Photo courtesy of Steve Garvey A 15-8 record, a second-place finish in CCAA Division 3 and a spot in the Section VI Class C final made Falconer's Fred Carder this year's Post-Journal/OBSERVER Coach of the Year.

A little over a year ago, Falconer baseball coach Fred Carder was joined by his varsity players, school administrators and faculty, and the family and friends of the late Denny Meszaros at the field that bears Meszaros’ name.

Despite gray skies and light rain, they were all there to dedicate a new sign that hung in the upper left-hand corner of the backstop that honors the memory of the Hall-of-Fame coach who passed away in 2022.

Carder was especially moved by the ceremony.

“I have a lot of memories of (him),” said Carder, a 1996 Falconer graduate who played for Meszaros. “I want to strive to be like Coach Meszaros.”

Denny sure would have liked what he saw from Carder’s kids this spring.

In posting a 15-8 record and a berth in the Section VI Class C championship game, the Golden Falcons enjoyed their finest season in recent memory.

“We didn’t win a game for five years,” Carder said after a quarterfinal win over Portville. “It’s been an emotional roller coaster.”

This spring’s “ride” was particularly meaningful as they posted a second-place finish in Division 3 of the Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association and then recorded playoff victories over Portville and Randolph before falling to Gowanda in the title game.

“There are no gaps in the outfield and all our infielders can make plays, so our pitchers don’t have to dominate,” Carder said. “I’m filling out the lineup sometimes (and I say to myself), ‘This guy is batting eighth?’ and I’m happy about it. Four years ago, he might have been batting second. Every year it’s been better and better. I love it. These kids mean the world to me.”

And, with most of them underclassmen, Carder can likely expect the “better-and-better” mantra to apply in 2027, too, a testament to his patience and perseverance when the program needed it most.

Add it all together and Carder is The Post-Journal/OBSERVER’s choice as its baseball Coach of the Year.