While the Lake Mary 12U Rams prepared in Florida for the upcoming season, a couple familiar faces were making headlines in a different sport – representing the Southeast region in the Little League Baseball World Series in Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
What Luis Calo and Jason Bibaud did would have made two-sport superstar Bo Jackson proud.
Bibaud started for Southeast and kept the Chinese Taipei bats largely silent on August 25 en route to a dramatic, 2-1, win in the LLWS championship. It was Florida’s first title in Little League World Series history.
While Bibaud came up big on the mound in the title game, Lake Mary might not have made it that far if it wasn’t for Luis Calo, who was masterful on the mound during the tournament and came up with one of the biggest hits of the postseason.
The Pop Warner running back and linebacker belted a clutch two-run double and pitched 1.2 IP for the win as Lake Mary moved past Texas and into the Championship game the day before.
The boys’ football coach wasn’t surprised by their success.
“Luis has been an integral part of the team since he started playing football at the Tiny Mite level,” said Lake Mary 12U coach Maverick VonHerbulis. “He is a shy player of few words and lets his play do the talking for him. There isn’t a position on the field that he can’t play. He has great athletic ability and has always had a knack for winning.”
“Jacob started playing football in the 2022 season and was a great fit on our team,” VonHerbulis said of Bibaud, who is taking the year off from football. ”His catching ability in baseball transfers so well on the football field. I don’t recall Jacob dropping one pass in a game or in practice his first season; it was incredible. More importantly, Jacob is a great teammate and shines in big moments.”
While Bibaud has decided to take a year off from football to focus on baseball, Calo is now back in football mode, gearing up for the season. As is Kolten Magno, a Pop Warner running back and gold glove level infielder who temporarily relocated to play for the Central Maui Little League team after his family was displaced by the devastating wildfires in Lahaina. The Central Maui team had a great run before getting knocked out of the tournament by, you guessed it, Lake Mary.
In a summer full of triumph and resilience, these athletes have shown that determination, versatility, and a winning attitude translate across any sport.
Photo credit: Little League