LAKE MARY — Serenaded by the sounds of chants and cowbells and showered in tri-color confetti, Florida's first Little League World Series championship team paraded through the heart of town Saturday morning .
Lake Mary Little League's 12-and-under all-stars rolled down 4th Street in a fleet of Corvettes, preceded by marching bands, local politicians, Central Florida sports mascots and, yes, even Mickey Mouse . Thousands of friends, family members and residents alike welcomed their world champions home.
"Man, seeing all the Lake Mary shirts and Lake Mary hats, it felt so good to receive the love," Jonathan Anderson, the team's head coach, said. "I knew that these people were back here supporting us and wanted to see us. And we got to show our appreciation back to them.
"This is a wonderful place with wonderful people that love these kids, and that love to play sports. We're a great sports community. We compete hard and push each other to get better. It's just a great place to be."
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Lake Mary's path to Little League World Series title
Lake Mary finished one game shy of the Little League World Series in 2023. Four of those players — infielder Chase Anderson, outfielder/pitcher Jacob Bibaud, catcher Landon Bono and pitcher/infielder JJ Feliciano — returned with a hunger to finish the job this summer and book a trip to Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
"We learned some things from last year. I feel like we weren't as hard-working as we are now," Feliciano said. "I feel like that helped us. We practiced mornings and afternoons, and it got us ready and prepared as a group."
Lake Mary rolled through districts, sectionals, the state tournament and, eventually, the regional competition in Warner Robins, Georgia. The team defeated South Dakota and Washington in its first two LLWS games, lost 4-1 to Texas on Aug. 19 and then reeled off five consecutive victories in elimination games to take home the title.
In the U.S. Championship, Lake Mary rallied from 4-0 and 6-5 deficits to topple Texas, aided by Luis Calo's tiebreaking two-run double in the sixth inning. DeMarcos Mieses knotted the World Championship against Chinese Taipei at 1 with a two-out RBI double in the bottom of the sixth.
Playing the first extra-inning final since 2007, Lake Mary held Chinese Taipei scoreless in the eighth and snatched the victory with sound fundamentals. Hunter Alexander dropped down a textbook sacrifice bunt to advance the runner from second, and pitcher Chiu Wei-Che threw the ball to first with nobody covering, allowing Lathan Norton to score the decisive run.
"I was numb. I cannot recall what we did because I was so in shock," said Bono, the LLWS Home Run Derby champion.
Florida had finished runner-up on eight prior occasions at the Little League World Series, most recently in 2003. It had not had a representative in Williamsport in any of the last 14 events — with Tennessee and Georgia sharing a relative stranglehold on the Southeast Region.
Lake Mary celebrates Florida LLWS team
Located less than 20 miles from Downtown Orlando and with an estimated resident population of 17,333 as of 2022, Lake Mary was the first Seminole County city to take part in the Little League World Series. David Eckstein, a two-time All-Star and 2006 World Series MVP, told the young athletes during his speech that they put Lake Mary "on the map."
Republican Congressman Cory Mills called the parade "a moment to come together as a community to share in the enjoyment and excitement." Seminole County Sheriff Dennis Lemma said he had "chills" watching every hit, every pitch, every run and every win.
Each of the team's 12 players and three coaches were presented with honorary keys to the city. Teraj Alexander, the last to receive the prestigious honor, performed his signature dance move — the "Teraj Tango" — that blossomed into a bit of a viral trend during the tournament.
"When I saw Hunter (Alexander) go up there and he did it, I was like, 'Alright, bet. I'm gonna do it,'" said Teraj, who stole home in the U.S. championship game. "Once it was getting closer to my turn, I was getting nervous. Then I saw DJ (Mieses) go up and do his, and I was like, 'Alright, I got this.'"
Saturday's festivities capped a whirlwind week for Lake Mary's little leaguers. They were saluted Monday by dozens of supporters right off the plane at Orlando International Airport. They were honored Thursday with a championship parade at the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World.
In between, Liam Morrisey said he started the seventh grade — adjusting to normal life, albeit a substantially new normal.
"It's been crazy. Every time I walk into a shop, there's somebody who says 'Congratulations,'" Morrisey said.
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This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Lake Mary celebrates 1st Florida Little League World Series champs with massive parade
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