Football fans have packed the Otis M. Andrews complex all week, and they got to witness a classic during the United Youth Football League National Championships Dec. 9, at Otis M. Andrews Sports Complex.
After taking a 30-8 lead into halftime, the 14U Plant City Dolphins withstood a furious Flagler Wolfpack comeback to win, 36-30.
It was an admirable effort by the Wolfpack, who looked like an entirely different team. Their rally came down to special teams luck and fundamentals — they recovered multiple onside kicks and ate up as much of the clock as possible. In fact, Plant City’s offense only had two possessions in the second half.
“It seemed like the wheels were falling off the bus,” head coach Chad Eldridge said.
The Dolphins, on their first possession of the half, managed to score a touchdown but missed the extra-point attempt. They came up short on the second possession, allowing Flagler to get the ball back and score quickly.
“(Lineman) Michael Sanders was almost always double- or triple-teamed,” Eldridge said. “Flagler did not run the ball on his side at all in the second half.”
With 2:30 left in the game, the Wolfpack found itself on the Dolphins’ 8-yard line on first and goal. But Plant City stood strong, completed the goal-line stand and forced a turnover on downs with 1:25 to play.
But, of all the stories emerging from the championships, nothing is quite like that of the Plant City Colts.
Their story started with someone’s mistake.
The Colts, according to head coach Kirk Brooks, entered the tournament in the All-Star division. When the team received its schedule Dec. 7, they suddenly found themselves in the 14U bracket — a division for older, bigger kids.
And, to make matters worse, they were forced to play last year’s national champion, the Rosedale Cowboys.
“They were, like, twice our size,” Brooks says. “It really looked like the movie, ‘Little Giants’ out there. The little guys were tackling the big kids.”
The Colts lost, 31-0, but didn’t go down without a fight. They did what they could against the bigger kids, even physically getting the better of them on some plays. Jordan Brondnax, for example, managed to truck a bigger Cowboy on a draw play.
“Little Jordan, man, he’s got the heart of a tiger,” Brooks says. “He ran right up in there with the big boys.”
After the game, UYFL officials realized the mistake. So, the Colts were back in the tournament, placed in the correct bracket and just two games away from a national championship.
“The Cowboys game kind of helped us,” Brooks says.
The tournament features more than 100 football teams from throughout the country. Championship games will take place Dec. 13.
Contact Justin Kline at jkline@plantcityobserver.com.
IF YOU GO
UYFL 2013 FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP
WHEN: Play continues through Dec. 13
WHERE: Otis M. Andrews Sports Complex, 2602 Cherry St., Plant City
WEBSITE: Visit uyflchampionships.com.