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.