Standing in the dugout, watching the group of 11- and 12-year-old Little Leaguers prepare for possibly the biggest game of their lives, Paul Gagne, Bob Gurskis and their fellow Goffstown coaches had but one thing to say to the eager players.

“Real men …” they shouted. “Swing wood,” came a reply from those warming up on the diamond.

Indeed, these Little League standouts used lumber instead of the aluminum bats wielded in local all-star tourneys, and their shirts, displaying the above slogan, left no doubt to their preference.

“These kids were really good players, and some of them should have been on the (District 1 11- and 12-year-old Little League) all-star team, and others were right on the outside edges, but they all just wanted to play ball,” said Gagne. “They came from all different teams … that played against each other, and … in such a short period of time, they got along better than kids who play a whole season together.”

Now, they get to take all their splintered and broken bats and throw them into a ceremonial bonfire in celebration of a state championship.

On July 30, Goffstown put the finishing touch on an undefeated season with a 6-0 victory over host Manchester East in the Wooden Bat Tournament finale.

Chris Hood pitched a complete- game no-hitter for the victors. “It’s about playing ball and having fun, but man there’s nothing more exciting than playing ball and winning a tournament,” said Gagne. “This was the last hurrah in Little League for most of these kids, who are now looking forward to playing Babe Ruth next year.”

More importantly, said Gurskis, each player received an equal amount of at-bats and time in the field.

“They all just wanted to play and recognized not one of them was any more important than someone else. They all just went out there and had fun,” said Gurskis, who coached the Goffstown 9- and 10-year-old all-stars to a District 1 title in 2007. “This was, by far, the most I’ve enjoyed coaching. This is what it’s supposed to be about.”

In addition to Gurskis and Gagne, Mark Cusson, Mark Hurley and Rob Hood contributed to coaching this group.

Those contributing on the field included Bo Gurskis, the lone 11-year-old, and Mitchell Cusson, Justin Gagne, Jacob Zylak, Ross Theroux, Ben Genest, Tom Hurley, Jason Lecuyer, Cody Howe, Dylan Schlange, Chris Hood, Dan Swift and Nevin Houle.