Kansas state Little League champion Cherokee had its dream of going to the Little League World Series was dashed Wednesday as it fell to Coon Rapids, Minn., 7-3. Cherokee finished its Midwest Region pool play 1-3, one win short of reaching Friday's semifinal round. The Kansas champions, who went winless in the region tournament after winning the state championship in 2007, may have been the best Kansas team in more than a decade. There's little doubt it was the most improved team in the tournament. "I think the biggest improvement was the attitude of the kids," Cherokee coach Bryan Burdette said. "Our kids worked hard together. Once we got together, they did a good job. I do think the kids did a good job." Coon Rapids struck first Wednesday with a first inning three-run home run by Jake Goedderz. It added another run in the third inning and led 4-0.

Cherokee appeared to take the momentum in the bottom of the third when it scored all three of its runs. Home runs by Riley Ulery and Bryce Burdette sandwiched a Ryan Rakestraw walk. "Even on the (third-inning) outs, we had some good hits," Burdette said. "I thought, 'Here we go. Now we're going to get our bats going.' But (Goedderz) had a lot of movement on his ball and its hard to catch hold of sometimes." Ulery's home run was his first of the regional. "It was good to see," Burdette said. "He's one of those kids that you're confident that he's going to hit the ball solid. When he gets a hold of it just right, it will go a ways."

Bryce Burdette finished the tournament with four home runs in four games. He led the team in nearly every statistical category while it was in Indy, making a case to be the tournament's most outstanding player. "He's tough to get out," Coach Burdette said of his son. "When he gets on base he creates a lot of havoc. Catching, he's a wall. I'm very proud of him."

Coon Rapids pulled away in the end, hitting three more home runs in the final four innings. Cherokee went down 1-2-3 in the sixth inning, but not without a fight. "I was real proud of our kids all the way until the end," Burdette said. "We didn't have anybody look at a third strike. I was proud of the way they battled the whole week." The two-time defending Kansas champions could be considered a favorite to get back to Indianapolis in 2009. "We have four 11 year kids here, who have another year to mature," Burdette assessed. "I sure hope we're able to do it again next year. We had a lot of fun."

BOX SCORE

Coon Rapids, Minn. 301 102 - 7 6 3

Cherokee, Kan. 003 000 -3 3 0

W - Jake Goedderz (2-0). L - Jalen Merrell (0-1). S - C.J. Diedrich (1). 2B - Seth Johnson (CR). HR - Diedrich (CR) 2, Goedderz (CR), Ryan Hagstrom (CR), Riley Ulery (C), Bryce Burdette (C).

Records - Coon Rapids 2-2, Cherokee 1-3