After Concordia Dixie Youth 9-year-old All-Star coach Tebo Williams received word his team would host a state tournament, he didn’t want to take any chances.

As the host team, Williams and his 11-member squad received an automatic bid to the state tournament, opting to sit out during the sub-district and district rounds of play. They will play their first tournament game at 6 p.m. Friday at the Concordia Recreational Complex.

“We had a free pass to state,” Williams said. “I would rather not play district or sub-district because if we would have lost, we wouldn’t have been playing in state. We are real excited to be playing again.”

Concordia has not yet played a Dixie Youth game as an all-star team since deciding to not risk its chances at state. Recent wet weather has only limited the time the team has had to practice.

Yet, Williams said he isn’t worried.

Last year, Williams coached the Concordia 8-year-old All-Stars who also advanced to state play, winning its first three games of the tournament. He is returning all but a few plays from last year’s team.

“It’s been a while since we have swung the bat, but I feel real confident,” Williams said. “I’ve had these guys before. We are going to work with what we got and go from there. If we play good solid defense and hit the ball, we will be alright.”

Adding to their poise, Williams said, is Concordia’s home field advantage.

“We build up their confidence because we play at home all the time during league (play). Now we combined to have the best players off of each team as one. I think they feel good,” he said.

Including Concordia, the 9-year-old state tournament will feature eight teams. There will be two brackets, and the two teams with the best records from each bracket will advance to the championship game on Sunday. The top two teams will also advance to the Dixie Youth AAA World Series in Oxford, Ala.

For now, Williams wants to take it one game at a time.

“I just hope they play and take it serious on the fields,” he said. “I hope we win.”