BOERNE, Texas — A Texas Hill Country town is going all out for its all-star athletes. On Monday, the Boerne Little League team was welcomed home with a police escort, parade and party at Main Plaza.
Boerne made it to the Little League World Series U.S. Championship game before losing to Florida. They finished fourth, but still came home winners.
“This is monumental for any city that has a little league team or little league organization,” said Boerne Mayor Frank Ritchie. “You heard the commissioner say 7,000 little league teams try to make it to Williamsport every year. We were one of the 20, and ended up being fourth. That’s amazing! It’s a life-time experience for those 12 young men and those coaches. It’s something they will cherish for the rest of their lives, but it’s also something the community will always cherish. We are going to put a banner up at Northrup Park where the little league is. We are also going to have a proclamation declaring a week for the Boerne Little League.”
The players have become local celebrities. Many were seen signing autographs and taking pictures with fans at the packed plaza.
“It was insane,” said Kole Newson. “I just waved [in the parade] to a lot of people and had a lot of fun.”
Jett Matthews was taken aback as he took in the crowd lining Main Street. Hundreds of people sported the team’s colors and held signs. People screamed and waved as the players passed.
“I didn’t know there were this many people cheering for us,” said Matthews. “So, it was really cool to know that all these people were happy for us.”
Jett’s father, Justin Matthews, told KENS 5 the community hit it out of the park.
“We have been gone for over 30 days,” he said. “You start to feel very isolated and alone. As we started winning games, we started to hear from the community and saw watch parties. It meant so much. It felt like a piece of home [while we were] away.”
The team’s legacy will live on to inspire the next generation of little league players, city officials say.
“The [league] had 1,200 athletes this year,” said Mayor Ritchie. “That’s probably going to double by next season.”
“I hope Boerne goes back to the Little League World Series,” Matthews said.