Before the state baseball high school tournaments started, Notre Dame coach Brian Fischer and Desert Mountain coach Brian Stephenson were each told something that nobody ever wants to hear.

Fischer’s brother, Brad, was murdered. Stephenson was informed that he could no longer work at Desert Mountain after this school year, a casualty of a failed budget override.   

The coaches had legitimate reasons for not making baseball a priority during the remainder of their seasons. But each coach will look back at this difficult yet rewarding season and thank baseball for helping them move forward.

Fischer and Stephenson also each did a remarkable job of keeping their kids focused in their respective state tournaments despite what they each were dealing with. Their reward came Tuesday in the form of state championship trophies, the first for their schools.

Notre Dame and Desert Mountain defeated opponents that were also worthy of lifting the championship trophies this year, defending Division II state champ Sunnyslope and defending Division I state champ Chaparral. 

“It (losing Brad) is tough,” said Fischer after Notre Dame defeated Sunnyslope 2-1 in Tuesday’s Division II final at Camelback Ranch. “But baseball is what keeps me in there and keeps me going.”

It took extra innings to take down Chaparral, but the program that has experienced its share of heartbreaking postseason losses, Desert Mountain, finally won a big school title. The same can be said about Notre Dame.

Prior to Tuesday, Notre Dame and Desert Mountain went a combined 0-5 in state championship games between 2007-10. But the coaches that share the same first name, Brian, were able to help snap that winless championship streak this season.

Fischer is in his second season at Notre Dome, and Stephenson is in his first and likely last year at Desert Mountain unless a teaching spot opens up.

“It (state title) means a lot (for) the community and the school, which supported our family through this whole thing,” Fischer said. “(But) the state championship isn’t for me. It’s for the kids. It’s for the community, for the school and for our principal.”

Seven-year Notre Dame assistant coach Steve Norris experienced two of the championship losses his program suffered.

“When (Fischer) came back from Seattle (after his brother was killed), he was all business,” Norris said. “He didn’t keep the focus on himself. He immediately put it on the kids. He met us the first day of practice and said, ‘Look, this happened. It’s life. We all have to deal with it. Now let’s go play baseball.’ The kids all accepted it, and I think it helped us move on.” 

Celebration video

To see a video of Notre Dame celebrating its title go here.