Normandy – The Greater Jacksonville Pop Warner City Championships concluded this weekend crowning several teams as champions of our area. Teams competed in a seven week regular season and one round of the playoffs. The second and final round would culminate at the Normandy Athletic Association on Saturday Afternoon.
Game 3
Div-1 Junior Pee Wee Championship
Grandpark Trojans vs Forestview Steelers
The Junior Peewee Championship featured a rematch from a year ago. The Forestview Steelers taking on the Grandpark Trojans. In last year’s contest Grandpark got the best of Forestview 21-2. It was a dominating performance by Grandpark leaving Forestview going back to the drawing board and eager to retool for next season. Forestview added some key talent gearing up for the 2015 season with their focused firmly on the championship game. The Steelers went undefeated in the regular season and was the #1 team in our youth football power rankings for most of the season. But after defeating Grandpark earlier in the season and Sweetwater in the playoffs, many around the city expected the Steelers to face the Westside Wildcats for the championship. But Grandpark had other plans.
After going 5-2 on the season Grandpark reestablished themselves as a perennial powerhouse in the city. But as with every champion the target was large and round on their backs. Each week they got the best from every team, and with the Junior Pee Wee division being the toughest in football this year, they faced several good teams this year. After losing to Westside in the regular season, the Trojans gained a thrilling one point victory over the Wildcats in the first round of the playoffs. The upset set up the match up with Forestview to decide the city champion.
Pop Warner Div-I Champions! Your Forestview Steelers! https://t.co/EeBJLqDZ4a
— DuvalSports (@DuvalSports) November 8, 2015
Grandpark began the game moving the football on Forestview. #1 caught a short pass to take it 15 yards deep into Steeler territory. #6 Quincy Burroughs pounded the rock for another 10 yds and a first down up the middle. Burroughs would again get a chance to touch the rock and it paid dividends as he rushed around the right side past defenders for a Grandpark touchdown. The 2nd quarter score broke the ice of an otherwise event-less first half of football.
Forestview would try to get on the board before halftime when QB #1 Chris Calhoun rolled to his right and hit #3 Freddie Manning for a deep 49 yard bomb on the run, putting the ball first and goal at the three yard line. But after a bad center to Quarterback exchange, Forestview fumbled and Grandpark recovered on their own one yard line. The half would end with Grandpark leading 6-0.
The beginning of the second half featured Calhoun making plays with his legs. On the first drive of the second half, he ran to the left on a designed run breaking several tackles for 25 yards. A quick hitter up the middle by the fullback gained another 15 yards putting Forestview closer to the goal, but Grandpark’s defense didn’t make it easy, stopping them on three straight plays. A fade pass to the corner of the endzone was incomplete but pass interference was called in the end zone making it first and goal half the distance to the goal. A dive play up the middle by fullback #2 Ty Baker scored for the black and gold tying the game at six all in the 3rd quarter.
The game would go back and forth with field position playing a key role in the 4th. Grandpark was backed up on their own 20 yard line when an errant snap on fourth down sailed over the punter’s head and was recovered by the Steelers, giving them the ball deep in Trojan territory. Calhoun would once again go to the air looking for Manning who was double covered. But the talented receiver would sky for the reception and come down with the touchdown, literally taking the title from the defending champions. The Steeler defense would hold the Trojans late in the contest and the game was over. Forestview 12 Grandpark -6
Congratulations to the Junior Pee Wee Division-I City Champions
The Forestview Steelers!!
