Lake Mary All-Stars: Greg Warmoth rides along with team after Little League World Series victory

ORLANDO, Fla. — The Lake Mary All-Stars landed at Orlando International Airport on Monday afternoon, one day after winning the Little League World Series Championship against Chinese Taipei.

▶ SPECIAL LIVE COVERAGE ON CHANNEL 9

The 12 players and their team manager were met with an impressive homecoming that included water cannons that shot over their plane as it taxied to the gate. Click here or scroll below to see video of that.

As the players and team manager disembarked the plane, Queen’s “We are the Champions” began playing over the airport’s PA system.

Read: Lake Mary Little League parade: How to watch

Lake Mary Little League players arrive at OIA after winning World Series (WFTV)

Channel 9 anchor Greg Warmoth met up with the team upon its arrival at the airport and joined players on their bus ride from the airport to the Lake Mary Sports Complex.

Jonathan Anderson -- manager of the Lake Mary All-Stars -- told Warmoth that the team was amazed by its welcome home.

SEE: Lake Mary wins Little League World Series Championship

“I saw California do this last year,” he said. “I saw the water arches. I said, ‘I want my team to do this. I want Lake Mary -- I want my Little League to feel this, to experience this.’ And here we are.”

He said that his players are “flying as high as they can.”

Greg Warmoth rides along with Lake Mary Little League players after Orlando homecoming (WFTV)

“They didn’t sleep last night,” Anderson said. “They just hung out with each other. They talked about the experiences that they had. And we’re one now. We love each other. We’ll never forget this.”

Player Liam Morrisey told Warmoth that he was blown away by the welcome.

Read: Lake Mary Little League wins the Little League World Series in dramatic fashion

“I never expected anything like this at the airport,” he said. “I knew parties were gonna come and stuff like that, but I didn’t know it was going to start now.”

Warmoth asked shortstop Chase Anderson about the sportsmanship that he and his teammates displayed as they hugged their competitors after Sunday’s win.

ExpandAutoplay

Image 1 of 31

LLWS Taiwan Florida Baseball Lake Mary, Fla.'s Hunter Alexander, left, is hugged by Chase Anderson, right, after Alexander's bunt single allowed the winning run to score from second base Taiwan to win the game during the eighth inning of the the Little League World Series Championship game in South Williamsport, Pa., Sunday, Aug. 25, 2024. (AP Photo/Tom E. Puskar) (Tom E. Puskar/AP)

“It was just like sad seeing the team lose,” Chase Anderson said. “But at the same time, we didn’t want that to be us. So you ... just tell them that, ‘We’re here. It’s OK that you lost. You played a good game.’”

Player Teraj Alexander told Warmoth that he empathized with the opposing team’s players.

“My parents raised me well,” he said of his sportsmanship. “It was just heartbreaking for the other team -- to see how down they were after they just lost.”

Watch special live coverage on Channel 9 Eyewitness News.

Click here to download our free news, weather and smart TV apps. And click here to stream Channel 9 Eyewitness News live.

Channel 9 anchor Greg Warmoth joins Lake Mary Little League on bus ride back to field The 2024 Little League World Series Champions are heading home. (WFTV)

©2024 Cox Media Group