ALTOONA, Pa. -- They finished in third place in their section.

They finished second in WPIAL Class AAA after losing in the title game.

They also lost in the PIAA championship to finish as runner-up.

So if nobody remembers second- or third-place finishers, then nobody should remember the Chartiers Valley Colts baseball team.

But really, this Chartiers Valley squad was unforgettable.

Chartiers Valley did some memorable things this season, and it is not an overstatement to say this was the best season in Chartiers Valley baseball history. It ended last Friday in Altoona with a tough 3-2 loss against Abington Heights in the PIAA Class AAA final.

The Colts finished with a 16-8 record, which isn't earth-shattering. But these players went to places no Colt had ever been before. This was the first time Chartiers Valley played in a WPIAL baseball championship, and also the first time the Colts made it to a PIAA final.

"This team is the foundation," said Chartiers Valley coach Jim Jaskowski. "This senior class is the one that every other class will be compared with. Every senior class that comes through here now will ask me the question, 'Are we better than the 2009 class?' Every team we have in the future will compared to this team.

"That is something these kids should be proud of and take with them forever."

To think this Chartiers Valley team had a 4-4 record at one point, and was 1-3 in section play. But this was a resilient bunch, coming through with a number of comebacks during the season.

The PIAA final was a microcosm of the season. The Colts had only three hits in the first six innings against Abington Heights and trailed, 3-0. But Chartiers Valley made another comeback in the seventh inning, scoring two runs on three hits. The tying run was on third base with one out, but a strikeout and groundout ended the game.

"There were a lot of character kids on this team," Jaskowski said. "We were down, 4-0, to Blackhawk [in the WPIAL playoffs] and won. We were down to Trinity, 2-0, in the WPIAL playoffs and won. We were down against Bellefonte [in the PIAA semifinals] and won. This was a close-knit group and they never stopped believing in each other."

Although Chartiers Valley didn't have a superstar player, it had enough talent to knock off some of the best teams in Western Pennsylvania. The Colts did just enough -- hitting and pitching -- to win a number of playoff games. In eight playoff games, Char Valley scored more than three runs only three times. But pitchers Dan Colavincenzo and Ken Terpack did a good job of holding down the opposing offense.

The two postseason losses were both by 3-2 scores.

"We battled all the way through this season," said Chartiers Valley pitcher Dan Colavincenzo, who took the loss in the state final. "I know Chartiers Valley doesn't have the biggest kids around, or the fastest or the strongest. But we can be the toughest."

For example, second baseman Andy McIntyre always seemed to be the smallest guy on the field. But McIntyre, the spiritual leader of the team, hit .394.

Third baseman Brian Rodavich finished as the team's leading hitter with a .404 average. First baseman Tyler Mroz hit .361 with eight home runs and 35 RBIs.

Colavincenzo was 6-3 as a pitcher and Terpack 4-3. Terpack also hit .369.

The Colts lose Colavincenzo, Terpack, McIntyre and Rodavich to graduation. Right fielder Mike Perhosky and left fielder Ryan Landy also are seniors.

So, is Chartiers Valley a one-year wonder, or could it be a championship caliber team again next year? Mroz, returns along with shortstop Luke Horew and catcher John O'Neill.

"I think we've built something special here," Jaskowski said. "Luke Horew can really play and I think O'Neill is the best catcher in the WPIAL. Tyler Mroz hit eight home runs. So we bring back some skill next year. Plus, we have some young pitchers who we think will be the next generation."

But this generation of players won't soon be forgotten.

"If we make a run in the playoffs again, all those kids are going to be saying, 'Are we better than the 2009 team,'"