WS Chronicle

BY CRAIG T. GREENLEE

FOR THE CHRONICLE

The moment of truth is close at hand.

Area youth football teams will soon find out how they measure up against the nation’s best in the American Youth Football National Championships being held in Kissimee, Fla. Kickoff for the nationals is Sunday. The week long tournament ends on Dec. 13.

Teams from across the country will compete for national titles in their respective age groups. Here’s a look at three area teams who are southbound for this year’s nationals:

Packers: This Junior Midgets team (12-13 age group) has been close to unstoppable all season. Even so, there has to be some concern about rustiness. Since winning the state title in early November, the Packers have been idle. Coach Gary Warren admits that he’s eager to see what his team will look like.

“Everybody is ready to go,” said Warren. “They’re ready to see what they can do (in Florida). Personally, I’m anxious to see how they handle situations in a tight game.”

Up to now, the Packers have been in steamroller mode thanks to a quick-strike offense that features multiple players who have the capability to score from anywhere on the field. The rotation of running backs (Daniel Moyer Jr., Ahmani Marshall, G’Mone Wilson, Tazhae Woods and Jeremiah Jackson) guarantees that the Packers always have fresh bodies on the field.

Operating primarily from the spread, the Packers (10-0) wear down opponents with their hurry-up, no huddle attack. On defense, the Packers overall team speed and quickness make them formidable. William Simons, Wilson and Woods lead the way.

The front lines are solid and dependable. Malcolm Hatcher, Aaron Potter and Wilson are key contributors on both sides of the ball.

Warren realizes that even though his team has been dominant up to this point, they are sure to be thoroughly tested in their pursuit of winning a Division I national title. “A big key for us is to stay poised, and do the best we can to keep our rotations going so we’ll have fresh players in the game at all times.

“During our time off, we’ve emphasized to the players that our trip to Florida is about business. It’s not a trip that we’re taking for fun.”

Raiders: Since finishing the regular season at break-even (3-3), Kernersville’s Junior Midgets have been on a roll in Division II post-season play. There’s nothing fancy about this group. It’s old-school football and from all indications, the players have totally embraced no-frills football.

“It’s old-fashioned fundamentals,” said coach Scott Phelps, whose team is 6-3. “There’s not a lot of speed on the roster, but what we have is a hard-nosed group. We’ll throw the ball only when it’s necessary. Our game plan is to control the clock and get three yards at a time. As long as we do that, we keep the ball and we keep moving.”

Offensively, Darius Williams is the workhorse at tailback. On defense, Brendan Conway serves as one of the anchors.

“We just want to stay grounded and stay true to our roots,” said Phelps.

“ There’s no need to change. We’re going to stick with what we do, which is ground and pound.”

Bobcats: The regular season ended in defeat, but since that time, the results since have been very rewarding. Union Cross won three straight post-season games to advance to the Division II nationals in the Pee Wee Division (11-12 age group).

“We can do well if we can stay hungry and not let our recent success go to our head,” said coach Ralph Turner, whose team is 10-2. “We feel like we’re able to create match-ups that give us an edge on offense.”

The Bobcats get the job done with a highly productive passing game. They run a variation of the spread and will use as many as ten different formations during the course of a game.

Quarterback Ty Lyles benefits from having a skilled group of play-makers to work with. Javon Meyers, Jarron Sellers, Joseph Ritchens, Kenyon Mosquera, Christopher Joines, Jalen Thorns and Jalen Douglas all get their turns to contribute to an offense that averaged 35 points a game in the AYF Atlantic Regionals three weeks ago.

On defense, George Brown, Elijah Thomas and Justice Wiggins set the tempo. Union Cross plays a 4-4 base defense, but will also employ different looks with a 3-4 and some 3-5-1.

“We’re having a great run,” said Turner. “We’re confident that we can finish this run and bring home a national championship trophy.”