"Despite the weather and the rescheduling, it still turned out to be a good event," MONEY secretary Paul Russo said. "We raised a chunk of money, so we're going to take it and look forward to next year."

The MONEY Athletic Foundation was founded in memory of Russo's son, Mikail, who passed away in October 2001. Mikail Russo was an honor roll student and an avid baseball player and fan.

The Mikail R. Russo More Opportunities for Neighborhood Youth (MONEY) Athletic Foundation was created to ease the cost of youth athletics. This memorial foundation makes donations to organizations that help individuals reach their athletic goals.

Sixteen athletes from five midcoast schools competed for this year's title. Players received one point for a fair ball hit over a temporary short fence, and two points for a ball that cleared the regular fence.

When the dust cleared from two rounds of 10 swings each, Rockland District High School's Jon Dean and Wade Oliver were tied after swatting five homers apiece in the second round. Oliver connected for five more in the playoff round to Dean's one and claimed the title.

All 16 high schoolers who competed hit at least one home run, and most went deep more than once.

Team totals for the event were Rockland 33, Georges Valley 25, Camden Hills 10, Medomak Valley 7, and Belfast 5, though it should be noted that each team had a different number of players at Sunday's competition.

An adult open followed the high school competition and 32 folks stepped up to the plate and took 10 swings. Camden Hills varsity baseball coach Scott Benzie led the way with five points. Eleven others homered at least once during the fun filled session.

The derby has ended on a high note both years of its existence. Last year Paul Russo homered to end the day on a high note, and this year things ended with a raffle that included a long list of prizes donated by local merchants.

Taylor Benzie won the grand prize of four Red Sox 406 Club tickets for a game in July or August. Benzie attended his first Major League game on his sixteenth birthday with Mikail Russo.

MONEY President Keagan Russo thanked their business sponsors and the community, noting the effort that helped make the derby a success.

"More than just looking forward to next year's derby," Russo said, "We're looking forward to being able to reinvest this money into the community and help some kids reach their potential."

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