Just 22 miles northwest of San Antonio on State Highway 16 is the small suburban town of Helotes. It's the "Gateway to Hill Country," the last stop between San Antonio and the rugged wilderness of west central Texas. Population 8,758, according to the Census Bureau.
The town is also home to the Greater Helotes Little League squad, the 2016 Little League Softball World Series champion. It's the town's first team to win a title since Little League was established in Helotes in 1952.
After clinching the Texas West divisional title in late July 2016, Greater Helotes, led by coach Mario Sanchez, advanced to the regional tournament where it won the Southwest Region and secured an automatic entry into the LLSWS.
Just days later, the team headed for Portland, Oregon.
Flash forward one year, and another Texas West Little League softball team is headed to Portland to compete for the championship. This time, it's from Waco -- 189 miles northeast of Helotes, on the I-35 corridor between Dallas and Austin.
This year, the team from Waco's Lake Air Little League scored 50 runs in four games on its tear to take the Southwest Regional title, allowing only three runs in two games while winning the other two games by shutouts.
The dominance displayed by the Lake Air team is eerily reminiscent of an earlier era that's part of a not-so-distant past -- an era when Waco was a force to be reckoned with when it came to softball. Waco is home to 11 Little League Softball World Series championship teams and one runner-up from 1992 to 2004, making it far and away the most dominant city in the softball world.
Waco represents the same district as last year's champions from Helotes; both teams won the Texas West title before winning the Southwest Region. Between the 11 earlier Waco titles and the 2016 Helotes victory, Texas is the winningest state in LLSWS history, leading the championship tally with 12 titles, four ahead of runner-up Florida. Those 12 titles also make Texas West the most successful individual softball district in World Series history.
Even with the passage of Title IX in 1972, Little League did not allow the participation of women until 1974 when Little League softball was created. Teams from Florida (seven titles) and California (five) dominated the early years of the Little League Softball World Series. In 1992, Texas took over.
Despite massive success in the LLSWS for more than a decade, this is the first time since 2004 that a streak is back in Texas West's sights.
Now, as the new Texas West title contenders are illuminating that rich softball history in Texas, they're also reviving its legacy. The Lone Star State has a history of softball success, but after a 12-year break, it is making a run to reclaim its dominance. Two consecutive titles could be the spark needed to begin a new era of excellence.
Throughout the 2016 LLSWS, the Greater Helotes squad of 11- and 12-year-olds allowed only seven runs while scoring 65 -- a stunning showing in Little League softball. In the last of seven games in just as many days, Greater Helotes beat the defending champions from Salisbury, North Carolina, 5-1 in the championship game. It finished the series with an undefeated record.
"In Texas we're very proud and we're very competitive. We're very much behind our kids and the children and getting them involved in whatever sport it is," said Angela Wazir, a Helotes spokesperson. "This was a great show of their talents and their team spirit, the Texas spirit."
The town celebrated its champions with a lively parade in the Helotes historic district, accompanied by a block party at John T. Floore Country Store -- one of the oldest businesses in town. Congressmen and city people alike joined in the celebration, and the mayor presented the girls with proclamations.
The championship banner hangs near the Little League practice fields, where Helotes residents can relive the victory.
Today, Waco returns to the national softball stage for Texas West and the Southwest Region and takes on the winner of the Oregon Little League District Four region in the first of four guaranteed games in this year's Little League Softball World Series.
This team has the potential to reclaim its district's former dominance. As the new faces of the Southwest Region, the players will attempt to bring back the second consecutive Little League Softball World Series championship to the Southwest Region -- and the second straight to Texas West.
