Different times. Different rules. Canton’s memorable 1986 championship run

Members of Canton High’s 1986 state championship baseball met recently in North Canton to remember a magical postseason run.

It was a cool, cloudy afternoon for June but the smiles and love from a group of state championship baseball players lit up the pavilion behind the North Canton Volunteer Fire Department.

On the afternoon the 2025 CIAC state championships were being held at Palmer Field in Middletown, a group of Canton High players that won a championship 39 years ago to the day came together to remember a memorable championship run that would be impossible to replicate.

The rules were different in 1986. Canton played their semifinal game on a Friday afternoon at Muzzy Field in Bristol, graduated that evening and played the championship game on Saturday afternoon at Beehive Stadium in New Britain.

Canton was the final seed in the 22-team Class S tournament, qualifying with a 9-9 record when teams had to win 50 percent of their games to earn a chance to play in the state tournament. In the championship game, they beat No. 1 seed Haddam-Killingworth in the final, 4-0 for the fourth baseball state title in school history.

And Canton pitcher Rick Lafleur pitched every single inning in the state tournament – 35 innings in five games. He didn’t allow a run in the last two games of the tournament or in his last 15 innings on the mound. Nearly four decades ago, the pitching rules that are used today were not in place.

Different times. Different rules. One memorable championship run.

* * * *

Qualifying or Getting to the Big Dance

In 1986, success in baseball was expected in Canton, especially with nine lettermen returning.

Just six years earlier, the Warriors had won back-to-back Class S championships in 1979 and 1980. Under head coach Byron McKusick, the Warriors had qualified for Class S tournaments 10 times in 12 years since he took over as head coach in 1974.

1986 was Canton’s second season in the North Central Connecticut Conference (NCCC) and there were few easy games. Nine of the 14 teams on the Warriors’ schedule earned spots in a CIAC state tournament. Avon, which joined the NCCC with Canton in 1985, remained a thorn in Canton’s side with a pair of victories.

Canton won three of their first four games of the season but then went 2-6 over their next eight games to sit at 5-7 with six games remaining.

In that 2-6 slump, Canton lost to Somers, 4-2 – the only win of the season for the Spartans (1-15) to fall to 4-5 on the year. The following day, Canton (5-5) scored three runs in the seventh inning to outduel Gilbert, 14-13, at Bowdoin Field.

On May 13, Canton (5-6) dropped a 13-5 decision to Ellington. The next day, the Warriors lost to Torrington’s Wolcott Tech, 6-3 at Fuessenich Park, thanks to five errors that led to four unearned runs.

After losing to Wolcott Tech, Canton, a team that began the season with hopes for a run in the state tournament, sat at 5-7 with six games left and no guarantee they would even get there.

Canton’s next opponent was East Granby (10-4), which was riding a school-record 10-game winning streak.

“It wasn’t a question of wanting to win,” McKusick told this reporter and the Farmington Valley Herald in 1986. “We just had to win.”

Canton players celebrate after winning the 1986 Class S championship at Beehive Field in New Britain.

Canton got back on track with a 13-4 victory. The Warriors (6-7) had 11 hits against the Crusaders, led by Jon Anderson, who was 3-for-4 with a triple and two RBI. Lafleur allowed six hits and struck out seven.

East Granby took the early lead with a home run in the first inning but Canton’s Jason Lane had a two-run single in the bottom of the inning. In the second inning, Canton scored five times with Anderson getting a two-run single, McDonald hitting a RBI single and Canny ripping a two-run single for a 7-1 lead.

It was the beginning of a four-game winning streak that clinched a spot in the state tournament.

The Warriors followed with a 12-0 win over Suffield to improve to 7-7. Anderson and Lafleur combine to limit Granby to just six hits in a 7-2 win on May 20, putting Canton one win away from the tournament. Outfielder Jason Lane went 2-for-3 with a double and two RBI.

On May 22, Bill Canny’s RBI double snapped a 2-2 tie as Canton scored five times in the fifth inning to erase a two-run deficit and beat Suffield, 5-2, for their ninth win to clinch a spot in the Class S tournament. Lane had two hits and two RBI.

They were in.

Beating Avon was always a big deal in the 1980s for the Warriors. The two schools had been members of the Northwest Conference since the mid-1960s. Being a bigger school with a larger pool of players to select from, Avon had more than their share of victories over the Warriors.

So, the Warriors were annoyed in their 4-1 loss to Avon, which finished 17-2 in 1986 and won the NCCC championship. Canton closed out the regular season with an 8-1 loss to Windsor Locks, who finished second in the NCCC. Both Avon and Windsor Locks would play in the Class M tournament.

However, the losses to the top two teams in the NCCC was tempered by Canton’s invitation to the Class S tournament at 9-9.

Lafleur pitched in 14 of 18 regular season games that spring, primarily as a starting pitcher but he came in relief a few times, going 5-5 with three saves.

* * * *

Getting dirty

What helped the Warriors turn their season around? Assistant coach Sim Kaye, who was the junior varsity coach, told the players to get dirty. Dive and scramble for loose balls. Play with some aggressiveness.

“I remember Sim in only the Sim kind of way giving us an earful,” Lafleur said.

Lafleur said Kaye called out the team, telling them that they were being lazy.

According to Lafleur, Kaye said, “There’s only one way to play baseball. That’s to get dirty. He said the dirtier you are, the better your luck gets. We used that as a rallying cry from that point forward. We just kept telling each other to get dirty, get dirty.”

There had to be more than diving in the infield to get mud and dirt on your road grey uniforms.

“It was just playing all out and getting dirty,” Lafleur said. “It’s diving for everything. It’s the extra effort no matter what the play is and we started doing that and it was contagious. It was so much fun and we were having a blast. We just had so much fun yelling at each other get dirty get dirty. It was Sim who was the one who instilled it in us.”

* * * *

Multiple Contributions

Everyone made a contribution somewhere along the way. Everyone had a role.

Consider those nine regular season victories. If Canton had lost just one of those games, there wouldn’t have been a tournament invitation and the opportunity for a magical run to the championship.

This team had some talented young athletes. Shortstop Ken Langevin and catcher Bill Canny earned All-State honors that spring. Canny would earn All-American honors in 1987.

Billy Mudano, Jr., a two-time All-State basketball player in Canton, played third base and pitched. Center fielder Jason Lane was a two-time All-State soccer player. Not only was Langevin an All-State baseball player, he was also a three-time All-State soccer player.

“The thing that jumps out of me is just how vivid these memories are,” Lafleur said. “I remember certain plays, certain players reactions and it’s like I was there yesterday.”

Canton had just two hits in a 3-0 win over Windsor Locks on April 25 as they handed the Raiders their first loss of the season.

Mudano got the start but Lafleur relieved him twice in the game and struck out the final five batters to end the game. The Warriors scored twice in the third inning on a passed ball and sacrifice fly from Canny and added a third run in the sixth on a RBI single from Rob Eustace.

Players from the 1986 Canton High baseball team look over memorabilia from their championship season 39 years ago.

The Warriors scored 11 runs on an Saturday afternoon at Bowdoin Field against Gilbert on May 10, only to give up nine unanswered runs to trail by two after six innings. Fortunately for Canton, the Warriors scored three runs in the bottom of the seventh to win, 14-13. Reliever Jon Anderson gave up just one run in final two innings to get the win.

Against Tolland, the Warriors snapped a 1-1 tie with four runs in the fourth inning on the way to a 6-1 win. Langevin was 4-for-4 with 3 runs scored and one RBI while Canny was 2-for-4 with two RBI.

Some players played a few innings during the season and helped set up the team for success in the postseason.

“Donovan Valley and Johnny Thompson threw batting practice the entire tournament. They never played an inning (in the state tournament),” Duffy Grace recalled.

Lafleur saw it all from the pitcher’s mound.

“Some of the plays made defensively by Billy Mudano,” Lafleur said. “I still can’t believe the home run hit by Billy Canny at Muzzy Field in Bristol (against Terryville in the semifinals). That was of the biggest home runs of the postseason. Duffy Grace made a play at first base against Ansonia (in the state tournament) where the ball almost took the glove right off his hand. I don’t know how he held onto it. That play was amazing.

“(Second baseman) Joe McDonald made a couple of huge players in the state championship game (against Haddam-Killingworth),” Lafleur said. “Jay (Jason) Lane made a catch in center field that I still don’t how he dragged it down.

“It just shows you how much everybody played a role in it even through I tend to get a little bit more credit because I was the pitcher,” Lafleur said. “Just based on those plays alone, we don’t make it to where we wanted to go unless all of those guys stepped up and did what they did.”

* * * *

Limitations for Use of Pitchers

In 1986, there were no rules regarding how many pitches a player could throw in the game nor any rules about pitching on consecutive days. It wasn’t the norm to throw a large number of innings  – even in those years.

It wasn’t something new to McKusick. In 1980, Canton pitcher Jeff Bridgeman pitched 30 innings in eight days as the Warriors won a second straight championship. In 1979, Canton pitcher Sean Glasgow went the distance in the state championship game, throwing 187 pitches in a 13-inning win over Shepaug Valley.

In 1986, Lafleur didn’t focus on the fact that he was throwing a lot of innings.

“I think I just tried to block it out,” he said. “I knew if I started asking myself too many questions my arm probably would have given me a different answer and I wasn’t going to let that happen.

“Now, I think maybe it was mind over matter but my arm actually felt great. I never really had any problems,” he said.

Canton High senior pitcher Rick Lafleur pitched 35 innings in all five games in Canton’s championship run in 1986. He is shown in the semifinal at Muzzy Field.

Lafleur was not a fastball pitcher. He relied on a mix of curveballs and off-speed pitches.

Said Anderson, “He wasn’t a flamethrower by any means. But he had some juice.”

“He was 6-4 and no one saw where his delivery was coming from,” Mudano added. “They couldn’t see the ball out of his hand. He had a split finger fastball that just fell out of the zone.”

Lafleur continued. “My foreman used to get really tight if I threw too many fast balls. But I could throw a curveball or a slider all day long until the cows came home and I felt no wear and tear. I really rode the curve ball and had a little bit of a slider.

Lafleur credited Canny, his catcher, for calling a good game behind the plate.

“I don’t think I ever shook him off once in the entire tournament,” Lafleur said. “He just knew me better than I knew me and he knew exactly what to call and he knew I could throw those breaking pitchers at different speeds, at different angles.”

After every state tournament, the team bus made a stop at a local store to get a few bags of ice for Lafleur’s arms. “An ice bag after every game,” Mudano said.

* * * *

Five Games. Five Wins and a State Title

Canton 10, Gilbert 6

Canton 7, Old Lyme 4

The state tournament began with a 10-6 win over No. 11 Gilbert (13-8) at Walker Field on June 2. After the Yellowjackets took a 2-0 lead in the first inning, the Warriors scored eight unanswered runs, including six in the third inning to take the lead for good.

On the mound, Lafleur allowed nine hits, struck out six and walked just two. Lane had a two-run triple and a RBI single. After Gilbert cut the lead to two, 8-6, in the fourth inning, the Warriors scored twice in the top of the seventh inning to extend their lead.

Two days later in the second round, Canton (11-9) snapped a 1-1 tie with six unanswered runs to beat No. 6 Old Lyme (13-8), 7-4. Lafleur allowed five hits, strikes out five and walks three. Langevin hit a solo home run for the Warriors.

Canton 7, Ansonia 3

Six days later on Tuesday, June 10, Canton beat No. 13 Ansonia, 7-3 in the quarterfinals at Palmer Field in Middletown. Trailing 2-0, the Warriors scored seven unanswered runs to take the lead for good.

Lafleur gave up 11 hits, struck out six and walked three. Lane had a two-run triple in the fifth inning and a RBI single for Canton (12-9).

“We played their brand of baseball – tough, aggressive and beat them to the punch,” McKusick told the Waterbury Republican American in 1986. “It’s a bright day in our baseball history when we can beat a team of Ansonia’s tradition.”

Canton loaded the bases in the fourth inning. With one out, Lane’s RBI single drove in a run followed by Lafleur’s ground ball out that drove in a second run. Two wild pitches helped Canton grab a 4-0 lead that they would never relinquish.

“There was just a confidence (we had) once we got through a couple of games (in the tournament). We just realized (the possibilities),” McDonald said.

Canton 8, Terryville 0

Poor weather squeezed the Class S tournament. Both semifinal games were scheduled for Friday afternoon with a championship game on early Saturday afternoon.

In the span of 23 hours, Canton would face Terryville in the semifinal at Muzzy Field in Bristol (2:30 p.m. start) on a Friday afternoon, graduate at Canton High in the evening and face No. 1 seed Haddam-Killingworth in the Class S championship game on Saturday afternoon (1:30 p.m. start time) at Beehive Stadium in New Britain, then the home of the Double A affiliate of the Boston Red Sox, the New Britain Red Sox.

No. 10 Terryville put pressure on the Warriors right away. Thanks to a single, error and walk, the Kangaroos had the bases loaded with two outs in the top of the first inning but Lafleur got a strikeout to end the threat.

In today’s world, the higher seed would have been the home team but a coin was flipped before the game giving No. 22 Canton the final at bat.

In the second inning, the Kangaroos loaded the bases again with two outs  thanks to another error and two walks. But Lafleur coaxed a fly ball from Rob Schultz to end the threat.

Canton was retired in order in the first three innings by starting pitcher Mike Tedd. But in the fourth, Tedd walked McDonald and Anderson. Langevin singled to drive in McDonald from second base before Canny came to the plate and blasted a 340-foot, three-run home run over the left field fence for a 4-0 lead.

“Before it was halfway out, I knew that was the game,” Lafleur told the Hartford Courant afterward.

That drove Tedd from the game. Reliever Chris Caron gave up a single to Lane, who stole second base and eventually scored after a pair of past balls for a 5-0 lead.

Canton, who was 4-for-4 stealing bases, added three more runs in the sixth inning thanks to two walks and two Kangaroo errors. Canton scored eight runs on four hits. Terryville left 10 men stranded on base, including the bases loaded in the first and second inning.

“I’m not overpowering,” Lafleur told the Courant. “I throw a lot of junk. I’m slow. It’s no secret.”

Players surround pitcher Rick Lafleur on the mound at Muzzy Field after Canton beat Terryville to advance to the Class S championship game.

After the game, McKusick implored his team to behave, get their rest and to be prepared for a state championship game in less than 24 hours. He asked Canny to check on Lafleur on Friday night.

“So, I call him up and he tells me, ‘Dude. I’m fine. I’m icing my arm right now. I’m ready to go,” Canny recalled.

Canton 4, Haddam-Killingworth 0

Canton was very familiar with top seed Haddam-Killingworth, their opponent in the final. Two years earlier in 1984, the Cougars bounced the Warriors from the tournament with a 7-5 victory in the first round.

“They were obnoxious. They rubbed it in our faces,” Lafleur told the Hartford Courant in 1986. Added Canny, “There were at least seven players on that (1984) team and they remember.”

Both teams played Friday. The Cougars (21-3) erased a two-run deficit to eliminate East Hampton in the semifinals.

In the final, Haddam-Killingworth was set with pitcher Sean Brookes, the son of head coach Mark Brookes, who had struck out 11 in a quarterfinal win over East Granby on Tuesday. According to the Courant, the younger Brookes threw 147 pitches in the win over the Crusaders to improve to 8-2 on the season.

In the title game, Canton jumped on Sean Brookes immediately with five consecutive singles from McDonald, Anderson, Langevin, Canny and Lane to begin the ballgame. Anderson and Langevin scored on a RBI single from Canny and a fielder’s choice for an early 2-0 lead.

Lafleur retired the side in the first inning. In the second inning, Mudano made a great catch of a hard line drive at third base to begin an inning-ending double play.

Canton extended their lead to 4-0 in the third inning. Canny reached on an error and Lane singled. Lafleur reached on a fielder’s choice that saw Canny thrown out a third. A walk to Thomas Elliott loaded the bases.

One run scored on Grace’s sacrifice fly and a second run scored when DH Rob Eustace reached on an error.

“We always seemed to have the lead,” Lafleur said. “We didn’t have to do any dramatic comebacks and that really took the pressure off us as well.”

Now, it was up to the defense and Lafleur.

Haddam-Killingworth (21-4) had runners on first and third base with two outs in the third inning but a curve ball from Lafleur got Cougar hitter Paul Rose to ground out to Mudano at third base to end the threat.

“I knew I had a team behind me,” Lafleur told the Middletown Press after the title game. “I figured if I can keep the hitters off balance, prevent them from teeing off and let the defense do the work, we would be all right.”

The Warriors celebration in New Britain after winning the Class S championship in 1986.

Lafleur allowed three hits and struck out four. He walked just one batter to earn his second consecutive shutout. Lane was 3-for-4 while McDonald, Anderson, Langevin and Canny each had hits.

“We dared to dream,” McKusick said in 1986 after the win. “We dared to dream that No. 22 could beat No. 1.

“They never gave up and they turned it around,” McKusick said. “The way they came back and believed in themselves was amazing.”

Canny said after the victory, “We had to look deep inside ourselves and ask if we really wanted it. We did and we’re the champs.”

Junior catcher Bill Canny celebrates after Canton’s semifinal win over Terryville.

Legacy and Finishing with a Smile

Canny, a junior, finished the season with 30 RBI and six home runs. To that point in his career, he had already hit 10 home runs. Langevin finished his career with a school-record .356 batting average, according to McKusick, and a school-record 74 stolen bases. McKusick said that Langevin was No. 2 on the career list for most hits (98).

McKusick had a certain way of running things.

“We were the only team in the tournament (with players) that had the same hats, same cleats,” Mudano said. “He ran that program like a big-time college program. Everyone had the same uniform, same t-shirts, same cleats.”

He was also fond of having a last practice after the final game of the season – win or lose. After the celebration, the Warriors took a final infield practice at Beehive.

“This will never happen again. We have to keep this moment in our mind, We’re going to take infield practice,” Lane said.

“Bryon always said he wanted to have a last practice, a good practice. So, that’s what we do,” said Grace, who admitted that the parents were confused why the team was conducting a practice after a season-ending contest.

Once they arrived at Canton High, they realized they hadn’t taken a team photo with their championship trophy. So, they tucked their shirts back in and snapped the photo on the field hockey field – which is now the outfield for the varsity softball field.

No Canton baseball team has won a title since. The Warriors came close in 2005, dropping a 4-3 decision to Windsor Locks at historic Yale Field in 12 innings in the Class S championship game.

“We’re a rejuvenated hardball club,” McKusick told the Farmington Valley Herald in June 1986. “We discovered that talk is cheap. You have to scrap, get hungry and get dirty.”

“We all knew each other. We all grew up together. We were best friends from the time were were kids,” Anderson said.

“This has always been a memory, the bond for life,” Grace said.

One last photo on championship day in 1986 outside of Canton High

State tournament

Championship: Saturday, June 14
No. 22 Canton 4, No. 1 Haddam-Killingworth 0
At New Britain (Beehive Stadium)
Canton (14-9)         202  000  0  — 4-7-0
HK (21-4)                000  000  0  — 0-4-2
Rick Lafleur and Bill Canny; Sean Brookes, Tim Rogers (3) and Rich Rogers; WP: Lafleur (10-5); LP: Brookes
Of note: Lafleur pitches consecutive back-to-back shutouts on consecutive days. Didn’t give up a run in last 15 innings of work. Pitched all 35 innings in last 5 games for Canton

Semifinal: Friday, June 13
Canton 8, No. 10 Terryville 0
At Bristol (Muzzy Field)
Terryville                 000  000  0  — 0-6-2
Canton (13-9)         000  503  x  — 8-4-1
Mike Tedd, Chris Caron (4) and Ron Poulin, Tedd (4); Rick Lafleur and Bill Canny; WP: Lafleur (9-5); LP: Tedd; HR: Canny

Quarterfinal: Tuesday, June 10
Canton 7, No. 13 Ansonia 3
At Middletown (Palmer Field)
Ansonia (13-10)      020  001  0  — 3-9-2
Canton (12-9)         004  030  x  — 7-5-3
Mike Shortell, Brian Donovan (3) and Brett Harvie; Rick Lafleur and Bill Canny; WP: Lafleur (8-5); LP: Shortell; Of note: Trailing 2-0, Canton scores 7 unanswered runs to take the lead for good

Second round: Wednesday, June 4
Canton 7, No. 6 Old Lyme 4
At Old Lyme
Canton (11-9)          100  114  0  — 7-6-4
Old Lyme (13-8)     001  020  1  — 4-5-4
Rick Lafleur and Bill Canny; Matt Torento and Mike Howath; WP: Lafleaur (7-5), LP: Torento; HR: Ken Langevin

First round: Monday, June 2
Canton 10, No. 11 Gilbert 6
At Winsted (Walker Field)
Canton (10-9)     006  200  2  — 10-11-4
Gilbert (13-8)      200  400  0  — 6-9-4
Rick Lafleur and Bill Canny; Dave Olsen, Shane Risedorf (3) and Jeff Carriere; WP: Lafleur (6-5); LP: Olsen
Of note: Trailing 2-0, Canton scores 8 unanswered runs including 6 in the third inning to take the lead for good. After Gilbert cuts lead to two, 8-6, Warriors score 2 insurance runs in seventh at Walker Field.

Regular season

Game 1, Thursday, April 10
Canton 6, East Granby 1
At East Granby
Canton (1-0)                          201  001  2  — 6-7-0
East Granby (0-1)                000  100  0  — 1-5-4
Rick Lafleur and Bill Canny; Dan Paulus and Rob Derry; WP: Lafleur (1-0), LP: Paulus (0-1); HR: Canny (C) 2, Jason Lane (C); Of note: Canny and Lane hit back-to-back solo home runs in the first inning. Canny had two-run HR in the seventh and a RBI double in the game. Lafleur strikes out nine, including final two batters of the game.

Game 2, Tuesday, April 15
Canton 22, Granby 4
At Canton
Granby (0-2)                          000  002  2  — 4-8-3
Canton (2-0)                          833  503  x  — 22-16-1
Mark Burhans, Mike Shea (1), Dan Doyon (5) and John Dickey; Rick Lafleur, Jon Anderson (6), Jason Lane (7) and Bill Canny; WP: Lafleur (2-0); LP: Burnhans; HR: Rob Eustace (C), Ken Langevin (C), Rick Lafleur (C)

Game 3, Tuesday, April 22
Avon 5, Canton 4
At Avon
Canton (2-1)                          030  000  1  — 4-9-2
Avon (4-0)                               000  311  x   — 5-6-2
Rick Lafleur and Bill Canny; Chris Kuzia and Paul Aiell; WP: Kuzia (3-0); LP: Lafleur (1-2); Of note: Joe McDonald (C) 3-for-4 with 2 RBI; Ken Langevin (C) 2-4, 2B, RBI; Avon CF Frank Costello runs up hill in OF to catch deep ball from Langevin in sixth to save at least a run and end the inning . Kuzia (A) strikes out six.

Game 4, Friday, April 25
Canton 3, Windsor Locks 0
At Canton
Windsor Locks (5-1)           000  000  0  — 0-2-3
Canton (3-1)                          002  001  x  — 3-2-1
Dave Ellis and Pat Golden; Bill Mudano, Rick Lafleur (5), Mudano (6), Lafleur (6) and Bill Canny; WP: Mudano (1-0); LP: Ellis; Save: Lafleur. Of note: Mudano and Lafleur combine to limit Windsor Locks to just two hits and hand Raiders first loss of the season. Lafleur struck out the final five batters to secure the save and the win.

Game 5, Monday, April 28
E.O. Smity 7, Canton 6
At Storrs
Canton (3-2)                          002  012  1  — 6-8-2
E.O. Smith                              249  000  1  — 7-7-5
Rick Lafleur and Bill Canny; John Stake and John Simpson; WP: Stake; LP: Lafleur (2-2); HR: Canny

Game 6, Wednesday, April 30
Stafford 10, Canton 1
At Canton
Canton (3-3)                          000  100  0  — 1-1-7
Stafford (5-3)                        011  224  x  — 10-9-1
Bill Mudano, Jon Anderson (6) and Bill Canny; Damien Frassinelli and Todd Francini; WP: Frassinelli; LP: Mudano (1-1); Of note: Frassinelli (S) 13 strikeouts, five walks, one hit. Canny broke up no hit bid with two out single in sixth inning.

Members of the Canton High baseball team meet again recently at the North Canton Fire Department.

Game 7, Friday, May 2
East Windsor 9, Canton 4
At East Windsor
Canton (3-4)                          200  101  0  — 4-7-4
East Windsor (4-5)             003  033  x  — 9-11-1
Rick Lafleur and Bill Canny; Joe Rodrigues and Wayne Bancroft; WP: Lafleur (2-3), LP: Rodrigues;  HR: Canny (C), Rodrigues (EW)

Game 8, Tuesday, May 6
Canton 6, Tolland 1
At Canton
Tolland (4-6)                          010  000  0  — 1-5-2
Canton (4-4)                          100  401  x  — 6-10-2
Mark Bryant, Jeff Cryer (7) and Andy Nivision; Rick Lafleur and Bill Canny; WP: Lafleur (3-3); LP: Bryant (1-2). Of note: Ken Langevin (C) 4-4, 3 runs scored, RBI; Canny (C) 2-4, 2 RBI.

Game 9, Friday, May 9
Somers 4, Canton 2
At Canton
Somers                                   100  102  0  — 4-5-1
Canton (4-5)                          000  101  0  — 2-4-3
Tom Bogaez and Todd Hoza; Bill Mudano, Rick Lafleur (6) and Bill Canny; WP: Bogaez; LP: Mudano (1-2)

Game 10, Saturday, May 10
Canton 14, Gilbert 13
At Canton
Gilbert (6-4)                           401  161  0  — 13-16-5
Canton (5-5)                          0(11)0  000  3  — 14-13-3
Tom Cruden, Shane Risedorf (3) and Jeff Carriere; Bill Mudano, Jon Anderson (5) and Bill Canny; WP: Anderson (1-0); LP: Risedorf; HR: Kyle Carriere (G)

Game 11, Tuesday, May 13
Ellington 13, Canton 5
At Canton
No line score available. Canton falls to 5-6. Lafleur takes the loss and falls to 3-4

Game 12: Wednesday, May 14
Wolcott Tech 6, Canton 3
At Torrington
Canton (5-7)                          200  001  0  — 3-4-6
Wolcott Tech (7-6)              130  200  x  — 6-9-3
Bill Mudano, Jon Anderson (4) and Bill Canny; George Kulesza and Dan Washington; WP: Washington; LP: Mudano (1-3); 2B: Ken Langevin (C); Of note: Kulesza struck out seven and allowed just four hits.

Game 13, Friday, May 16
Canton 14, East Granby 4
At Canton
East Granby (10-5)             102  001  0  — 4-6-6
Canton (6-7)                          251  204  x  — 14-11-0
Bob Stebastianelli, Mike Vischak (6) and Rob Derry; Rick Lafleur and Bill Canny; WP: Lafleur (4-4); LP: Stebastinaelli (3-1); 2B: Jason Lane (C), Duffy Grace (C), Bill Mudano (C), Derry (EG), Rick Gates (EG); 3B: Jon Anderson (C), Tom Elliott (C); HR: Dan Paulus (EG) 2
Of note: Anderson (C) 3-4, triple, 2 RBI; Canny 2-4, Jason Lane (C) 2-4, double, 3 RBI; Duffy Grace (C) 1-3, double, 2 RBI; Paulus (EG) 2-3, 2 HRs, 3 RBI; Lafleur (C) complete game, 6 hits, 7 strikeouts, 2 walks

Game 14, Monday, May 19
Canton 12, Suffield 0
At Suffield
Canton (7-7)                          102  000  9  — 12-10-0
Suffield                                    000  000  0  — 0-5-3
Rick Lafleur and Bill Canny; Bryan Boyd, Bob Kerr (4) and Mark Mandrola; WP: Lafleur (5-4); LP: Boyd; Of note: It was the second shutout of the season for the Warriors.

Game 15: Tuesday, May 20
Canton 7, Granby 2
At Granby
Canton (8-7)                          103  000  3  — 7-8-0
Granby (1-13)                        100  001  0  — 2-6-5
Jon Anderson, Lafleur (4), Anderson (5), Lafleur (5) and Canny; Dan Doyon and Starble; WP: Anderson (2-0), LP: Doyon; Of note: Jason Lane (C) 2-3, 2B, 2 RBI

Game 16: Thursday, May 22
Canton 5, Suffield 2
At Canton
Suffield (4-10)                       010  100  0  — 2-5-1
Canton (9-7)                          000  050  x  — 5-6-0
Scott Sabellico and Mark Mandirola; Bill Mudano. Rick Lafleur (6) and Bill Canny; WP: Mudano (2-3); LP: Sabellico

Game 17: Tuesday, May 27
Avon 4, Canton 1
At Canton
Avon (15-1)                             310  000  0  — 4-8-2
Canton (9-8)                          100  000  0  — 1-4-3
Chris Kuzia and Paul Aiello; Rick Lafleur and Bill Canny; WP: Kuzia (9-0); LP: Lafleur (5-5); Of note: On same day, Avon beat Gilbert, 4-3 in the second game of a doubleheader to improve to 16-1. Kuzia beat Canton for the second time this season with another complete game performance.

Game 18, Thursday, May 29
Windsor Locks 8, Canton 1
At Windsor Locks
Canton (9-9)                          000  100  0  — 1-6-2
Windsor Locks (13-6)        000  260  x  — 8-10-3
Bill Mudano, Duffy Grace (5), Rick Lafleur (6), Tom Elliott (6) and Bill Canny; LP: Mudano (2-4)

Editor’s note: Information from this story was compiled from the author, who was the sports editor of the Farmington Valley Herald weekly newspaper in 1986, and stories in the Register Citizen, Hartford Courant, Middletown Press and Waterbury Republican American.