Florida, Texas collide in rematch for the US title

State tournament success was for other teams, not Boerne. Until this year. Until the 2024 Boerne Little League all-stars came along and blazed a new trail.

“People were really doubting us because Boerne never has been a good team til this year,” Boerne slugger Doc Mogford said following Wednesday’s 5-2 winner’s bracket final win against Henderson, Nevada.

Now Boerne is one of the country’s top two teams. Now all eyes are on them as well as Lake Mary, Florida.

Neither league had never reached the Series before this season. Today, one of them will become the country’s best team.

Cooper Hastings of the Southwest Region celebrates his team’s victory against the Mountain Region team at Lamade Stadium in South Williamsport. Soutwest won 5-2.
DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Texas and Florida play this afternoon for the U.S. Championship. The winner becomes a national champion and earns a spot in Sunday’s world championship against the International champion.

“We’re built for this. We grinded, we practiced and we did everything we can. We did boot camps,” Lake Mary manager Jonathan Anderson said after a 4-3 win against Hawaii. “We are one. We do everything together. We’re not going to get down; we’re not going to give up, ever. We’re here to tell you that.”

What a ride it has been for Boerne as well. Boerne never won a state championship before this season. Not only that. Boerne had only reached the state tournament one time in its league’s history. Talk about creating a remarkable legacy.

“It’s hard to explain that,” pitcher Cooper Hastings said of reaching the U.S. Final after throwing four scoreless innings Wednesday afternoon. “It’s unbelievable.”

“It’s all surreal. To be in this moment and see these kids be able to enjoy it on the field is crazy,” Boerne manager Justin Newson said. “I know how hard these kids work and the sacrifices the families have made, so I’m just glad to see them on the field doing their thing.”

RALPH WILSON/Sun-Gazette Correspondent
Florida’s James Feliciano pitches during Thursday’s game at Lamade Stadium against Nevada. Florida won, 6-3, to advance to the Untied States Championship game on Saturday.

Boerne’s thing has been winning every game it plays. The Southwest champions defeated Pennsylvania, Florida and Nevada to reach Saturday’s U.S. Final. They also are 17-0 this summer.

And Boerne did not just change its past image, it absolutely shattered it. Boerne mercy-ruled all 10 opponents on the way to regionals. It won three games in convincing fashion there before rallying from a three-run, fourth inning deficit and beating Louisiana, 6-3 for the championship.

Not much has changed in South Williamsport. Boerne blanked Pennsylvania, 9-0 before erasing a one-run deficit in a 4-1 win against Florida and scoring the final three runs in Wednesday’s 5-2 win against Nevada.

At every stop along this journey, Boerne has produced different heroes. The top of the order did a lot of damage in the first two games and the bottom was outstanding against Nevada. Four pitchers have thrown well at the Series and Newson said there are some talented pitchers who have not even thrown yet.

“You never know where it’s going to come from. Every tournament; every game it comes from somewhere else,” Newson said. “When we’re trying to figure out our lineup it’s a struggle because the guy hitting in the 10 hole or 11 hole ends up being the hero. It’s all parts of our lineup picking each other up and being positive. You never know when that meaningful hit and run is going to happen but we’re confident in all of them.”

Driving that home, every player has reached base at the Series. Mogford, Grey Collins and Gabe Steubing all went 2 for 2 against Nevada and Hastings drove in two runs. The balance extends to the mound where Julian Hurst has dominated and Hastings, Caden Guffey and Kaleb Christ all have pitched well in big moments.

Hurst likely will start against Florida and has been untouchable at the Series, going 2-0 while allowing just one run and three hits in 10 innings with 20 strikeouts. Going back to the Southwest final, Hurst has reached 10 strikeouts in three straight appearances. That included when he threw a three-hit complete game in the 4-1 victory against Florida last Monday.

Still, time after time, Boerne has proven that it is a team full of stars, not just one. And this strong team from a town with fewer than 21,000 residents continues doing big-time things.

“Hat’s off to Texas. Tha’s a great team. They’re respectful; they play the game the right way,” Nevada manager Adam Johnson said. “They’re obviously well-coached. Going into the (Wednesday) game we felt like this was going to be a tough task. Credit to them. They did a good job.”

Lake Mary has done a great job all summer and earned a rematch against Boerne, winning three straight games in three days. Following the 4-1 loss against Boerne, Lake Mary won consecutive elimination games against New York, Hawaii and Nevada.

The Southeast champions have lost just that one game all summer and are peaking at the perfect time following Thursday’s 6-3 win against Nevada. JJ Feliciano and Garrett Rohozen both hit their second Series home runs in that win, while standout catcher Landon Bono was robbed of one.

The bottom of the order has been as dangerous as the top at times and played a key role in igniting rallies in multiple Series wins.

“Our lineup is great,” Anderson said. “Everyone knows their role and everyone does their job.”

Like Boerne, Lake Mary is balanced both on the mound and at the plate. Driving that home, Lake Mary will have its ace Feliciano available to pitch against Boerne. Feliciano threw a shutout in the Southeast championship against Tennessee and dominated against South Dakota in Lake Mary’s Series opener. He also has surrendered just three hits in eight innings, making Saturday a game of aces.

Feliciano started the first game against Texas and allowed just one hit in 2 1/3 innings, while fanning seven.

Behind Feliciano, Lathan Norton has dominated in both relief and starting, while Luis Calo and Garrett Rohozen came up huge in wins against New York and Hawaii, respectively. Teraj Alexander did the same against Nevada, throwing 3 2/3 scoreless innings before Feliciano earned the save.

Calo stranded the tying runs in scoring position five times in his 2 1/3 innings of brilliant relief against Rohozen struck out five in three innings against New York. Even better for Lake Mary, despite playing four straight days through Thursday, it has all its pitchers except Alexander eligible against Boerne.

“The kids are battle-tested,” Anderson said. “They stay calm and collected and I think that’s because our practices are pressure-filled.”

Games like Saturday certainly are pressure-filled. These teams have been working toward this moment for so long but only one will become the country’s best squad. But these are also are the fun games.

These are the moments these standout players have dreamed about. Now one will own its ultimate moment.

“That’s going to be a great game between Florida and Texas.” Johnson said.

“I know that our community has rallied behind us and is watching. They’ve loving this opportunity to watch Lake Mary Little League play on the grand stage. We’ve been waiting for this for years now. For years we’ve been waiting to get here.”