The Brewer Falcons went 21-1 and have the Player of the Year (shortstop Jason Harvey), Pitcher of the Year (6-0 Chad Gomm) and the Coach of the Year (David Morris). Four other Falcons were All-Zone 1 first team or second team selections.

But when the 10th Zone I Tournament begins on Thursday at Bangor’s Mansfield Stadium, the top-seeded Falcons will be 0-0 just like the other five teams and only the tourney champion and runner-up will advance to the eight-team State AL Tournament in Augusta beginning Aug. 3.

Brewer will open the double-elimination tourney at noon against upstart 10-12 Lincoln, a first-year program and the sixth seed. Second seed and defending two-time zone champ Bangor, 15-7, will take on 10-12 Penquis, the fifth seed, at 4 p.m. and Thursday’s 8 p.m. game pits No. 3 Waldo-Knox against No. 4 Trenton in a battle of 14-8 teams.

Brewer went 2-0 against Lincoln this summer; Bangor went 1-1 against Penquis and Waldo-Knox was 3-0 against Trenton.

“It’s going to be a challenge,” said Morris. “Everyone has one or two pitchers who can go out and beat anybody. We can’t take anybody for granted.”

“Brewer has to be the favorite said former Trenton coach Charlie Farley, who is now helping zone commissioner Dave Paul with administrative duties. “I haven’t seen a better defensive team in the history of the zone. But Bangor and Waldo have the two deepest pitching staffs.”

Bangor coach Jay Kemble said “Brewer’s lineup, from top to bottom, is pretty tough and has been pretty consistent. But I still think, like all tournaments, it comes down to pitching depth and defense. Pitching depth is our strength. Our staff goes 10-11 deep and we have confidence in all of them.”

First-team selections Billy Chapman (4-2, 1.95 earned run average) and Josh Young (3-2, 1.38) head up the Comrades staff.

First-team choice Parker Tootill (3-2, 2.95) and second-teamer Pasco Grove (2-0) helped Waldo-Knox coach Emery Shute earn his first tourney berth in five years.

“We’re very excited. We played good defense and pitched well,” said Shute.

Trenton has a pair of quality starters in All-Zone first teamer Chris Sargent (4-1, 2.06) and second-teamer Jon Dow (3-2, 1.81).

“I like our chances. Chris and Jonathan have pitched well for us and we’ve got [Travis] Tripp coming out of the bullpen. They haven’t pitched as much as pitchers on other teams because I wanted to develop our pitching staff since the tournament games will be nine innings,” said Dow.

Regular season games were seven innings with a few exceptions.

Brewer has the most potent lineup as Harvey and first-team picks Joel Barrett and Abram Allard hit a combined .505 with 100 runs batted in.

Andy Tremble (.433) and Zev Myerowitz (.348) paced Bangor’s attack; Chris Carmen (.391) and Devin Potvin (.358) were the Waldo-Knox catalysts; Trenton was led by Sargent (.434, 25 RBIs), Blake Alley (.419) and Chad Smith (.408); Penquis was powered by the bats of Adam Russell (.433) and James Gray (.392) and the left arm of Jason Weymouth (2-1) and Lincoln was spearheaded by Scott Flannery (.373), Matt Malone (.366, 22 RBIs, 2.71 ERA) and Jeremy Ham (.349).