BOSSIER CITY, La. — An emotional Daniel Grayson could only talk about how special his players are to him.

The Concordia Dixie Youth 14-year-old All-Stars were more than all-stars to their head coach — they were like some of his own, Grayson said.

After Concordia’s season ended when the boys fell to Shreveport 11-3 Monday in the Louisiana Dixie Youth 14-year-old state tournament, Grayson said it was hard for him to let go after coaching the same group of players for several years.

“It’s like I told my boys tonight, it’s been a pleasure,” Grayson said. “You’re going to see big things out of these kids. They compete.”

Grayson said his group was among the first groups to play together when Ferriday and Vidalia combined leagues to form Concordia Dixie Youth.

“I don’t think we’ve lost out in district since,” Grayson said. “Anytime a Concordia Parish team walks into these tournaments, they’re recognized.”

Alex Boone got the win for Shreveport, while Cole Cangemi took the loss. Cangemi was Concordia’s only multiple hitter of the game, finishing 2-for-3.

Tyler Cothern, Kade Passman, Jake Cooper and Chandler Grayson all doubled for the 14s.

When facing Shreveport, Grayson said he knew his team was at a disadvantage in terms of the talent pool each team had to choose from.

“I asked their coach, and he said they got to choose from 13 teams with 10 (players) each,” Grayson said. “We were pulling from four teams with 12 each.”

Even though it’s hard for him to say goodbye, Grayson said he would continue pulling for his players as they continue their baseball careers.

“It’s very emotional, but we’ll move on,” Grayson said. “They’re fixing to enter high school, and they’ll be a blessing to those coaches.”