By Adam Roy

“You lose, you smile, and you come back the next day. You win, you smile, and you come back the next day.” Ken Griffey Jr. said that. Over 22 years, he played 2,689 games, yet not one in the Fall Classic. While a World Series championship eluded him, as it does for many greats, he gave the fans so much more—a renewed joy for the game, a flawless swing, and, of course, a backwards-wearing baseball cap. 

His quote comes to mind while thinking about the Falls Church Kiwanis Little League’s historic state championship run. Those 12 all stars from Falls Church might not have brought home the championship nor found themselves on ESPN in August. They did, however, give the Falls Church community so much to celebrate and a summer to remember. 

Since June 1, FCKLL’s 12U Majors All Stars Team played ball, and played it well. There were good days and bad days. Wins and losses. Hours on the field. Hours in the cages. They learned to hit ‘em hard, rear back and deliver the payback pitch, and face each obstacle with a belief that if not them, then who. 

And all that positive energy and team camaraderie backed by hometown support propelled them to a District 4 championship, an accomplishment some thought impossible, and a shot at the state tournament. 

“The scoreboard may say our season is over, but it can never erase what this group accomplished,” said Assistant Coach Jon Labukas. “Years from now, people won’t remember every score. They’ll remember that this was the team that broke through. The team that made history. The team that proved Falls Church belongs on the biggest stage.”

Led by Coach Alex Kuczkowski and Assistant Coaches Chris Talbert, Jon Labukas and Brad Allan, the team opened state tournament pool play last Friday with an impressive 13-1 victory over Bedford Metro with multiple hits by James Labukas, Hunter Roy and Will Talbert. Strong pitching and eight combined strikeouts by Colin Dailey and Spencer Allan led to a 15-1 win the following day against Roanoke City. 

On Sunday, the team faced McIntire from Charlottesville, also 2-0 in pool play, for a chance to secure first place in the pool. Through four competitive innings, including two innings of no-hit, no-run pitching by Jay McKeown Jr., the team entered the bottom of the fifth inning leading 2-1. With one out and runners at first and second, Thomas Stewart smashed a double to left field putting FCKLL up 4-1. Pitcher Gavin Kuczkowski closed out the game quickly in relief, sending Virginia’s oldest little league into the state quarterfinals for the first time in history. 

Facing Virginia Beach in the win-or-go-home quarterfinal, pitcher Will Talbert went the distance, allowing only two runs over six innings to help secure an 11-2 victory on Monday morning. Backed by error-free outfielding by Andrew Quinn and William Southworth and gritty catching by Timmy Verasin, who caught innings across all five games played, the Falls Church All Stars earned the right to face Lower Loudoun Little League in the state semi-final that evening. 

Lower Loudoun took the lead early, scoring one run in the first, then another three in the third. Falls Church kept fighting but tough pitching and strong defense from Loudoun kept Falls Church off the scoreboard. Loudoun would add another four runs in the top of the sixth, leaving the FCKLL All Stars with one more chance to create a miracle. Evan Iweagwu’s single, then an RBI double by Jay McKeown Jr. erased the zero from the scoreboard, giving the Falls Church faithful in attendance a much-needed burst of joy, but unfortunately, it just wasn’t FCKLL’s day. 

Final score: Lower Loudoun 8, Falls Church 1. While their historic run was silenced, the support from the Falls Church community only got louder as FCKLL’s all stars received a standing ovation from their fans. As the boys approached, the realization that they had just played their last little league game filled the air. 

No more finding out each spring which friends were on their team, no more night games at Westgate, no more curly W jerseys and hats. But they also realized something else. They have more baseball games to play, more pitches to hit, and most importantly, more memories to make. Which put that smile right back on their faces.  

Congratulations to the 2026 Falls Church Kiwanis Little League Majors All-Star Team!

Inspired? Sign your ball player up now for fall ball. Register online now at www.fckll.org.