When Northwest Eaton pitcher Riley Taylor found himself in a jam in the biggest game of his life, he relied on the words of Deion Sanders.
Eaton had just taken the lead over Forney in the top of the fifth inning of the Class 5A state final. In the bottom half of the inning, Taylor put two runners on without recording an out.
"Coach Fatheree always told me, 'Prime doesn't get nervous in any situation,'' Taylor said. "'Just get it done.'"
Facing Forney's No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4 hitters, Taylor got back-to-back pop ups, then a strikeout to get out of the inning. Forney never got another runner on base and Eaton went on to earn the 4-1 victory and take the state championship in just its second year of varsity play.
