Bruce Boucher awoke from a well-earned night’s sleep expecting a pretty normal day at school.
“I just thought there might be a lot of high-fives,” Boucher said of the reception he anticipated for his first day of seventh grade.
There certainly were high-fives for five members of the Little League World Series champion Honolulu team upon their return to Kamehameha’s Kapalama campus Tuesday morning … as well as the high school band … and cheerleaders… and individual introductions inside of a gym packed with cheering middle school classmates.
“Normal” would have to wait just a bit longer.
Two days after winning the LLWS in Williamsport, Pa., and a day removed from a rousing homecoming at the airport, the celebration of Hawaii’s third world title stretched into the start of the school year for the players.
“To have this is amazing. The support is unreal here,” Ka’olu Holt, the winning pitcher in Sunday’s championship game victory over South Korea, said after being honored in the morning assembly along with Boucher, John de la Cruz, Aukai Kea and Caleb Okada.
Over in Manoa, Chandler Murray started his day at Mid-Pacific with a relatively quiet PE class followed by a Digital Media class. He emerged from the Chew Technology Center to the cheers of students and teachers lining the walkway.
“I was surprised that everybody would do this,” Murray said. “It made me feel good because it opened my eyes to see how many people appreciated the whole thing.”
The festivities are slated to continue, with a parade in the team’s honor in the works. In the meantime Tuesday did mark the first step toward routine for a team that trailed for just one inning in Williamsport but has some catching up to do back home.
“They’re still on a high,” said Sam Kea, Aukai’s father. “They knew they had to come back to normalcy soon, but I told them relish it.
“I have never seen this,” he said of the welcome-back assembly. “I was taken aback by that. It’s good to have the support of not just the state but the school behind them.”
Although the school year started while the team was on the road, Sam Kea said the players kept in touch with teachers via e-mail, “so they’re not completely behind.”
During the assembly, the five players were addressed by middle school principal Kula Gaughen-Haili and headmaster Taran Chun, both praising the character and humility the team displayed on their path to the championship.
“Here in Hawaii we were going through some pretty stressful and hard times. A lot of families endured hard things with Hurricane Lane,” Chun told the players. “And yet this team gave us an opportunity to step away from that stress and anxiety and celebrate and cheer during a very hard time.”
The team’s arrival on Monday marked the end of a three-week journey that began with a trip to San Bernardino, Calif., for the West regional, then went on to Williamsport for the World Series and finally the lengthy flight home.
While the team returned home together, the families dispersed soon after Sunday’s game to varying area airports. Shane and Miki de la Cruz, John’s parents, left Williamsport at 3 a.m. Monday to make a three-hour drive to John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York to catch a flight home.
“Just along the way people were so awesome. We were blessed all along the way,” Miki de la Cruz said of their close to three weeks on the mainland. “You walk around with these colors (pointing at Shane’s blue and yellow team shirt) and they’re, ‘Go Hawaii. We’re cheering for you.’ You go out and they’re buying you food. Just a lot of support.”
Although a bit weary from the whirlwind, the players still had a day of school ahead of them following Tuesday’s assembly. After a prayer and a last round of hugs and handshakes with their families, five of Hawaii’s newest celebrities headed away from the gym, five boys walking to class.
