—Photo courtesy Khary Bruyning The Jr. Peewee champs and coaches pose with their trophy. —Photo courtesy Khary Bruyning
The Jr. Pee Wee Team sponsored by TACOLCY won the Pop Warner Super Bowl National Championship last weekend at ESPN’s Wide World of Sports — their first ever — and have quickly become the darlings of Liberty City. With a national title firmly under their belt, the TACOLCY Raiders were included as participants in the Fifth Annual Christmas on 15th Avenue parade last Saturday morning. They will also be seen at other events throughout the holiday season sharing their story of practice and perseverance.
Sixty-four teams from across the nation battled their way through regional competition to advance to the week-long Pop Warner Super Bowl — considered the height of any young football player’s life. Teams vying for the national championship title advanced through two rounds before being crowned the victor in their respective division, each based on age and weight: Jr. Pee Wee, Pee Wee, Jr. Midget and Midget.
Pop Warner is the nation’s largest and oldest youth football, cheer and dance organization and the only one that requires academic proficiency in order to participate. The NFL Players Association estimates that roughly 70 percent of current NFL players were once part of the Pop Warner system.
Sixty-four teams from across the nation have battled their way through regional competition to advance to the week-long Pop Warner Super Bowl, the pinnacle of their young football careers. Teams competing for the National Championship title have advanced through two rounds of national competition here in Orlando. National Champions will be crowned in four divisions based on age and weight – Jr. Pee Wee, Pee Wee, Jr. Midget and Midget. Division II teams compete Friday, 12/7 and Division I teams compete Saturday, 12/8.
Pop Warner is the nation’s largest and oldest youth football, cheer and dance organization, and the only one that requires academic proficiency in order to participate. The NFL Players Association estimates that roughly 70 percent of current NFL players got their starts playing Pop Warner, including Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow (New York Jets), Maurice Jones-Drew (Jacksonville Jaguars), Adrian Peterson (Minnesota Vikings), and Ray Lewis (Baltimore Ravens).
Miami Times staff report
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