The long and winding road of the Dixie Youth All-Star tournaments finally ended Saturday for the Natchez 10-year-old All-Stars.

Natchez’s loss to Hattiesburg on Saturday morning effectively ended their state championship hopes and denied them a spot in the Dixie Youth World Series which begins next week in Laurel.

But just because their season ended one victory short of their goal, they should still be proud of their great accomplishments this summer.

Natchez coach Gary Farmer wasn’t shy when talking about the strength of his team.

He called them the best hitting 10-year-old team he’d ever coached and said he expected great things of them.

Well, Natchez proved in the sub-district tournament that they didn’t just have great talent, they had a substantial amount of heart as well.

After losing their opening game of the tournament to Franklin County, Natchez won three games in a row, including a big victory over rival Copiah, which left three teams with one loss and forced a coin flip.

Natchez lost the coin flip, which put Franklin County in the championship game and forced Natchez to play yet another game against Copiah in order to reach the title game.

Natchez won that one too, and then beat Franklin County in the championship game to advance to the district championship series against McComb.

Once again, Natchez didn’t do things the easy way, getting down to McComb in the bottom of the sixth inning of Game 1 before catching a break to score the winning run on a McComb error.

After routing McComb in Game 2, they entered the south state tournament on a roll before finally coming up against a team that was just stronger than them — Hattiesburg.

The teams played twice in the south state tournament, and Hattiesburg won both times, holding the powerful hitting Natchez team to just two runs in two games.

It was more of the same in the state tournament, as Natchez proved they were better than every other team in the state except for one.

Any team that beats Natchez three times in a row certainly deserves the state championship, and Hattiesburg might be looking to greater things in the World Series next week.

But for Natchez, their summer of fun has come to an end.

Each team has its standout players, and Natchez was no different.

Craig Bradley was strong on the mound the entire summer and also solid in the leadoff hole, while Zac Flattman and Gage Dossett provided power in the middle of the lineup.

Christian Day and Dalvion Jackson gave the team a dash of speed in addition to their defensive play.

But Natchez didn’t just rely on a few stars to carry them all the way to the state tournament. They were a true team.

Bottom of the order hitters like Daniel Garrity, Jace Calcote and Sam Parker came through time and again when the team needed a big hit.

And Jacob Jenkins was a bulldog on the mound, always willing and able to pitch some big innings and get big outs when he was called upon.

So congratulations Natchez 10s for giving the city something to come together and cheer about for the past month.

Let’s do it again next summer.

Jeff Edwards is the sports editor for The Democrat. He can be reached at sports@natchezdemocrat.com.