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AP Pee Wee to play for Super Bowl

Contributed photo

Adarius Council is one of the many offensive weapons for the Avon Park Pee Wee football team, which advanced to the Super Bowl in Lakeland on Sunday. The Avon Park Flag and Mighty Mites teams both lost in the semifinals last week.

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Special to Highlands Today

Published: November 19, 2009

AVON PARK - It was a day of mixed emotions for the Avon Park youth football fans, as one out of three teams advance to the Super Bowl Sunday. Red was the dominant color for the majority of the day, with hundreds of fans from several teams - the final game of what the AP fans came for brought all of the jubilee.

After two disappointing losses by the Red Devils flag and Mighty Mites teams, the Pee Wees were destined to give the Devils fans something to cheer about - and they did. After an undefeated regular season in 2008, the Red Devils Pee Wees fumbled away their chances in the second round of the MFFCC playoffs last year, losing 6-0 with six fumbles in the game against Bartow. That left a bad taste in their mouth, and that was something that AP Pee Wee coach Otis Ford spoke to his team about before the game.

It appears that that speech worked, as the Red Devil Pee Wee team used the formula that has carried them all year and especially in the playoffs - defense.

The defense led the way in a tough, physical game that ended in a 9-0 Avon Park victory. As both teams struggled to find points throughout the majority of the game, AP quarterback Warren Buckner broke loose midway through the third quarter, avoided several Fair Oaks defenders along with some key blocks and scampered 70 yards for the Avon Park touchdown run that proved to be the play of the game. The defense, led by a dominating performance by Ahmad Smith, limited the Fair Oaks Rattlers to only three first downs the entire game to put the Rattlers away. The defense also recorded a safety in the fourth quarter.

The Pee Wee team that made history by being the first Avon Park team to compete in the Super Bowl will play against a tough undefeated W. Orange team from Orlando for the Super Bowl title, this Sunday at 12 p.m. at Bryant Stadium in Lakeland.

The AP flag team, which played its worst game of the year, has no need to hold its collective heads down. They finished 12-1 and just couldn't finish after jumping out to an early 12-0 lead, after touchdowns from Jabari Knighten and Otis Ford. They played hard but mistakes killed them in the end, as they went on to lose, 20-12.

The Mighty Mites didn't fair any better, as a key loss to injury before the game from one their best players proved to affect the team, both physically and emotionally. However, the Mighty Mites played with plenty of heart and fell short, losing 18-0 to a tough Sarasota Gators team.

Each Avon Park team won a district title, with all four advancing to the second round of the MFFCC playoffs, three teams advancing to the semifinals and the Pee Wees moving on to the Super Bowl.

The Highlands Today sports staff can be reached at 863-386-5837 or sports@highlandstoday.com

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