Natchez&8212;Independence Day may still be a week away, but the T.M. Jennings 9-10-year-old championship game provided plenty of fireworks Tuesday night.

The Britton & Koontz Bank team took home the title with a 16-6 victory over AmSouth Bank at Frazier Primary.

B&K head coach Jason Wright, 19, said he was surprised by his team&8217;s sudden emergence as champions.

&8220;(I did) not really expect them to win it this year,&8221; he said. &8220;There were a lot of tough teams with some tough competition, and I wasn&8217;t sure if we were up there with them. They just kept getting better every week, and once they started working harder they were the best team. They worked harder than everyone else. That&8217;s why they&8217;re the champions.&8221;

Things looked rough early, as B&K starter Tyrone Johnson was touched up by the AmSouth offense in the top of the first for three runs, highlighted by a two-run double by William Green.

B&K answered back, however, scoring six runs and grabbing all the momentum in the process. Travonne Johnson opened up the floodgates with an RBI double, and then stole third and scored on a throwing error to give his team the lead.

After AmSouth scored one run in the top of the second, an avalanche of B&K runs followed in the bottom of the inning. B&K scored 10 runs during the inning to take a commanding 16-4 lead.

AmSouth scored two more runs in the top of the third, but the game ended in the mercy rule after the final AmSouth runner was tagged out at the plate to end the inning.

Wright said his team&8217;s character shined through in grabbing the win.

&8220;The heart (made the difference),&8221; he said. &8220;(AmSouth) played as hard as they could. Both teams played as hard as they could. We just played a little harder.&8221;

Wright concluded by thanking those who had made the championship possible.

&8220;I just want to thank T.M. Jennings for giving a 19-year-old the chance to coach a team,&8221; he said. &8220;I&8217;d also like to thank all the players and parents for being a part of the team all season.&8221;