JAY – Memories of last year’s Class C state championship game have been rushing back for the Jay Tigers as they prepare for today’s state title game.

They’ve recalled the joy of winning the game, 5-3, of course. Then there’s Ryan DiPompo’s spectacular catch in left field, Derek Armandi’s home run over the wall in left, and Ryan Ouellette luring the defense into a rundown to bring home a key run during the third inning.

Having so many fond rememberances of last year may be why the Tigers were nice and relaxed for their last workout on their home field Friday before they headed north to Bangor in the afternoon. They were expected to stay overnight at the Bangor Day’s Inn so they’ll be refreshed for their noon rematch with last year’s opponent, George Stevens Academy, at Mansfield Stadium.

“We’ve all been there so (nerves) are not so bad,” said senior pitcher/second baseman Josh Armandi. “Of course, (George Stevens has) been there too, so I don’t think it’s going to be one of those games where everyone’s all jittery. I think everyone knows what to expect. It takes off the edge a little.”

“I think they’re always ready to play. They’re always loose,” coach Chris Bessey said. “I don’t have to give them any Knute Rockne speeches. Some of these guys won a basketball state championship and a baseball state championship, so it’s pretty easy to get them ready.”

With a forecast for rain on Saturday, the team wasn’t sure if they’d be getting ready 48 hours too soon. If the game is postponed, it will be played on Monday.

But even if Mother Nature intervenes on their Saturday plans, the Tigers are prepared. Last year’s rendezvous with George Stevens was postponed 48 hours by rain. All that did was allow the Tigers to start their ace, Armandi, for the third straight game in the playoffs.

Still, the team went through its regular routine yesterday before leaving Tiger Town. The players planned to continue their tradition of eating a buffet at a local restaurant before heading north.

“Every time we’ve had one of those, we’ve never lost,” senior third baseman Brandon Purrington said.

About the only thing the Tigers have not prepared for is the field in Bangor, which is a bit different than the diamonds they’ve won on the last two years at St. Joseph’s College and Gorham High School. But Bessey even had a plan for that.

“Maybe when we get up there we can take a swing by there,” Bessey said. “The guy who runs the grounds is somebody I went to college with, so maybe we can get a look around and get a taste of the atmosphere.”

Barring a rain out, Bessey will send his No. 2 starter, Jacob Turner to the mound. Turner, a junior, is 4-3 on the season but earned the confidence of his teammates with a gutsy performance in Jay’s 15-3 quarterfinal rout of Georges Valley,

“He had a sore back,” Purrington said. “He was walking around in the hall with an ice pack on his back and I was thinking, ‘Uh-oh’, and then he went out there and threw one of the best games I’ve seen him throw.”

Turner has been listening to some sage advice from Armandi, who is 5-0 in the playoffs the last two years.

“I’m a little nervous, so he’s been calming me down,” Turner said.

“I’ve just been saying ‘You’ve got to go up there relaxed. If you’re going up there and you’re all tensed up, you’re not going to be able to do what you want to do,'” Armandi said. “It’s a lot easier to just clear your mind a little bit and just have fun with it.”

“This is a once-in-a-lifetime thing,” he added. “Fortunately for us, it’s been twice in a lifetime.”