EDITORIAL: Congratulations to Summerlin South for a magical run

Move over, Golden Knights and Las Vegas Aces. Southern Nevada has a new champion to celebrate.

On Saturday, the Summerlin South Little League team beat Fairfield, Connecticut, 8-2. That made them the first Nevada team to win the U.S. championship game of the Little League World Series. In 2014, a Southern Nevada team, Mountain Ridge, received the U.S. championship trophy after their opponent was found to have used ineligible players.

On Sunday, Summerlin South fell to Chinese Taipei in the world championship game, 7-0. Taipei had a significant advantage. Their ace pitcher started and pitched five shutout innings. Due to Little League pitch count rules, Summerlin’s top pitchers weren’t available.

Even though the ending wasn’t completely storybook, this was a fairy tale run. In the Little League Mountain Region tournament earlier this month, Summerlin South trailed Utah, 8-0. They could have become dejected. They could have given up. They could have resigned themselves to knowing they had a nice season. They didn’t. They rallied to a 22-12 victory. Just days later, they punched their ticket to the Little League World Series.

In Williamsport, Pennsylvania, they proved they could win all types of games. They started with a 16-1 blowout over Clarendon Hills, Illinois. Behind the strong pitching of Ethan Robertson, they won their second game, 5-3. Then came one of the most nerve-wracking games of the tournament. Summerlin South and their opponent, Irmo, South Carolina, were scoreless through six innings, the normal length of a Little League game. They squeezed home a run in the seventh and won in extra innings.

A loss to Fairfield, Connecticut, sent them to the elimination bracket. In an elimination game, Garrett Gallegos rocketed a three-run homer in the top of the sixth to give his team a 5-3 victory. In their next game, they won the U.S. championship.

Their electrifying journey thrilled the local community. Gov. Joe Lombardo and Sen. Jacky Rosen praised the team. Fans gathered to watch and cheer them on.

“These are our people, our boys,” Kristine Watters, a parent whose children know some of the ballplayers. “We are over-the-moon excited for them to be in this experience.”

Many locals contributed financially to help offset the $10,000-plus cost to each family. The soon-to-be Las Vegas A’s donated $15,000. The Howard Hughes Corp. gave $10,000 and so did Nick Carter of the Backstreet Boys. A GoFundMe has raised more than $28,000.

On Wednesday night, the boys will be celebrated with a parade through Downtown Summerlin. A fitting end to a magical season.