GROVES — If the Port Neches-Groves baseball team is tired of being celebrated, they’re not showing it.
Once again, the team that won a state championship last month and rocketed to the No. 1 spot in the state got a BBQ dinner and some kind word from the Groves Chamber of Commerce and the Groves Knights of Columbus on Tuesday.
“Excuse me for saying I thought we had a typical PN-G team,” said Knights of Columbus member Jason Kelley.
He admitted he only went to a few games this season. He admitted even getting to the playoffs didn’t see so unusual.
“Playoff baseball, that’s what we do here in Port Neches-Groves,” he said.
But then they won the playoffs.
“They were picked to finish third in district in pre-season,” Kelley said. “By the time they were finished, they were No. 1 in Texas and No. 12 in the USA.”
And, along the way, he said the community learned something from the team.
“You have shown us what true teamwork is. … It was not a perfect season,” he said. “These young men had opportunities to get down on themselves and their teammates. But instead, they picked themselves up. They remained humble, stayed focused and continued to do their best every day.”
Ronnie Boneau, the director of the Groves Chamber of Commerce said their win would not be soon forgotten.
“Little kids will grow up wanting to be like y’all,” he said.