With 14 players returning from his 1996 State American Legion baseball championship team, Brewer coach Dave Gonyar knew fielding a talented team wouldn’t be a problem. The challenge would lie in keeping his collection of stars focused.

“In the regular season we wanted to go after each game like it was very important,” said Gonyar. “Last year we didn’t get consistency through the regular season.”

The Falcons have lived up to Gonyar’s goal thus far, rolling through the Zone 1 regular season with a 19-2 mark and winning the Zone tournament in three straight games. Gonyar expects his club to maintain its focus Saturday when it plays Zone 3 runner-up New Auburn at 8 p.m. in the opening round of the state tournament at Mansfield Stadium.

Zone 1 runner-up Waldo County will face Zone 3 champion Oxford Hills Saturday at 9:30 a.m. Four games are slated for Saturday in the five-day double-elimination tournament, which features the top two teams from the state’s four zones.

Gonyar expects his team to be ready.

“Knowing our kids, and based on the type of year we’ve had and our team chemistry, I think we’ll be tough and prepared mentally,” said Gonyar.

The Falcons have focused on mental preparation all year. Right fielder Mike Kane, a first-team Zone 1 all-star, calls it “competing against the game.”

Kane explained this term back on June 28 after Brewer earned a doubleheader split with Orono. He said Gonyar used it to urge the team to focus on the finer points of hitting, fielding, and pitching – rather than the team they were playing against.

Kane echoed his early season words after the Falcons’ 14-0 victory over Waldo in the Zone tournament championship.

“Coach wants us to treat every game like it’s important. We just have to keep competing against the game,” he said.

Brewer’s ability to focus on the game rather than its opponent was apparent in the Falcons’ 10-0 win over Orono in the second round of the Zone tournament. Orono was the only team to defeat Brewer on the regular season, but the Falcons looked loose and played fearlessly, pounding out 10 hits and making only one error.

“We didn’t think about it [losing to Orono] at all. We just took care of our end,” Gonyar said.

Designated hitter-catcher Chad Gilley said if anything can shake Brewer’s focus, it might be the pressure that comes with being the defending state champion and a favorite in the state tournament.

“We felt a little pressure. Everyone thinks we’re going to blow everyone out,” he admitted after Waldo County pitcher Sazi Guthrie shut Brewer down for six innings in a first-round matchup in the Zone tournament.

But the Falcons rallied for a comfortable 11-4 victory in that game, and Gilley knew why.

“We were just trying too hard, so we went back to the basics,” Gilley said.

The Falcons’ proven ability to focus on the game and the experience they gained last year in the state and regional tournaments has Gonyar confident.

“We’ve become familar with the [double-elimination formats], so we’ll go in in awe of the situation. At regionals last year there was a whole different atmosphere, and we had to deal with all of those elements. Some of those elements we’ll deal with better this year,” Gonyar said.

Zone 2 champion Augusta will face Zone 4 runner-up Saco at 1 p.m. Saturday. Zone 2 runner-up Franklin County and Zone 4 champion Bonanza of Sanford play at 4:30 p.m.