'It's unbelievable' — Idaho Falls Bandits win state's first American Legion World Series championship

Idaho Falls celebrates its 5-3 victory after the final out of the championship game of the 2019 American Legion World Series at Keeter Stadium in Shelby, North Carolina.

Ryan Young/The American Legion

Idaho finally has an American Legion national champion.

The Idaho Falls Bandits made history Wednesday, beating Fargo, North Dakota, 5-3 to win the state's first American Legion World Series championship. They were the only team to go undefeated (5-0) at the tournament in Shelby, North Carolina, and finished the season with a record of 61-6-1.

The Bandits' World Series championship comes after the team won the Area C district title, Idaho state championship and Region 7 championship earlier this summer. They're one of three Idaho squads to make the World Series title game, following Pocatello in 1926 and Lewiston in 2001. The World Series was first held in 1926.

"What a season for these young men," Bandits head coach Ryan Alexander said in an American Legion press release. "They have earned everything they have gotten along the way. It is a resilient group. Our goal was to be in Shelby and once we got here, we decided we might as well win it. These boys have continued to impress. They are a good group of young men I couldn't be happier for."

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