If Mya Johnson had the chance, she said would pick the exact same lineup for her basketball team in next year’s Ferriday Recreation Youth League.

It’s not a bad idea, either.

Johnson, coach of the 5 to 9-year-old Warriors, took her team all the way to win the league’s championship on March 27.

“They were very happy,” the first-year coach said. “It was a very good moment for them in their lives, and they didn’t want it to end.”

Johnson said while winning the championship was definitely a highlight to end the season, the league teaches the children about connecting with their peers.

“It gives them something to look forward to,” she said. “Everyone has a good time, and it’s something they can enjoy with classmates in their community.”

“We have a motto that all kids come first,” league director McKinley Bates Jr. added about the all-around positivity. “We are all winners here.”

After Johnson’s three children joined the city-based league a few years back, she said she wanted to become a coach this year to be more than just a cheering parent. With the help of her own Kylan Didone, 8, and Kiley Johnson, 5, Mya’s team became a force after winning eight of its 10 regular season games.

Other players for the Warriors included, Sa’Mireya Harris, Khiry’nasia Anderson, Malcolm Yarrington and Amarion Griggs.

“I wanted to get involved and see where it would take me,” she said. “We became a challenge to every other team. Everyone wanted to beat us.”

In the future, Mya hopes the league will receive continued backing from parents and families so the basketball teams would be able to travel during the summer.

“Ferriday doesn’t have a lot activities,” she said. “It is a good place to raise kids. The kids love support in the community, and I just want to be supportive of them.”