AP's Pee Wee's come up short

On a beautiful Super Bowl Sunday afternoon, in front of a large crowd and a sea of red, the Avon Park Pee Wee's showed the MFFCC what Red Devil football is all about against the unbeaten, No. 1-ranked West Orange Warriors (Orlando). Despite managing only five first downs, West Orange made a key defensive stand late to skirt past the Red Devils, 8-6, to win the championship.

It didn't take much time to bring the Avon Park crowd to its feet, as the second-ranked Red Devils (13-0) came out firing on the second play of the game. League MVP Adarius Council lined up at quarterback, took the snap and handed the ball to Warren Bucker - who is normally AP's starting quarterback - on a reverse. Bucker then looked downfield and found Montrae Braswell for a 50-yard touchdown pass to put Avon Park up, 6-0.

Still in the first quarter, the AP defense - which has been stifling all year, allowing only five touchdowns in 14 games - forced a fumble and defensive star Devonya Hunter, who is seemingly always around the ball, scooped up the ball and scampered 40 yards for an apparent AP score.

No quite: An illegal block-in-the-back penalty was called very late, after Hunter was in the end zone, and it brought the ball back to the West Orange 20-yard line, where AP took over. On the very next play, AP fumbled and West Orange took over.

For the rest of the first quarter and much of the second, neither team could muster much offense. However, a mistake by AP would prove to be the difference in the game. With second-and-12 from the 4-yard line, and with a little more than a minute to go in the first half, the Red Devils were trying to run out clock before halftime because of bad field position. But they mistakenly took a knee in the end zone to put West Orange on the board with a safety, which closed Avon Park's lead to 6-2.

However, due to the safety, the Red Devils had to kick off from the 20 and a good return by West Orange gave it good field position with a little more than a minute left in the half at the Avon Park 25-yard line. Three plays later, the West Orange Warriors punched it in with no time remaining on the clock to take the lead 8-6 at halftime.

With both teams trying to make halftime adjustments to get their offenses going, the second half proved to be just like the first half - defenses dominating and questionable calls.

On the Red Devils' second possession of the second half, Avon Park's Otis Ford, who won coach of the year, had a trick up his sleeve. He dialed up a nifty play that confused not only the Warriors, but the referees, who stopped the play right at the snap and threw a flag that was waved off. The damage had been done, however, as the trick play had been revealed.

Late in the fourth quarter, with the game on the line, the Red Devils had one last chance to win the game. On third-and-long from their own 35-yard line, the quarterback, Buckner, hit Council on a deep pass and after avoiding a few Warriors defenders after the catch, Council took the Red Devils down to the West Orange 20-yard line. West Orange made the key plays defensively, and held the Red Devils from scoring and went on to the 8-6 victory.

The superior and talented Red Devils defense, coached by Johnny Perry and Joaquin Walker, held the high-powered West Orange offense to only five first downs the entire game.

Although disappointed from the tough loss, the Avon Park Pee Wee's made a statement in the first Super Bowl appearance by any Avon Park youth football team in history. And that statement was that, in a league where the vast majority of teams is located in big cities and have a large number of players on their teams, in this small, close-knit town of Avon Park, there is plenty of talent, heart, character and good coaching.

As this four-month season came to a close, the Red Devils players, coaches, cheerleaders, parents and fans had plenty to be proud of, as this season will go into the record books as the best ever in Avon Park youth football's long history. The four teams combined for a league-best record of 46-6 with four district titles, three final-four teams, and one Super Bowl runner-up in one of the largest youth football conferences, which consisted of 41 different organizations.

All in all, this season proved that the football future is bright in Avon Park.