Bring on those rings… Cyclone Orange brings home Super Bowl championship
Published 12:35 am Wednesday, November 20, 2019
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Photo Contributed The 2019 Jr. Peewee Cyclone Orange team finished with a remarkable 10-0 record and won their Super Bowl game over South Greene.
BY IVAN SANDERS
STAR SPORTS EDITOR
ivan.sanders@elizabethton.com
There’s not too many football players that get to participate in a Super Bowl but a group of local Jr. Pee Wee football players can say that they not only have played in a Super Bowl but are now Super Bowl champs.
The Cyclone Orange Jr. Pee Team breezed through the regular season ringing up an 8-0 season with key wins over South Greene, Johnson City ‘Toppers, and the Jr. Pioneers from Crockett.
Once the team completed the regular season with an unblemished mark it was off to the playoffs where the Cyclone Orange banged helmets with the Greeneville Greene Devils where the Orange laid a whipping on the boys from Greene County, 30-6, gaining a Super Bowl slot.
In the biggest game of the year, the Cyclone Orange found themselves in one whale of a game as the teams entered the half tied at 8-8. The game mirrored their first game of the season where the Orange managed to squeak past the Jr. Rebels 11-6 in a very tight four quarters of football.
In the second half, the Cyclones put together a complete package as the team scored on special teams with a punt return for the score. The defense got into the act by picking off a Rebel pass allowing the offense to record a quick touchdown.
The final nail in South Greene’s coffin came when the Cyclone Orange managed a successful onside kick that led to another score ultimately putting the game away.
When the horn sounded, the Cyclone Orange took the championship by a final score of 38-16.
The win was even more special for the team as this was the last year of youth league football for the fifth graders and they were able to go out as champions after being so close in past seasons to only come up short.
Head coach Brandon Blevins said, “We started out on July 17th this year and got to play football until the first week of November. This win compares to a senior in high school winning the state championship in their final year of high school football.
“Making the playoffs and Super Bowl allowed us to coach these guys more about the game at their age. This shows there is an excellent feeder program her in Elizabethton,” Blevins continued.
“Our goal is to have these kids ready for junior high football when they leave the youth program. I have found out over the years that teaching the basics at this age is the key to being a championship football team.”
Blevins added that from the first practice to the final one, the same basic techniques were taught to the team including blocking, tackling, the proper ways of running the ball, the right stance and feet work.
“Lining up right and knowing your job at the position you play at is what we teach here at the youth level,” Blevins stated. “If you have 23 kids on your team and you can have 23 kids know the game and know their position I feel like that alone will make you a successful football team.
“Those same drills we do for four and a half months, three times a week at practice pays off when you surround yourself with a great attitude and how hard these kids went every day at practice.”
The team always selects a team motto for the season and this year’s motto was ALL IN. Blevins said there were 23 kids, six coaches, and the Cyclone family (parents, grandparents, etc.) that were exactly that – ALL IN to make the season happen.
A few notes worth mentioning about the Cyclone Orange team was that they never trailed at any time during the season and outscored their opponents by an amazing 288-41 margin.
The team never had to punt one time during the season. Some of the players on the team marked the third time in four years have won championships.
Blevins wanted to give special thanks to Coach Ryan Witten and Shawn Witten and the Athletic Directors at both Elizabethton High School and T.A. Dugger who allowed them to practice at their facilities.
