Pound for pound, this is looking like one of the best Superbowl years for Plant City-area youth football. Five teams will represent the Winter Strawberry Capital of the World in the Tri-County Youth Football and Cheerleading Conference’s annual championship tournament, the Superbowl.
If it sounds like a big deal, that’s because it is one.
Four Plant City Dolphins squads, as well as the “Turkey Creek 12” varsity team, are putting in their hardest work in practice right now, with nothing on their minds but walking off of the Brandon Lions’ field with a win and the hardware to show for it.
PLANT CITY DOLPHINS MIGHTY MITES
Of all the divisions, the Mighty Mites probably faced the stiffest competition at the top. The top four teams finished with a combined total of 41 wins and seven losses, though it was also the only one where no one went undefeated.
The Dolphins finished the regular season at 10-2, opening with a 24-18 overtime loss at Wesley Chapel. The following week’s 44-0 beatdown of the Brandon Broncos set the tone for much of the rest of the season, which included four shutout wins following the 8-0 loss to East Bay Sept. 6.
Their opponent, the Brandon Cowboys, finished at 11-1 to lead the division. These two teams didn’t face each other in the regular season, but are both coming off of 13-12 playoff wins in the second round — Plant City over East Bay, and Brandon over Wesley Chapel.
PLANT CITY DOLPHINS PEE-WEES
Also finishing 10-2, the Dolphins Pee-Wees have faced their Superbowl opponents in the regular season.
On Sept. 6, they played the first-place East Bay Bucs and lost, 21-7, at home. The Dolphins faces defeat again, Oct. 4, suffering an 8-6 loss against the Turkey Creek Trojans. Plant City bounced back, shutting out two of its next three opponents, and allowed just six points in an Oct. 25 win over the Pinecrest Pilots.
They met up with Pinecrest again in the first-round playoff game Nov. 1, shutting them out, 28-0. Meanwhile, East Bay shut out the Broncos, 32-0.
Both teams also got shutouts in the second round, as Plant City got revenge over the Trojans in a 15-0 win and the Bucs rode a 22-0 win over the Lakeland Gators to the big game.
PLANT CITY DOLPHINS MIDGETS
The Midgets were the only other Dolphins team to go 10-2 in the regular season, and they’ve also got a matchup with the first-place Bucs in the Superbowl.
The Plant City Midgets lost their opener to Wesley Chapel, 12-6, in double overtime. They also lost to East Bay Sept. 6, but in a much more action-packed game. The Bucs took the upper hand in a 21-14 road victory.
Plant City is coming into this game with the hottest hand of any team, riding a 40-6 second-round win over the Lakeland Gators to glory. Before that, they hosted the Brandon Lions and won, 38-14, in the first round.
East Bay, meanwhile, got here with a 39-0 win over the Wildcats in the first round, and a 21-8 win over Wesley Chapel in the second round.
PLANT CITY DOLPHINS JUNIOR VARSITY
Plant City’s formidable junior varsity squad got its name out there in last year’s UYFL National Championship tournament, when it coasted through the 12U division and outscored opponents, 110-13, en route to championship gold.
So, expectations were high for 2014. And, with a perfect 12-0 regular season record, the team didn’t disappoint. It continued to flex its muscles in the playoffs with a 35-0 win over the Wildcats in the first round and a 44-14 win over the Trojans in the second.
They’ll be facing the Brandon Lions, the second-best team in the division at 10-2, with one big disadvantage: The games are being held at the Lions’ field, and the home crowd will probably be electric.
TURKEY CREEK TROJANS VARSITY
The Trojans’ varsity squad was the only Superbowl team that didn’t win at least 10 games, finishing with an 8-2 record. But no one can say that they haven’t earned the right to be here.
Dubbed the “Turkey Creek 12,” these kids have been playing an 11-man game with 12 men on the roster and have since been riding high.
Following their 45-7 win over the Dover Patriots, the Trojans had to grind to get here. The 32-0 first-round rematch win over Dover was easy enough, but the second round saw the Bucs pull close — Turkey Creek escaped with a 19-16 victory.
The Trojans’ opponents, the Brandon Lions, actually finished in first place with a 10-0 record. They won their first-round game by default, with a Broncos forfeit, and put up a 21-0 shutout over the Plant City Dolphins Nov. 8.
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.
IF YOU GO
Where: Brandon Lions Field, 7402 Taylor Rd., Seffner.
When: Saturday, Nov. 22, all day.
Game times are as follows:
Mighty Mites – 9 a.m.; Pee-Wees – 10:30 a.m.; Midgets – 12 p.m. ; Junior Varsity – 2 p.m.; Varsity – 4 p.m.