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Jay Flaa |

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Scott Westerberg

7/14/2010

Every team needs someone to lighten up the mood from time to time and in Mandan that guy is Jay Flaa. Flaa has had a ton to smile about the past couple years.

There`s no question that Jay Flaa is focused on winning, but he also makes sure that along the way, there`s plenty of time to have some fun.

"He`s a hilarious guy," says Flaa`s teammate Aaron Janz, "You won`t find a funnier guy off the field or the court. He`s always go the jokes and he`s really funny, but at the same time he`s a huge leader and he does a lot for us."

"I just have a lot of fun with the game," Jay explains, "I don`t try to be funny. I just like to have a good time with the game. That`s why baseball`s awesome. It`s nice and laid back."

And while Flaa likes to have fun with the game, he doesn`t let the jokes distract him from getting his job done on the field. Jay is the Chiefs everyday third baseman as well as one of their most productive pitchers.

"He`s going to get through it no matter what it is," says Chiefs Head Coach Ryne Jungling, "He`s not going to beg to come out of the game cause he`s getting hit hard and he`s just going to take the baseball, and he`s going to do with it whatever he can to give us a chance to win."

And Flaa`s success hasn`t just come on the diamond. He was also part of two historic basketball seasons, helping Mandan win a state title in 2009, and the Braves followed that up with a surprise trip to the state title game this past spring, "We lost a lot of talent coming from the year before. It was kind of nice to go out and prove cause I don`t think a lot of people knew that we were capable, but we did have a lot of talent and I think we turned some heads when we made it to that state championship game."

But even after two years of unparalleled success, Flaa is still not satisfied with what he`s accomplished, "I want to get another state championship. That feeling in high school was as good as it will ever get. I want to get another one before my time is done."

State championship or no state championship. One thing`s for sure. Flaa and his teammates are bound to share more than a few laughs along the way.

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