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Fredericksburg junior peewee football team wins national championship Date published: 12/22/2009
BY JONAS BEALS A week ago, a Fredericksburg junior peewee football team returned from Orlando with some serious hardware: a national championship trophy. The Fredericksburg Bears are a team of 9-, 10- and 11-year-olds who play in the Virginia American Youth Football Alliance. All of the players live in the Fredericksburg area. The Bears ended the season 16-0. They scored 490 points and gave up only 30. It was a dominant performance by any measure, capped off by three wins in the American Youth Football national tournament. They beat the Oak Grove Rattlers from San Jose, Calif., 26-0 to earn the trophy. The Rattlers had not surrendered a point all season prior to meeting the Bears. "I am just elated," said defensive coach Lance Christmas. "The kids don't realize what they've done right now. After the game, they just wanted to go swimming at the hotel." Christmas understands the reaction, and explained that it just highlighted what made the team so special. "The boys are very humble and they really enjoy what they do," Christmas said. "They're a true family. They're always together. They play basketball and baseball together. It's real community." That sense of community extends to the parents, who went into the season knowing their sons would have a shot at spending a week in Florida to play for the national championship. It was a struggle to pull together money to make sure everyone could make the trip. Not only has the team been practicing since July, they've been fundraising through bake sales, candy sales, car washes--anything to make their championship run possible. "The parents are dedicated," Christmas said. "There was always a real willingness to help." Christmas was also quick to credit his fellow coaches, including head coach Anthony "Hollywood" Robinson and fellow defensive coach Clarence Washington. "It wasn't an easy task," Christmas said. "But it's a testament to the system." Jonas Beals: 540/368-5036
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