COFFEETOWN HS SPORTS

High school football players never take the summer off. Not even during an afternoon at the ballpark to see MLB rookie phenom, Elly De La Cruz.

Archbishop Moeller High School football linebacker Alex French proved that on a 458-blast from the Cincinnati Reds’ sizzling summer sensation.

De La Cruz took to the plate with the Reds trailing 2-0 in just his second game with Cincinnati.

He may have sent that cowhide and yarn into orbit if not for French’s deflection.

No, he didn’t catch it. Linebackers aren’t known for their soft hands.

French’s may still feel the sting 24 hours later.

“It hurt. It hurt a lot,” the high school football player told the Dayton Daily News.

“Right here, there’s a bruise I think.”

That bruise is the only thing the Ohio high school football player took home from the play

As is tradition, you typically return a player’s first home run ball to him. Usually there’s a reward involved.

Reward or not, this was a swat that will link forever link French and De La Cruz in baseball history.

“It’s really special. I’m lucky that I was sitting up there to catch it,” French said.

De La Cruz’s answer contained as much juice as his home run ball did.

The Reds are 5.5 games back in the NL Central standings, but Cincinnati’s red-hot rookie already has his sights set on the Fall Classic.

“I’m really excited to get that ball back. Thank you [to Alex] for coming out,” De La Cruz said.

“We’re looking forward to getting back to playoffs and postseason as well… getting a World Series.”

As every linebacker knows, positioning is key

And sometimes the best seats are the cheapest.

French and his buddies had the right idea with De La Cruz’s hype and ability to mash.

All he had to do was wait… and offer up a palm as sacrifice.

“On the way up here, we were talking about sitting up [in the top row]. ‘Imagine if we could catch a home run or something.’”

The up-and-coming senior linebacker let De La Cruz do the rest. It only took two Dodgers runs and two Reds outs for his date with destiny above the right-field wall.

“I didn’t think it was going to come, because we were at the very top [of the bleachers],” he said.

No doubt French made his coaches proud with the hustle, the scoop and the score after the home run left a mark on his right hand.

If De La Cruz’s prediction rings as true as his swing, they’ll both be leaving their marks this October.