Greeted with cheers and fanfare, Honolulu team returns home after winning Little League World Series

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Members of the Honolulu Little League team received a warm welcome Monday afternoon as they returned home following their World Series win.

Their plane touched down at the Daniel K. Inouye International Airport around 1:30 p.m. with a water cannon to celebrate their big win.

Family, friends and fans cheered as players and coaches walked through the airport — with the Royal Hawaiian Band playing “We Are The Champions.”

“Just very happy for our kids, very happy for our great state of Hawaii,” said head coach Gerald Oda. “You know, these kids, they represented all of us very well at Williamsport and just appreciative.”

Honolulu Mayor Rick Blangiardi and Lt. Gov. Josh Green were also among those who welcomed back the team.

The Honolulu team defeated Curacao 13-3 to win the World Series on Sunday.

Hawaii starter Jaron Lancaster said his heart dropped when it happened.

“We were all freaking out,” he said. “We could barely get out of the dugout, you know, we all ran out there. They were all like jumping on each other. I was so shocked about what happened and then this, today, when we came over here and we had all these people showing us the support. It really came to me and I really realized what we did for the 808 state.”

They outscored opponents in this tournament by a combined score of 60-5.

They’re now the fourth team from Hawaii to win the Little League World Series.

The last time Hawaii won was back in 2018.

This story will be updated.

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