Going in the numerical order that they were listed on page 42 of the official state championship program, Free State High senior second baseman Cooper Karlin agreed to say the first words that came to his mind about each teammate and his head coach, a day after the Firebirds won their second Class 6A state title in school history, nine years after their first.

Tripp Wright: “Competes. Tripp came in against Shawnee Mission Northwest after we gave up a five-spot in the first, and he was lights-out. Tripp competes.”

Casey Hearnen: “Lights-out. He shuts down anybody in his way, easily the best closer in the state.”

Joel Spain: “Freak of nature. He can do anything. You can count on him for everything.”

Jackson Flynn: “He’s one of the goofballs on the team. Keeps us calm and makes sure we’re not all tight. Always has something funny to say.”

Trevor Munsch: “D-I. He’s a stud, and he’s going to be incredible. He’s amazing.”

Hunter Gudde: “He’s like Big Game James (Shields). He can compete against anybody and shut them down like he did in state. He pitched nine innings, and he was lights-out.”

Jacob Pavlyak: “Joel’s mini-me. Super athletic, gets great reads on balls. He’s just like Joel.”

Mikey Corbett: “Mikey’s a class clown, but a class clown who can get the job done. He’s a smart ballplayer, and he knows what he’s doing.”

Jacob Holiday: “Kind of a goofy guy. He’s the one you could count on to keep you loose. Always has something funny to say, always puts a smile on your face and is always very positive.”

Parker Tietjen: “Typical lefty. Low-to-mid ’70s, lot of junk, but very effective. Very effective. Lot of groundballs and pop flies. Does what he needs to do.”

Zion Bowlin: “One of the most athletic kids to ever play. He’s got a cannon and a laser. He can do everything with his bat and his arm. He can drive the ball a million feet if he wants to.”

Marcelino Cortez: “He can scoop anything that comes at him. I think it helps that he was a catcher. He can pick everything in the dirt, but he can also chest some stuff up.”

Matthew Pendry: “Country boy. You can count on him to have a good, classic saying out of the blue. Drives his truck and always wears his boots. Typical country boy.”

Jonathan Saathoff: “Walk-off Saathoff. Mr. Clutch. He had a walk-off or two during the state tournament with the Rebels (youth baseball team), and he had one of the best state tournaments out of anybody for us this week. And he’s a wall (behind the plate). Not a lot gets past him.”

Jaden Moore: “He’s the bullpen catcher, but he is going to be a stud. He has tons of potential. Good defensive catcher, good arm, and he can swing it.”

Daniel Bryant: “He’s always funny, always puts a smile on everybody’s face. Daniel can fly. He’s a stud on the basepaths.”

Aaron Funk: “Captain America. He tried out for Team USA, and he made it pretty far. He’s been Captain America ever since. Probably has more potential than anybody on this team.”

Coach Mike Hill: “Most competitive person I know. He keeps everybody’s head in the game, makes sure we’re doing what we’re supposed to be doing, but at the same time is always positive. At first, people can find him intimidating, but once you get to know him he’s as down-to-earth a guy as you’ll ever know. He’s the best coach around.”

Bound for Pittsburg State to play baseball, Karlin said it was just starting to hit him Saturday that the Firebirds are state champions. Based on how he used the present tense talking about teammates, it hadn’t hit him that the team had disbanded with no more games left to play. That’s appropriate. In a very real sense, teams that win championships never break up and remain teammates forever, bonded by memories.