Somehow, some way, I think the girls will survive. They’re both on their way to Division I colleges with plenty of wins — probably more than losses — in their future.

Heart and toe

Another situation where losing a championship isn’t so bad: You have to hand it to Daniel Shoemake of Muskogee. While he wasn’t one of two area champions at the World Classic Muay Thai Amateur Championships in Des Moines, Iowa, as recently reported, his second-place finish should forever carry an asterisk.

At 13, he made it to the finals with a broken toe on his right foot, or his predominant kicking foot, suffered five days before the meet. He’s ranked No. 2 in that class for the season and is the son of Gary and Jennifer Shoemake.

“His talent is going to take him far but his hard-working attitude and heart is going to make him a champion in this sport,” said his coach, Kru Ty, owner of Thunder Mixed Martial Arts

Georgia peachy

Here’s a different version of the seemingly out-of-hand alphabet game of national tournaments in youth baseball and softball — the ASAs, USSSAs, NBCs and others — where one or two states can fill a national field: a group of local kids playing for a Georgia team.

Trevor Walch of Eufaula, Matt Helms of Eufaula and Dusten Knight of Tahlequah played for the Triple Crown National Tournament champion Georgia Roadrunners out of north Atlanta late Friday in Myrtle Beach, S.C., in the 40-team 18-under division. They took the title with an 8-7 win against Team Georgia out of nearby Marietta, Ga..

Matt Helms, son of Eufaula coach Stacy Helms, was 7-of-16 in the tourney, 3-for-4 in an earlier round game on Thursday against the Indiana Shockers. Walch struck out six batters, walked six and gave four earned runs in two games. He had a no decision after pitching three innings of the title game.

Tahlequah’s Dusten Knight pitched one inning of relief in title game. Oktaha’s Cale Elam and Eufaula’s Ethan Sharp were on the team but returned home before season’s end due to other obligations.