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Panthers Defy Expectations

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By DAREK SHARP

dsharp@tampatrib.com

Published: November 12, 2008

PLANT CITY - The Panthers should have lost their first playoff game based strictly on record. But after pulling off an upset there, the Panthers carried on to the Premier League championship, joining the Broncos and Colts as the teams that earned titles in the Plant City Recreation and Parks Department/Optimist youth flag football program.

Three championship finals were staged at Otis M. Andrews Sports Complex on the morning of Nov. 1. The Panthers won the Premier League for 10- to 12-year-olds by knocking off the top three teams in the age group in five days, ending with a 12-8 defeat of the Eagles in the title game.

Entering with a 4-3 record and sitting in fourth place out of the eight Premier League squads, the Panthers had to take on the top-seeded Vikings first. Not only did the Vikings have the best record, 6-1, but they also went through the regular season with the most points scored (24 per game) and fewest points allowed (10 on average). But the Panthers played great defensively and won 12-6. Steven Bartlett and Cade Kelley had the Panthers touchdowns.

Then taking on the second-place Saints on Oct. 28, the Panthers emerged 22-13 winners. Kelley, Ashton Sparkman and Holly Shuff scored the touchdowns, and Sparkman threw for a pair of two-point conversion passes.

In the finals, Sparkman ran for a touchdown and threw for another, with Jared Short on the receiving end. The Eagles reached the finals by topping the Rams 36-19 in the semifinals. Daniel Coleman scored two of the Eagles' five touchdowns with Carson Knox, Dylan White and Korey Jackson getting the others.

The Rams had surprised the Cowboys in an exciting first-round match, winning 28-26. The Rams entered the playoffs with a 1-6 record. Andy Williamson scored on a pair of touchdown runs, and Kyle Cole ran for another and tossed a touchdown pass to Haley Burleson. Also in the first round, the Eagles edged the Chiefs 22-20, and the Saints rolled the Titans 39-6, getting two touchdowns from Megan Watson and other scores from Kellen Morris, Garrett Calloway and Terran Winegeart.

For the Senior League, for 8- and 9-year-olds, it was a battle of the top two teams in the final, and second place came out on top as the Broncos handed the Steelers their first defeat of the season, 26-20. Benjamin Cameron led the way with three touchdown runs and a pair of point-after-touchdown conversion runs. Chase Bell scored the other Broncos touchdown. Reese Haley had two touchdowns for the Steelers, and Noah Rebman and Patrick Hawke added scores.

The Broncos went through the regular season tied for second with the Dolphins at 4-2-1, while the Steelers were 6-0-1. The Dolphins opened with a 19-18 victory over the Chargers as Grant Rhodes scored a pair of touchdowns, then the Steelers took out the Dolphins 26-21. Diego Bazaldua scored twice for the Steelers in that semifinal matchup, while Grant and Aaron Rhodes each had a touchdown.

Like the Steelers, the Broncos received a first-round bye, then a tough semifinal test, but they passed it by topping the Jaguars 26-23. The Jags only had one win during the season but matched that total when they opened the playoffs beating the Bears 26-25. Robert Xaypanya scored five touchdowns in the Jags' two playoff games.

One first-place team did end up taking its title, the Colts, by beating the Bucs 26-20 in the championship of the Elite League for 13- to 15-year-olds. Jared Smith ran for two touchdowns, Montana Gray added another and caught a point-after-touchdown pass from Travis Ciccarello, and Abdon Lopez also ran for a score. Michael Bennett supplied two touchdowns for the Bucs.

In the first round, the Colts (8-1) put up 46 points on the Jets, with five players finding the end zone: Ciccarello, Smith, Dakota Gray, Jonathan Dygert and Sjana Benton. Bradley Wainoris scored on two point-after-touchdown passes. In the other first-round matchup, the Bucs, who finished with a 6-3 mark, topped the Patriots 20-18 on touchdowns by Matt Mutert, David Coovert and Austin Baxter.

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