The Eastlake Panthers 10U Junior Pee Wee team recorded a runner-up finish to Arizona’s West Valley Bandits in Friday’s American Youth Football national championship game in Kissimmee, Fla. The Panthers fell short in their title quest after dropping a 28-26 decision to the Bandits.
The Panthers held a 26-13 halftime lead in the national championship game. Tre Edwards scored two touchdowns in the loss.
“It was a great game,” Eastlake head coach Clark Moses explained via telephone on the return trip from Florida. “We got wore down in the second half. It was our fourth game in six days. They were the better team. It was a great experience. The kids learned a lot of life lessons.”
The Panthers took a 16-0 record into the title contest after blitzing their opening three opponents in Florida.
Moses called the team’s national championship tournament journey a “total team effort.”
“We’re very proud of how the kids conducted themselves,” he said. “They gave us everything they had. We, as coaches, can’t ask for anything more.”
Eastlake recorded a number of firsts in Florida.
They defeated the previously undefeated Charles County Spartans from Maryland, 20-6, in Wednesday’s semifinals. Eastlake kicked off play in its 10-team division Sunday with a 12-0 victory against the Junior Canes from New Britain, Conn. The Panthers followed that up with a 45-7 win over the Dunbar Rattlers from Ft. Myers, Fla., on Monday.
The Junior Canes had given up only 12 points all season while the Rattlers had not been scored on this year.
Clark said the semifinal win over the Spartans was a measuring stick for his team.
“The boys were tired and sore after playing so many game,” the Eastlake coach said. “It was a gut-check for them.”
Eastlake led the Spartans, 8-6, at halftime before piling up 12 unanswered points in the second half. Charles County, last year’s 9U national champions, had gone undefeated the past three years before running into the Panthers.
Clark said his team battled constant adversity while in Florida.
“With three games in four days, it was pretty tough for the boys adjusting to the time difference,” Moses said. “A lot of the team flew out on Saturday and, on the morning of our first game on Sunday, we had to play at 10 a.m. Florida time — 7 a.m. back home, and we had to be at the field earlier than that.
“For lack of better words, it was a grind for the kids and the coaches to make everyone realize we were not on a vacation. We came out here (to Florida) for a purpose. It was a great experience for the kids — a chance of a lifetime to play teams from around the country.”
The Panthers will hold a team banquet in January, Moses said.
“The boys are going into other sports, but we had a great (football) season. We represented Eastlake very well.”
Two other teams from the San Diego region also advanced to national championship games: Los Toros (11U) and a 12U all-star team.
