Archbishop Murphy wins to earn Taloff 500th victory

Published 10:21 pm Friday, April 20, 2012

EVERETT — With family members and former players from Taloff’s past teams on hand, his current team showed that Taloff still has the touch.

Levi MaVorhis homered, doubled and knocked in three and starter Derrick Mahlum blanked Lakewood on three hits to give Archbishop Murphy a 9-0 victory over the Cougars and give Archbishop Murphy head coach Stan Taloff his 500th career victory.

“(We’re) starting to peak at the right time, playing more and more like a unified club,” said Taloff. “It’s a great advantage as we move into the playoffs.”

After Mahlum set the Cougars down in order in the first, Trever Morrison doubled, stole third and scored on an overthrow for the first run of the game. MaVorhis added a two-run home run later in the inning to give the Wildcats a 3-0 lead.

Archbishop Murphy tallied single runs in the second and third before a four-run fourth put the game out of reach.

Following the final out, Taloff was honored with a ceremony, which included being presented with a bat, used and signed by Roger Maris, and an autographed picure of Pete Rose. While appreciating the ceremony and celebration, the veteran coach insisted that his attention is on this team and this season.

“The focus is on being able to perform well in districts and regionals and hopefully get to the final four,” Taloff said.

When asked about his future and how long he plans to continue coaching, Taloff stuck to his mantra of staying in the present: “I’m taking it year-by-year …as long as my wife continues to be supportive, as long as I have the energy and continue to motivate …I’ll stay here a while.”

At Archbishop Murphy H.S.

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Adam Oppliger, Alex Keen (5) and Keen, Oppliger (5). Derrick Mahlum and Alex Galgano. WP—Mahlum (3-0). LP—Oppliger. 2B—Trever Morrison (AM) 1, Alex Galgano (AM) 1, Levi MaVorhis (AM) 1, Cole Grant (AM) 1. HR—MaVorhis 1. Records—Lakewood 8-5 league, 10-6 overall. Archbishop Murphy 16-0, 16-1.