The UYFL National Championships rolled through Plant City from Saturday, Dec. 3, through Friday, Dec. 9.
As usual, the United Youth Football League National Championships gave Plant City all the youth football action it could handle. Among the 16 divisional winners were several Plant City and Tri-County Youth Football and Cheerleading Conference teams.
Of the seven Plant City Dolphins and Tri-County Elite teams, three came out on top of their brackets on Friday, Dec. 9.
WINNERS
The Dolphins and Tri-County clashed once for the championship.
In a three-team 6U race featuring the Oxford Circle Raiders, Plant City picked up a 19-0 win over the Raiders in the opening round, while Tri-County took a 12-6 loss to Oxford Circle. Tri-County bounced back in the second round with a 19-6 win over Plant City, and Oxford Circle later beat the Dolphins by the same score.
Tri-County got revenge on the Raiders Thursday, Dec. 8, with a 13-6 win, and the Elite team won the 6U title with a 13-0 shutout of the Dolphins Friday, Dec. 9. Even so, the Dolphins gained the upper hand in the 14U All-Stars bracket.
In fact, Plant City didn’t lose a single game in that bracket. The team opened play with a 52-0 win over the Carolina All-Stars, followed by a 39-6 win over the New York City All-Stars in the second round. Finally, on Friday, Dec. 9, Plant City rallied to a 24-20 victory over the Piedmont Steelers to finish its run for the ring.
Tri-County had opened 14U All-Stars play with a 37-0 loss to Piedmont, but it did follow that up with a 31-6 win over the Chicagoland All-Stars and a 13-6 win over New York City.
Tri-County’s second championship came in the 15U bracket. The team opened play with a 14-6 win over the Bristol Wardogs, and got into the championship round with a 19-6 semifinal win over the Patuxent Rhinos.
To clinch the title, Tri-County faced the D.C. Knights and picked up a 26-7 win on Dec. 9.
OTHER TEAMS
In the 8U division, the Plant City Dolphins ran through the consolation bracket to finish in fourth place.
Plant City started the tournament with a 12-7 loss to the Gainesville Panthers and was sent to the consolation bracket, where it picked up a 26-6 win over the 704 Wildcats and two 6-0 shutout wins — one of which came over the Staten Island Hurricanes Friday, Dec. 9, which secured fourth place for Plant City.
The 10U Dolphins got started with a 6-0 win over the Chesapeake Tigers, but took a 13-7 loss to the Gainesville Panthers in the second round that sent them to the consolation bracket. Plant City went into the fourth-place game with a 14-0 win over the Nifty Sports Knights, but then took an 18-7 loss to the MOT Cowboys.
The 12U Dolphins also got started on a good note, cruising to a 42-18 win over the Charlotte Cardinals. But Plant City then took a 32-0 loss to the eventual champions, the Detroit Spartans, that put the hometown team in the consolation rounds. Plant City did manage to finish in fourth place, picking up a 22-13 win over the Piedmont Panthers and a 30-20 win over the Warrensville Cowboys.
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.
