Ghost Prep in today’s Eastern Region championship. It is the same field where the Warriors earned this opportunity, defeating Boiling Springs, 4-2 in the quarterfinals.

“I was looking at a photo the other day and they were little guys. They have grown up together and stuck together and that’s what makes it special,” Eck said. “You’ve got guys that work their butts off and play super hard as a team, a community and a family.”

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent Montoursville's dugout reacts as runners cross the plate during the PIAA Class AAAA baseball playoffs against Wyoming Area on Monday at Millionaire Mountain.

That certainly has been the case again this year with Montoursville (19-4) repeating as district champions and upping their state tournament record to 5-1 over the last two years.

Still, because this group has played together since they basically first took a baseball field, the motivation goes beyond wins these days. Each victory along the way has granted Montoursville a powerful gift:

Another opportunity to play together.

“I’ve played with these guys all my life and it’s going to be sad next year when they all leave but we’re going to try and keep going,” shortstop Zack Neill said. “It’s going to be different, but it’s special to play with them now.”

All those years spent playing alongside each other have proven as valuable as sharpening the fundamentals. Players have learned from each other, believed in each other and relied on each other.

DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette Carson Menne of Montoursville fields a ball hit by Jahvon LaRosa of Loyalsock at first base during a high school baseball game earlier this season.

Winning is hard; winning playoff games is really hard. But playing the game with teammates one loves sure makes each contest enjoyable because they are doing so together.

There is no stat which measures a team bond but Montoursville’s record over the years reveals how important it is. When times grow tough, this team has learned to pull closer, rather than break apart. And that has made the journey especially memorable.

That is why as happy as Montoursville was that it won that quarterfinal Thursday, it was probably more excited that it was getting a few more practices and another game together leading up to today.

“To live together to get a few more days and take it one day at a time feels amazing,” center fielder Brody Aldenderfer said. “We’ve been together so long and there’s nothing like playing with these guys.”

They have done a lot of their playing in big contests, both at the youth level and now in high school. No current player has experienced a season which did not feature at least a district final appearance. Following consecutive district final defeats, Montoursville broke through a year ago and beat a loaded Danville team for the district crown before winning three state playoff games and reaching the state championship.

DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette Montoursville’s Noah Kirby encourages pitcher Logan Kirby after he retires the side in the bottom of the third inning during an earlier game vs. Loyalsock.

There is no bigger high school game than that, so experience has taught Montoursville not to worry about these games, but enjoy them. So many dream about but never get these opportunities, so the Warriors take nothing for granted, empty their collective tanks and embrace the fun that is taking the field together.

“I feel like I’m more excited than nervous now. I’m kind of used to playing in these big games with this baseball team,” Aldenderfer said. “It’s a good feeling to have, not being nervous, not pressing and just going out and playing with your friends.”

Eck has reinforced that message throughout his 15-year coaching career at Loyalsock and Montoursville, a span which includes two state championships, three state final appearances, seven Final 4 trips and nine district championships.

High school goes by fast; life goes by fast and will pull these players in different directions following graduation. And when so many players reflect on their high school sports experiences, it’s not the wins and losses so much they will remember as the laughs, the bus rides and the fun which was simply playing a game they loved with the friends they loved.

So what’s there to be nervous about?

“It’s not life or death. I’ve talked about this more and more the older I get and say, ‘What is the worst thing that’s going to happen if we come out and lose? You lose a game, but life goes on and things are going to change,” Eck said. “We’ve been loose at practice. That’s kind of the way we’ve gone about our business but it works for our group.

“Me screaming and yelling and not acting like a fool, that’s not going to do anything. That’s not who these guys are. They understand what stage we’re at, at this point.”

It’s a big stage but there’s no teammates these players would rather have than those they have competed alongside with over the last 10+years. From a special group has come a connection which will long link this team after their high school days are over.

“We’ve played together so long. It feels like we’ve played together forever,” second baseman KJ Moore said. “These memories we have made are special.”