Andy Bedard strolled into the bowels of the Cumberland County Civic Center and extended his right hand to virtually every member of the newly-crowned Western Class B champion.

“You know this guy?” Falcons’ assistant Andy Shorey asked Travis Fergola as he presented the former Falcon captain to the current Falcon captain.

“Well, yeah,” Fergola said as he grasped Bedard’s hand.

Fergola was probably having flashbacks to when he was five and Bedard was lighting up the Bangor Auditorium for 53 points. Though more than a decade has passed since he donned the uniform, Bedard’s name and presence still inspires awe for those born and raised a Falcon.

D.J. Gerrish isn’t destined for similar deity status. In fact, if and when the current Falcons go down in Mountain Valley lore, the name D.J. Gerrish may get lost among more high-profile names on the roster, like Fergola, Shorey or Palmer.

One place Gerrish’s name won’t be forgotten is in his coach’s house. Of course, Dave Gerrish is D.J.’s father, so that stands to reason.

But even if they weren’t related, D.J. Gerrish is the kind or player coaches tend to remember. Not because he’s going to keep a coach employed by taking over games like Bedard once did. Because he likes to get dirty, enjoys getting his knees scraped and his elbows scuffed, and isn’t afraid of a challenge.

Take the latter stages of Saturday’s regional final. Coach Gerrish needed someone to guard Falmouth’s Bryant Barr, a Mr. Basketball finalist who just happens to be six inches taller than the coach’s son.

“I volunteered. I love playing defense. It’s pretty much my bread-and-butter,” the 5-foot-11 junior said.

He may get down and dirty on D’, but Gerrish can be smooth like butter when he wants to be. Just ask Barr, who was called for a critical player control foul when Gerrish stepped in front of him in the backcourt as the Falcons were protecting a five-point lead with under two minutes left.

“He’s really quick off the first dribble, but I knew I could stay in front of him” Gerrish said. “I knew if I did, he’d try to get in the paint every time. And that one time, I just knew I could step right in front of him. I saw it coming the whole way.”

A Mountain Valley win was in plain sight after that, too. The Falcons just needed to withstand Falmouth’s desperate trapping defense, a task that fell primarily on, surprise, Gerrish.

You see, even though Gerrish scored less points Saturday (two, to be exact) than Andy Bedard used to with his eyes shut every game, there is nobody the Falcons would rather have handling the rock in that situation.

“You know he’s not going to try to force anything. He’s more into penetrating so he can dish,” said backcourt-mate Marcus Palmer. “He’s fun to play with.”

And yet even then, Gerrish said, it all starts with defense.

“My mentality is that defense leads to good offense,” he said.

Randy Whitehouse is a staff writer. He can be reached by e-mail at [email protected]