ROUND ROCK — During an extended tenure at Ira, as both a football and baseball coach, Toby Goodwin has had a lot of good teams. Included on that list are several he felt were capable of winning a state championship.

On Thursday, just one day after making their state debut in either sport, both Goodwin and his Bulldogs finally reached that summit, downing Fayetteville 7-6 in eight innings to claim the Class 1A title at Dell Diamond.

The victory, which saw IHS record the final out with the tying run on third base, put a perfect bow on a perfect 24-0 season and left the Bulldogs’ longtime mentor emotional as he reflected on what his team had just accomplished and what it meant to a community that had been longing for so long to taste that level of success.