The Leopards (30-8) showed as much. The team jumped on Iola with five runs on four hits in the opening frame and went up 7-1 through two innings. Bransen Beckham, the game's MVP, started the party with a two-run double. He finished 3-for-3 with four RBIs.

It was a therapeutic start that seemed to wash away the disappointment of a year ago. New Home managed one hit in a 6-1 loss to Centerville in the 2025 championship.

It was also a bit stunning to come off Bulldogs pitcher Brody Vaughn. Iola's senior ace entered 15-0 and had allowed five runs the entire postseason.

"Everybody kept saying if we get three or four runs, it feels like that's going to be enough," Webb said. "Honestly, I did feel that way, just unsure if we were gonna be able to scratch three or four against him. … Getting a five-spot in the first inning was huge, and then just making sure we're pitching, hitting spots, playing defense."

Tucker Cotton and Avin Madrid took care of that aspect. The duo combined to allow four hits — none for extra bases. Madrid threw three scoreless innings to finish the job.

"The guys in front of me, they're the ones who got on," Beckham said. "I just did my part by knocking them in. I give credit to the guys in front of me and credit to Tucker and Avin for throwing one heck of a game on the bump."

Beckham said the victory completed a "revenge tour" that started after the loss to Centerville. For Webb, the heartbreak began long before. Thursday marked the program's third title game, to go with three other exits in the state semifinals.

He finally experienced a joy he compared to the moment he got engaged and the birth of his children.