‘Miracle in an abandoned mining town’ Sangdong High School achieves its first Golden Lion victory

Last year, with the founding of the baseball team, all 25 students from the school 'escaped the closed school' and defeated their club team in their first national competition as members of the baseball team. “We will unite as one and aim to advance to the round of 16.”

Daegu High School Son Jae-won (second from the right) succeeds in stealing second base in the bottom of the second inning in the first round of the 78th Golden Lion National High School Baseball Tournament and Weekend League King of Kings Game against Bundang BC held at Mokdong Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 17th. Daegu High School, which scored 13 points in the second inning alone, won the cold game 20-0 in the fifth inning.

Sangdong High School, located in an abandoned mining village in Yeongwol-gun, Gangwon-do, was on the verge of closure last year. This is because there are only three students left. Since all three were in their third year, it was destined to naturally close once they graduated.

Sangdong High School was reborn with the founding of the baseball team. Coach Baek Jae-ho, who played for professional baseball team Hanwha for 11 years, was appointed as the first head coach upon the recommendation of former Lotte coach Yang Seung-ho (general manager of Sangdong High School), who was a teacher at Shinil High School. Following him, 14 first-year students from all over the country transferred to the school.

The 'Choi Dong-won Memorial Society', created to commemorate Choi Dong-won, who passed away in 2011, awarded the 'Indomitable Hero Award' to Sangdong High School in October last year. Just like Choi Dong-won, he was highly praised for overcoming adversity with an indomitable will.

This year, 15 new students were enrolled. Some of them transferred, and currently, 25 students remain, including 13 second-year students and 12 first-year students. All 25 students at the school are members of the baseball team, so they take classes and exercise together.

Sangdong High School, which is writing 'Miracle in an Abandoned Mining Village', has completed another drama in Golden Lion. Sangdong High School defeated EPBC 7-3 in the first round of the 78th Golden Lion National High School Baseball Tournament and Weekend League King of Kings Tournament held at Shinwol Baseball Stadium in Seoul on the 17th. It was the first time that Sangdong High School achieved victory in the four major high school baseball tournaments (Golden Lion, Blue Dragon, President's Cup, and Phoenix Cup).

Director Baek said, “From County Governor Choi Myung-seo to local elders, they really help us both materially and spiritually. “Even when we go to a restaurant, she takes care like a grandmother feeding her grandchildren,” he said. “Our children are also good at saying hello. “The seniors really like it, saying it makes the neighborhood more vibrant,” he said.

He continued, “As players gathered from all over the country, it was difficult to organize at first. “In the first game of the weekend league, we lost to Gangneung High School (2-16) in a cold game,” he said. “But as the players’ basic skills are established and the defense begins to improve, it is getting better.” “We will come together as one and aim to advance to the round of 16 of this tournament.” Sangdong High School will face Gyeonggi High School on the 20th for a ticket to the round of 16. Gyeonggi High School defeated Masan Yongmag High School 6-4 in the following game. It has been five years since 2019 that Gyeonggi High School won the Golden Lion.

Gangneung High School, which won the Gyeonggi-Gangwon region in the first half of the weekend league with six wins including the Sangdong High School, defeated Gwangju Dongseong High School 3-1 at Mokdong Baseball Stadium and advanced to the second round of the Golden Lion for the fifth consecutive year. Gangneung High School will attempt to win the Golden Lion for the second time in 2021.

Daegu High School, which lost to Gangneung High School in the finals of the 2021 tournament, won a cold game in the 5th inning, 20-0, over Bundang BC, which was playing in the Golden Lion for the first time. Among the four major competitions, Daegu High School has no record of winning only the Golden Lion Cup. Seoul Convention High School also recorded 14 hits and defeated Sangwoo High School 5-0. Masang High School, a semifinal team in the 2022 tournament, defeated Suncheon Hyocheon High School BC by a score of 3-2 and advanced to the second round. 토토