The magical ride that the Holbrook 12U Little League baseball team rode this summer came to an end with a defeat.
However, the experience of that run will outshine the 12-2 loss that Holbrook suffered to Fairfield American of Connecticut on Aug. 23 in the semifinals of the United States bracket at the 2017 Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
Holbrook manager Rob Grano will forever cherish this journey.
“Oh my God,” Grano said after the loss to Fairfield, which eliminated his squad from Jackson. “What a ride. It’s very emotional for me. These are my kids. They’ll always be my kids. I’ve coached this group since they were 6 and 7 years old. I can’t coach any other kids. I’ll never have another group like this. I hope they enjoyed it as much as I did.”
Fairfield American proved to be a major nemesis to Holbrook.
Holbrook had opened the World Series with a 7-6 loss to Fairfield American on Aug. 17, but it rebounded and erupted to score a 15-5 victory over Grosse Point Woods-Shore of Michigan on Aug. 19.
Holbrook then beat the West champion, Rancho Santa Margarita, California, 12-9, on Aug. 21 to avoid elimination and set up a meeting with Fairfield American in the semifinals.
Grano impressed upon his players how proud they made their families, their hometown and their home state.
“I told them ‘the celebration starts now. When you get home, everyone you see is going to give you hugs and kisses, ask you for your autograph and treat you guys like kings. You deserve it,’ ” Grano said. “The team was pretty sad. We all believed we could win this whole thing. Honestly, I think the adults took it harder than the kids did. That’s the beauty of being 12. At the end of the day, we finished a top four team in the U.S. and top seven in the world. You can’t beat that.”
The team planned to stay in Williamsport until the conclusion of the tournament on Aug. 27.
“We’re going to stay down here and enjoy the rest of the week,” Grano said. “They earned this experience, so they deserve to stay and enjoy themselves. There’s a picnic on Friday that I think all the teams will go to, so that will be fun. We could play a pickup game against Italy or Japan. That sounds like a fun thing to do. It’s still an incredible atmosphere down here. We’re going to stay and soak it all in.”
Grano was thrilled with the experiences that his players soaked in.
“I know their lives are changed forever,” Grano said. “You don’t go through this without learning things that will change your life. It’s impossible. These kids will be better men for this experience, even though we’re all upset we didn’t win. But if it wasn’t hard losing, then that means we didn’t want it enough.”
Grano believes that his Jackson team should go down as one of the best teams to come out of the Garden State.
“Look, we won three straight state championships,” Grano said. “On top of that, we won two straight Mid-Atlantic Region titles. I don’t think there’s been a team that has made a run like we did. We might be the most decorated New Jersey team ever. I know other Jersey teams have won the World Series, and obviously, we haven’t. But again, I don’t think any other team has had the three-year run like we did. I’ll vouch for my guys as one of, if not, the best Jersey Little League teams ever in a heartbeat.”
