By Sean Duncan

CHICAGO ? The young and richly talented Simeon Wolverines were all but handed the Chicago Public League championship before the season began, and their play throughout the spring only strengthened that belief.

Only one problem: No one sent the memo to Harlan, Simeon?s South Side rival.

Playing at U.S. Cellular Field, Harlan shocked Simeon 7-6 in an exciting city championship game Monday that came down to the final inning and one remarkable catch.

The victory marked the first city championship Harlan (25-7) has won since 1993. The two teams split during the regular season.

Harlan centerfielder Canance King Jr. was the game?s hero, as he made a spectacular game-saving catch on the warning track in the bottom of the sixth, then coaxed a bases-loaded, tie-breaking walk in the top of the seventh to give the Falcons the winning margin.

 ?I?ve been waiting for this for four years,? said King, ?and we finally did it.?

Harlan erupted for five runs in the third inning to build a 5-1 cushion. But slowly Simeon (25-4) chipped away at the lead, and it looked like the Wolverines were finally going to overtake Harlan in the bottom of the sixth when junior Shane Brown smashed a drive to center field with a man on second base.

That?s when King made the play of the game ? and likely the best catch of his life. In a dead spring back, King made a made an over-the-shoulder diving catch on the warning track to rob Brown of another hit and preserve a 6-6 tie heading into the seventh inning.

Right-handed pitcher Jabarri Roberts (10-2), who threw a gutsy complete game, knew he made a mistake to Brown.

?That was a butt-clencher,? said Roberts, who allowed nine hits, struck out two and walked three. ?But I had a feeling Canance would catch that.?

Then in the top of the seventh, Harlan loaded up the bases with two outs. King came to the plate, having been pinch-hit for in his last at-bat. He worked the count full before he was walked to bring in the winning run.

Simeon didn?t go away quietly in the bottom of the seventh, putting runners on second and third with two outs. But Roberts bore down and struck out the final batter of game.

?I couldn?t tell if I was tired,? said Roberts, who will pitch at Marshalltown Community College next year. ?My arm got numb after the fifth inning. I was just trying to throw strikes.?

Dontrell Rush, a John A. Logan Junior College recruit who?s one of the top outfield prospects in the state, finished 2-for-4 with a run-scoring single in Harlan?s big five-run third inning.

?We came out determined this season,? said Rush. ?Every day was intense. Our seniors stepped up today. This is what I?ve dreamed about my whole high school career.?

Left fielder Darvon Sylvan went 3-for-4 with two runs and a two-run triple in the third inning, and Kevin Johnson also had two hits and an RBI. Freshman catcher Christian Bland also had a run-scoring triple in Harlan?s third inning.

Simeon scored four runs on four hits in the fourth inning to tie the game at 6-6. Brown, a junior right-fielder, delivered the big blow with a two-run single. Sophomore center fielder Corey Ray, who?s one of the most promising-looking Class of 2013 prospects in the state, went 2-for-3 with two runs and an RBI, and third baseman Malik Simmons, who?s one of two seniors in the Wolverines? lineup, went 3-for-4 with two RBI.