For the last few years, one of Randy Wright’s favorite motivational tools has been to wave his 2003 state championship ring around in front of his baseball players, as a reminder of what they’re all spending so much time working for.

On Friday night, Wright was replacing his own ring with a newer model and his players were waving their own around.

The Porters Chapel Academy baseball team, which won its second MPSA Class A title in May, received their championship rings in a brief ceremony following Friday’s football game against Glenbrook.

The players, many of whom were still wearing shoulder pads and football jerseys, took some time to admire the jewelry and pose for pictures with family and friends – or, at least, let the rings pose for pictures. Most of the cameras were focused only on the players’ fingers.

&#8220They’re the sweetest thing I’ve ever seen,” sai d Cole Smith, a pitcher and infielder for PCA.

Hayden Hales, a pitcher and outfielder, also was taken aback. The rings – silver with a blue stone and diamond-chipped PCA logo in the middle – were much bigger than he expected.

&#8220I didn’t know they were going to be this big,” Hales said as a relative tried to slip the ring on his own finger. &#8220It’s cool to finally get them. I’ve been wondering what they were going to look like. It makes me think about baseball season and getting another state championship.”

For many players, receiving the rings was the end of a long journey to being champions. A number of them had started playing baseball together as children in the Culkin Athletic Association, and were recruited to PCA by the late Bubba Mims.

Mims, who coached football at PCA from 2000 until his death in 2004, also coached the Culkin Critters tournament team that most of the current Eagles played on. Mims, and later Wright, often raved about the talent the group possessed and stated plainly that they had no doubts PCA would be competing for high school championships if the group stayed together.

Most of them did, and PCA did as well.

&#8220Best guys ever. We’ve been best friends since we were yay tall. I wouldn’t want to win it with anybody else,” Smith said.

Not all of the people receiving rings played on the Culkin teams, but that didn’t matter. After four years of hard work, sweat and some frustration, seeing it all pay off with a palm-sized trophy made it all worthwhile.

&#8220I got one in ninth grade, but this one means a lot more. I was more a part of this one,” said Blake Purvis, who was a senior catcher on the 2006 championship team and was one of only two players – along with Dan Ivey – to be on the varsity rosters for both the 2006 and 2003 state championships. &#8220It’s a trophy for all the hard work we put in.”