Two San Clemente, California, high school freshman, ages 14 and 15, led a Little League baseball team of 12- to 14-year-olds to a championship.
At the beginning of the season Little League baseball team "San Clemente American No. 2" could not find a coach. After petitioning Little League Baseball the team brought in San Clemente High School freshmen Chris Puckett, 15, and Cameron Shelley, 14, to coach the team while Chris' father, Gary Puckett, served as a chaperone and handled all of the paperwork.
After a shaky start to the season the team found itself above .500 at the halfway point. After producing a 10-2 run to end the season San Clemente landed in the District 68 Tournament of Champions, winning the championship game in dramatic fashion.
From the Orange County Register:
"Out of my 16 years of Little League, I have never seen a game end like that," the elder Puckett said.
"It was just incredible," parent Kimberly Bradley said.
"That one play, you either win the game or you lose," parent Brad Christian said. "The kids just played phenomenal baseball, every single kid. They actually worked on that play during the season."
Josh Bradley, the first baseman, recorded the final out. "It was pretty crazy," he said. "We learned it all from Chris and Cameron. They've taught us to chase the people back to the bag before you throw the ball. That was all thanks to them."
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Brad Christian, a Little League umpire for seven years, said this was the first team that had let his son Max play his favorite position, catcher. The two teen coaches knew how to connect with the players, Christian said, making a believer of each one.
"These are the most appreciative kids I've ever seen," he said, calling them "the little team that could."
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