WS Chronicle

A year ago, the Winston-Salem Tiny Rams, along with nine other area youth organizations, bolted from Pop Warner football to begin anew. They joined the local Piedmont Youth Football and Cheer League, which is sanctioned by the American Youth Football League. During that inaugural season, two of the five Tiny Rams teams won AYFL state championships.

the Junior Midgets

The Tiny Rams, which is not affiliated with the Winston-Salem State University football program, whipped the Beatties Ford Saints 33-7 to win the Pee Wees Division (ages 11-12) state title. In the Junior Midgets (ages 12-14) state championship game, the Tiny Rams prevailed 18-6 over the Northside Hurricanes, a squad that had won back-to-back national championships.

As state champs, both Rams teams advanced to the regional round, but both suffered losses to end their quest to reach the AYFL Super Bowl played in south Florida in December.

“We made an impact,” said Tiny Rams spokesman William Dixon. “It (winning state championships) was a big accomplishment for both teams in their first year in a new league.”

This upcoming season, the Tiny Rams expect to field another title contender in the newly-formed 8th Grade Unlimited Division for ages 14-15. The new division is a welcome change for high-school age players who can now play youth football regardless of how much they weigh. In previous seasons, there was a Midget Division for that age group, but there was also a weight limit of 165 pounds.

“Now that we have a division that has no weight limitations, it means that the heavier kids can get the playing experience that they would otherwise not get,” said Dixon. “We expect this to be a very competitive division.

Registration information for the Tiny Rams for the 2013 season is available on the organization’s web site http://www.tinyramsofwinstonsalem.com or call Rodney Cooper at 336-408-3373.