BG East's Harrison Yates scores a run during their win over Owensboro Southern in the District 1 championship on Friday, July 6, 2018, at Phil Moore Park. (Austin Anthony/photo@bgdailynews.com)

It’s the next stop for a handful of local teams that will compete in the Little League State Tournament, which begins Saturday in Lebanon.

In the 11- and 12-year-old division, Warren County North and Glasgow will try to extend their seasons and earn a trip to the Great Lakes Region with a state championship.

For the Bowling Green East 10- and 11-year-olds and 9- and 10-year-olds, as well as the Glasgow 9- and 10-year-olds, this will represent the final stop for this summer – with the teams looking to end this season with a state championship.

Warren County North got a walk-off grand slam to beat Owensboro Southern in the District 1 championship July 3.

“We’ve really worked hard since (the district tournament),” North manager Kris Young said. “We took a couple of days off and have been practicing every day since. The boys are ready. I’ve told the kids that going forward these tournaments are no bigger than what they have already played. They have a goal in mind. They are going to try to win a championship.”

North has some state tournament experience, with five players on the roster who were part of the 2015 9- and 10-year-old state championship team.

That experience and pitching could be the key, according to Young.

“I think we’ve got the best pitching in the state – the best staff,” Young said. “We’ve got it all. We’ve got speed. We’ve got the change-up and every one of these kids are seasoned.”

If North makes it out of pool play, there could be a familiar face waiting with Young’s cousin Bryan Rone on the coaching staff at Lexington Eastern – which won the 11- and 12-year-old state tournament last year.

Glasgow will try to build off a District 5 championship and improve on last year’s performance, when the 11- and 12-year-old team went 1-2 in pool play.

Like Young, Bowling Green East manager Rick Kelley said pitching will be important – especially in the early games.

“It’s really critical to be able to manage your pitching during pool play because you are in such a tight time frame with five games in five days,” Kelley said. “The competition gets a lot tougher, so you don’t have as much luxury in throwing off in a game. It will be important to get through pool play and then still have the bulk of our pitching left for the semifinals and finals.”

Bowling Green East is coming off a district tournament where it outscored opponents 60-7. Kelley said the two-week break has been both good and bad, but added his team is focused heading into this weekend’s state tournament.

“With that age group you have to maintain and I think they would have done well to have continued, but the break has been good for them,” Kelley said. “I think they are ready to play.

“They have a single goal – (BG East) has never won a state championship as 9- and 10-year-olds,” Kelley said. “They have something they are trying to prove, so we will see how it goes.”

Glasgow will also look to make some noise in the 9- and 10-year-old division with a team that finished runner-up in District 5.

Bowling Green East is the lone local team in the 10- and 11-year-old division. East comes in after beating Owensboro Southern in the district championship looking to become the second straight District 1 team to win a state title in that division.{&end}