On Monday night, Boerne residents braved heavy rains to welcome home their Little League All-Star team. The parade drew a crowd of around 3,500 people who came together to celebrate the team’s fourth-place finish in the Little League World Series in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
The team had won 17 games in a row and made it to the national championship before losing the final two games of the tournament. Boerne Little League manager Justin Newson and his son and player Kole Newson gave the Standard a detailed account of their tournament experience.
This transcript has been lightly edited for clarity:
Texas Standard: This must have been a really exciting season, not to mention the last few days. How has your life been? Finally sleeping in your own bed again?
Justin Newson: It was great to come back and see all our friends and family welcoming us to town. The whole summer was surreal. It was just a great experience all the way through, seeing the guys play great baseball and then coming back to town.
And having been home maybe one or two nights in the last month and a half watching everyone, I had no idea that so many people were watching our games. We’ve seen a few pictures here and there and heard about watch parties.
But to see the amount of people lining the streets and welcoming us to the field in Boerne was really, really great. I know the guys enjoyed it, and of course the coaches and the families. I’m grateful to live in the community we live in and to have all of that support.
It kind of makes me cringe when I think about it. It’s like a Norman Rockwell painting from the old days, you know, with a small town, and everyone comes – fire trucks, the whole thing.
To get to the Little League World Series, which is an incredible feat in itself, you first had to win several qualifying tournaments. How early in the process did you realize that this team was truly special?
Justin Newson: You could see it during the Little League season. Kole started playing Little League when he was 4 years old, and kids were coming and going to the league. If you knew the players here, you could tell there were a lot of really good players that season.
And when it came down to selecting and the team was set, we knew we had a lot of talent on the team. We just didn’t really know how good they would be. No Boerne team has really made it that far, or at least not that consistently. I think they made it to the state tournament once, but most of the time they lose in the first or second round.
We knew we were good, but we didn’t know how good. And then when we got to state and won 3-0, we realized we might have a real chance. And when we got to the next round, it definitely took a step up. But the guys fought and kept going and found ways to win games. So it was really, really fun to watch them make it to Williamsport.
How did the players deal with this success? And I also have to ask about the last two games, which were disappointing but there was a lot of back and forth.
Justin Newson: They handled the wins and losses great. When we started the All-Star season, we brought everyone together on the field. There are always great teams that don’t live up to their potential or really talented teams that don’t go as far as you think.
And when I look at the teams, I know that the really good teams start with talented players. But they also have players who play for each other and have a certain perspective. And I think that perspective is faith. At the end of the day, it’s a game. It’s not a matter of life and death. It’s not the be-all and end-all.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s a tough competition. But having the mindset that you’re fine either way, I think, really helps ground the team. It keeps the highs lower and the lows not too low.
