Julian Hurst was practically born to take the mound in Williamsport.
“I’ve been watching the Little League World Series since I was about 5. I’ve always wanted to be there,” Hurst said. “To finally step foot on (the field) and play on it was amazing.”
) py Forty-two parents from Boerne sat in the Little League World Series stands in Pennsylvania, cheering on their boys, a team of youngsters that captivated their hometown 1,700 miles away.
The team advanced to the championship game in the United States half of the bracket before losing to a team from Florida it had already beaten.
The team’s final game y was a thriller, a 4-3 loss to Venezuela that ended with a bases-loaded line shot at the Venezuelan second baseman, who came up with a great play to end that contest.
And while their play on the field had come to an end, the once-in-a-lifetime experience entered an entirely different realm on the return home.
Despite a torrential down-
Pennsylvania.
pour a half-hour before the start of the Aug. 26 “Welcome Back” celebration, Boerne fans lined Main Street, standing in a constant drizzle to cheer on the team’s arrival, complete with a six-vehicle police escort.
“It was crazy. I expected a party, but this is crazy, all these people,” Hurst said after the team was led up and down the Hill Country Mile, introduced to a thriving crowd, acknowledged by city dignitaries and mobbed for autographs by their now-adoring public.
“I did not know what to expect (today),” Boerne Coach Justin Newson said. “I didn’t know there would be thousands of people out here, it’s absolutely crazy. We feel the love, for sure.”
While thousands attended watch parties during the World Series, a devoted tightknit group of parents sat in the Williamsport, Pennsylvania stands, making sure their boys heard the cheers of Boerne faithful.
Boerne’s first game was against the hometown favorite, the Northeast champions, Pennsylvania.
“There were 42 of us rooting for Boerne against what we felt like was the entire state of Pennsylvania,” said Lisa Guffey, mother of little leaguer Caden Guffy.
Over 15,000 people packed into the stadium to see that opener, a 9-0 Boerne win. “So, 15,000 minus 42, that’s what we were up against,” she said. “But our boys were on fire that night, it was awesome.”
Newson said the team grew closer as the summer season progressed.
“It starts with 12 really good kids, and then 12 families that were just willing to buy in to being selfless and working together as a team,” Newson said.
“It grew all during the summer and it just got a little bit better with each stage. Everything we talked about early helped to prepare them for later,” he said.
“We came really, really close to finishing it off, so we’re grateful for everything,” he added.
Brittani Mogford, mother of team member Doc Mogford, called the trip and games “the experience of a lifetime, for sure.”
While she confessed to some nervousness when the games began, she said she had a feeling they were ready to break out and go far in the series.
“I always had confidence in them,” Mogford said. “They were doing great each game, and we knew they would continue to do great.”
Guffey echoed Mogford’s evaluation of the parents’ anxiety and the team’s preparedness.
“They played their hearts out every game,” Guffey said. “Every morning, on game day, it was very nerve-wracking as a parent. We were definitely more nervous than they were on the field.”
Hurst summarized the experience, with an exclamation point.
“Everything that happened in Pennsylvania, all the attention, it was overwhelming,” he said. “And all the winning, it really put a good mark on Boerne, Texas.”
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