The Dixie Boys World Series is a week and three days away from beginning at the City Pond Complex and Turner Lake Field and the participating teams are starting to become clearer.

Newton's team, as the host county, was the first one in after being selected weeks ago. Since then, several states have held Dixie Boys world series qualifying tournaments to determine who will vie for the nation's top Dixie Boys title.

The only states yet to report a team to this year's world series' organizers are Virginia, South Carolina, Alabama and Louisiana. Among the teams in contention is Seneca, La., which won the 13-year old Dixie Boys World Series in 2011, and is searching for another.

The teams that have qualified are Southwest Arkansas, West Georgia Grey from Columbus, Livingston, Texas, Savannah, Tenn., Lake Whales, Fla., Hope Mills, N.C. and Newton County.