Monroe-Woodbury tops Kingston for first Section 9 title since 1990

Monroe-Woodbury ended a 36-year wait and gave Central Valley a long-sought baseball milestone, beating Kingston 9-3 to win the Section 9 Class AAA championship at Cantine Field in Saugerties. For a district that has not seen a sectional title in baseball since 1990, the victory carried a weight that stretched beyond the scoreboard and into generations of Monroe-Woodbury families, alumni and fans who had waited for this moment.

The top-seeded Crusaders set the tone immediately on Saturday, May 30, 2026, scoring three runs in the first inning and then blowing the game open with a four-run fifth. Liam Hayes helped build the early cushion with a two-run double, and Josh Konior kept the pressure on throughout the game with an RBI single in the first, another RBI single in the fifth and an RBI double in the sixth.

Konior finished 3-for-3 with three RBI, a comeback effort that stood out even more after he missed most of the last two seasons because of hamstring injuries. His right hamstring strain came in a game at Marlboro High School last March, and he later injured his left hamstring five games into this season. He had only recently returned in pinch-hitting appearances before starting at designated hitter against Kingston.

Coach Chris Vero called Konior a huge spark for the Crusaders and said he was extremely proud of him. Vero also said seeing Konior’s reaction after the game was gratifying, a fitting detail for a player whose return helped power Monroe-Woodbury to its first Section 9 title in 36 years.

The championship was part of a busy postseason path at Cantine Field. Section IX scheduled its championships for May 30 in Saugerties, with regional games set for June 6 and June 8 and the state tournament scheduled for June 12-13. Monroe-Woodbury entered the regional round at 18-3 and was listed as the Class AAA top seed in the 25-school Section 9 tournament. MaxPreps listed the Crusaders’ next game as a June 6 quarterfinal against Mamaroneck at 7 p.m. at Cantine Field.

For Orange County, the win landed as more than a sectional trophy. Monroe-Woodbury’s run offered a rare celebratory moment for a flagship district, the kind of victory that gets remembered in school hallways, on local fields and at family gatherings long after the final out.