By Bret Strelow
bstrelow@salisburypost.com
FARGO, N.D. ó Jon Crucitti sprints when he’s heading to his spot in center field, going to first base after a walk or leaving the batters box following a strikeout.
Consequently, it was odd to see Crucitti sitting still in an empty dugout as his teammates left Newman Outdoor Field on Monday night.
A wild 15-14 loss against Midland (Mich.) eliminated Rowan County with only one day remaining in the American Legion World Series, and Midland beat Medford (Ore.) for the championship Tuesday.
The next order of business on Crucitti’s non-stop schedule: West Rowan High School’s football team, the defending 3A state champion, opens its season Friday against Central Cabarrus.
“Down time, I get bored during down time, so I just hate to be thinking about football on Monday,” Crucitti said. “I was hoping to have a whole plane ride to think about how much fun it’s going to be to celebrate a national championship, but it’s time to go start on another state championship.”
Crucitti, a standout receiver and punter, practiced with his West teammates four times before leaving for the Southeast Regional. The Legion team traveled from Sumter, S.C., to Fargo without returning to Salisbury.
Crucitti and Preston Troutman, a Legion shortstop who plans to play football for East Rowan, were allowed to work out five times with the Crestwood High School squad in Sumter.
A player must participate in nine practices to meet eligibility requirements, and Crucitti should be available for West’s final two sessions before the opener.
“He’ll have a role in Friday’s game provided he’s got that letter signed by the Crestwood High School coach down in South Carolina documenting his and Preston Troutman’s five workouts down there, then the ones he’s had with us,” West coach Scott Young said.
“He’s such a smart kid. He won’t know much of our gameplan for this week, but I think we can get caught up in a day. The other part of it, I think he can go back to last year and be OK.”