EWING - On a team full of college stars, it was a 16-year-old Matt Busher that stole the show for the Flemington Post 159 legion team, on the biggest stage there is in New Jersey.

Now, the Indians have finally put to rest the tough endings to the last four seasons, against the team that has broken their hearts so many times in that near half-decade.

Flemington beat Brooklawn Post 72, the six-time defending state champions, 7-1, to win the Indians second state title Friday night at Moody Park. Behind six shutout innings from Busher, who worked in and out of trouble masterfully all night with the help of his defense, Flemington held the powerful Brooklawn lineup at bay all night.

Flemington now advances to the Mid-Atlantic Regional Tournament, where the Indians will open up play Wednesday at 12:30 against the Pennsylvania champion in the double-loss elimination tournament.

"This is my first year on the team," Busher said. "Coming into this game, I was just trying to pound the zone, and throw first pitch strikes. I knew they were going to be taking. I just came out and did my job for five solid innings. The sixth inning was a little but rough, but we got through it."

"Matt Brennan came in after me and did a heck of a job," Busher said. "To come out and shut down a team like this, that I think is our rival, is just huge. It was huge to work out of those jams in the middle innings."

"We got big plays from our third baseman Nick Luciano (who now has two state titles this year, including the Hunterdon Central NJSIAA Group 4 crown)," Busher said. "That line drive that he caught and stepped on third for a double play to get us out of the inning, and then working out of a bases-loaded jam with the strikeout and pop-up was about making big pitches when I had to."

Flemington manager Steve Farsiou had nothing but praise for his young hurler.

"We told our pitchers, hit the zone," Farsiou said. "They are going to take pitches. That is what they do. Hit the zone, and make plays behind you. If they hit you, they hit you, but we are not going to walk them. "

"Matt Busher is 16-years-old," Farsiou said. "He just turned 16. That is a big-game performance from him. He gave us everything he had, and I thought he did a really good job of keeping his emotions under check."

"Then Matt Brennan comes in, who barely pitches for varsity, and shuts down Brooklawn," Farsiou said. "That is a good team right there. You have to give them a lot of credit, because they are a national powerhouse, and that is what we are trying to be."

"For us to get up 7-0, then win 7-1, that is huge," Farsiou said. "I think our program is one of the best in the country, and I think we have proven that year in, year out. I think New Jersey is very hard to get out of. Dennis (Barth, the Brooklawn manager) just told me, you have to win you state, because it is so hard to get out of."

"We think that we are one of the best teams in the country," Farsiou said. "Now we have to go to a regional, and play our game, stay focused, and I think we can do some damage. But we have to stay focused."

The offense was led by 2016 state tournament Most Valuable Player Austin Arndt, who scored three of the seven Indians runs in the final. He was on fire all five games of the Final Eight, and hopes the offense can continue to support the strong starting pitching in the regionals.

"It is an amazing feeling, the greatest ever," Arndt said. "These guys have been our rivals, and it is great to finally beat them. We expected to come back to states, after last year, and really wanted to capitalize on this moment."

For Farsiou, who won a title in 2009 in his second season taking over from his mentor, the legendary Jake Manning, it was a bitter-sweet moment when the last few outs were recorded.

"My mentor, Jake Manning, when he handed me this team back in 2008, we won it in 2009 when he was alive," Farsiou said. "Then he passed away. This is big for us. This is the first one since he passed. Sometimes, you almost get emotional during the game, because you are thinking about him, and all the things that he did for you, and the things he did for this team."

"This is his team, and I know he is looking down and saying good job," Farsiou said. "It is just a great thing for the program, and we are just going to build on it."

Contact Sean Miller at seanmillertrentontimes@gmail.com. Follow him on Twitter @TheProdigalSean