Bulldogs blank Gordon, 2-0, for 1st state title

— Lawton Trekell, Head Coach

I couldn’t be any more proud of these 11 guys. There’s no way I could ever put into words how special this group of young men are or what they mean to me and my family. All the extra cuts, all the extra time and preparation led them to this moment. They bought in from day one, for most of them that was when they were 7th and 8th graders. They stared adversity in the face time and time again, rode the wave, and continued to hammer on. Through the trials and tribulations that a season holds on the field and within their own personal lives they never pointed the finger, never wavered, never shied away, always accepted accountability and continued to love each other, pick each other back up and persevere. They played the game the right way, humbly and with humility. They showed up day in, day out ready to compete, every pitch, every single day and played their guts out. I’m proud of our kids for winning a State Championship it couldn’t have happened to a more deserving group of guys they earned it, but I’m most proud of the type of kids that they are, their character, their work ethics and who they are as individuals. To The Bulldog Family: Thank you guys for everything this season. You guys always showed up and had our stands absolutely electric! I'm thankful for the absolute best administration, board, coworkers and community that always takes care of each other! The best little school in Texas and it starts at the top with our Superintendent Mark Brown, he would walk to the ends of the earth for any of our students or staff!”

2026 Centerville Bulldogs

Number, Player, Position, Grade

2, Westin Cornelius, RF, JR

3, Brice Selman, 1B, SO

5, Chris Fry, 2B, SO,

7, Drew Larsen, C/P, FR

11, Eli Emmons, CF, JR

14, Aiden Conner, OF, FR

16, Brandon McWhorter, LF, JR

17, Kolt Larsen, C/P, SR

22, Brayden Woychesin, OF, FR

27, Hardy Brown, SS/P, SO

44, Wyatt Clede, 3B/P, JR

Head Coach: Lawton Trekell

Assistant Coach: Geoffrey Hollis

ROUND ROCK — With two outs and a runner on first base, Centerville pitcher Kolt Larsen delivered a 2-2 pitch Saturday afternoon.

That pitch — Larsen’s 102^nd of the day — was called a strike. With that pitch, the lone senior on the Bulldogs’ roster earned his 11^th strikeout of the game and recorded the final out of his team’s 2-0 victory against Gordon Saturday at the Dell Diamond in Round Rock.

With the win, Centerville (24-1) claimed its first state championship in school history. Larsen was named the Most Valuable Player of the Class A state championship game.

“It meant everything to us,” Larsen said. “We’ve never done this before in school history. It was huge and there was so much excitement.”

Larsen’s pitches kept the opposing Longhorns in check throughout the day. He struck out 11 batters and gave up four hits and five walks.

In a game limited by the pitching of Larsen and Gordon’s Andrew Shank, who struck out 10 Bulldogs in a losing effort, a pair of first inning runs were all Centerville needed. Hardy Brown singled and Wyatt Clede doubled before Chris Fry sent both runners across the plate with a single.

The Longhorns had their chances, particularly in the bottom of the fourth with runners on second and third with two outs. But Larsen ended the threat with a strikeout.

Gordon also had runners on first and second with nobody out in the bottom of the fifth, but Larsen struck out the next two batters and forced a groundout to keep his opponents scoreless. The dagger was in the sixth when Larsen, who walked the leadoff batter, caught a line drive and threw a relay throw to first base for the double play before following with an inning-ending ground out.

“Momentum shifted back to us after the double play,” he said. “We have faith in each other, and we trust each other to go out and do their thing.”

Then came the bottom of the seventh. Larsen struck out the leadoff batter and gave up a single before a fielder’s choice took the baserunner off the basepaths and the senior hurler followed with his 11^th strikeout to send his teammates, coaches and fans into a celebratory frenzy.

Clede (2-3, 2B) led the Bulldogs at the plate. Fry (1-3, 2 RBI), Brown (1-3) and Drew Larsen (1-3) also contributed.

Saturday’s game was Kolt Larsen’s final game for Centerville. The remaining 10 players on the roster are projected to return in 2027.