Ask a member of the Champlin Park baseball team why the Rebels have been so good this year and you'll get one reason. Ask another and you'll likely get a different reason. A third, and still another.
"It's the leadership," coach Cory Davis said.
"It's our closeness as a team," said captain and starting pitcher Aaron Kloeppner.
"It's been our goal since we were kids," catcher Derek Smith said.
Doesn't matter, really. All that's important is that the Rebels (22-3) are in the baseball state tournament for the first time since 2003 and all of those reasons add up to one very good team. The Rebels open play against Blaine in the last Class 4A quarterfinal on Thursday at CHS Field in St. Paul.
At first glance, Champlin Park doesn't jump out. There's no overpowering pitcher, no feared slugger, no gaudy reputation. That works distinctly in its favor.
"I've never seen a group of guys so willing to work hard," said Davis, a Champlin Park graduate now in his third year as the Rebels' head coach. "Leadership isn't just leading by example. That's called doing your job. We have so many different guys on this team willing to lead, vocally or by putting in the extra work."
The Rebels' strength is their lack of a weakness. The pitchers aren't blowing fastballs by hitters, but they don't have to. The guys behind them take pride in making plays in the field. The offense is consistent, but there is no single player who makes opponents tremble. They take pride in knowing anyone can make the big play at any time.