Riverton Area won its first state title in nineteen years with a sweep of Hugoton's Southwest Kansas Little League in the Kansas State Tournament at Baxter Springs.

Riverton did not allow a run in the state tournament series, sweeping their Western opponents by 12-0 and 6-0 margins.

Riverton Area had not won a district title during the years since their 1983 state championship, but swept four opponents to win the District 2 title en route to the 2002 crown.

Riverton Area opened district tournament play with a 10-0 win over Galena, and downed Cherokee Community Little League 5-2. Riverton then claimed their biggest victory of the tournament, a 12-5 win over Baxter Springs that propelled the eventual champions to the area tournament title. Baxter Springs broke to a 4-0 lead in the first inning, but Riverton whittled away the deficit by scoring twice in the top of the second, and took the lead for good with a three run rally in the third.

Riverton then traveled to Paola for the district championship game, and jumped to an early 6-1 lead before holding on to claim a 7-5 win.

While Riverton Area cruised to the District 2 title without a loss, Southwest Kansas had to play through the loser's bracket in the District 1 tournament. Southwest Kansas defeated Stanton-Hamilton County in their opener, but then dropped a 4-3 decision to Ulysses' Grant County Little League in the winner's bracket finals. After another win over Stanton-Hamilton County, Southwest Kansas needed two wins against Grant County to claim the District 1 title for the second time in three years.

In the first matchup, Southwest Kansas jumped to a 5-0 lead in the first inning, but Grant County battled back to tie the game 7-7 after four innings. Southwest Kansas won it with a run in the sixth, when Daniel Weaver singled, stole second and third, and scored on a short sacrifice fly.

The next day, the Hugoton team snapped a 2-2 tie with a five run third inning rally. Southwest Kansas added two in the fourth and two more in the fifth before capping the game with a ten run parade in the sixth to claim a 21-5 victory.