“Field Notes”

Saturday – December 9, 2006- Noon

A huge Division I - Jr. Pee Wee game between the Union Road (NC) Jaguars and the East Bay (CA) Wranglers opened the action of this sunny, and thankfully not quite so cold, “Pop Warner Super Bowl Saturday” at Disney's Wide World of Sports. And, folks, this one turned out to be a real stunner!

Wish I could say this was a tight game, “nip and tuck all the way.” But, it wasn't. And, yet that's part of the learning that goes on around Disney's Wide World of Sports all this week. Remember what Bob Crable said yesterday , "Sometimes, despite how hard you work it's just not your day." Such was the case this Saturday for the Wranglers.

The Jaguars scored early and often in this tilt as they marched again and again with their power offense, complemented with a hard-nosed, gang-tackling defense, to register a 21-0 halftime lead.

The Wranglers took the opening kickoff of the second half , and on the strength of two power sweeps, charged downfield to the Union Road 28 yard line. But, the snarling Jaguars dug-in and stuffed four running plays in a row by East Bay to take over on downs at their own 14 yard line.

But now, the large and boisterous Union Road crowd was thundering their approval, sensing a big-time win in this first-time championship game appearance by the boys from Gastonia, NC.

With 4:36 to go in the third quarter, the Jaguars pumped more air into their leather-lunged supporters with a scintillating 61 yard touchdown dash by their tailback. When the Jags tailed again two minutes later , on a plunge into the end zone from the Wranglers two yard line, the score read Union Road 33-
East Bay 0.

With Pop Warner's “running clock” rule in effect, the Wranglers raced the opening kickoff of the 4th quarter back 50 yards for a TD and the score registered 33-6.

But, this day, Union Road's route to the title would not be detoured. The Jags again drove down field and slammed-in from the Wranglers one yard line to make the score 39-6.

East Bay never gave up, though. Fighting the clock and a stiff Jaguar defense, they pushed downfield, only to see their final hopes of another score dash, when a desperation pass was picked off by the alert Union Road secondary at midfield.

Congratulations to the Union Road Jaguars on winning their first ever Pop Warner National Championship. And congratulations, as well, to the East Bay Wranglers, one of the very best teams from the San Francisco Bay to ever compete in a Pop Warner Super Bowl Week. Hope to see ‘y'all again next year at Disney's Wide World of Sports!

More blogs soon, as Pop Warner's Super Bowl Saturday rolls on!