November 9 and 10 was a big weekend at Walled Lake Northern High School as Michigan Youth Flag Football held their championship games with several Oxford teams competing.
In the first grade division, the Oxford Colts trailed the previously unbeaten Canton Browns 18-14 at halftime, but rallied to win the championship game 28-25.
‘The boys played really hard and worked together as a team. All nine players contributed in a very fast-paced, exciting championship game,? said Coach Joseph Cassise. ‘A solid passing attack is rare in the K-1 age group, but with the Browns playing tough defense against the run, the Colts were forced to air it out, completing nine passes during the game.?
‘The difference in the game proved to be the Colts three big extra point defensive stops while successfully converting three of their four extra point attempts ? two, two-point conversions through the air and a one-point conversion rushing,? added Cassise.
Putting points on the scoreboard were Cameron Dawood, who had one rushing touchdown and one receiving touchdown, Luke Diegel, who had one receiving touchdown and one rushing extra point, Eli Carprenter with one receiving touchdown and two receiving two-point conversions, and Dominic Cassise withthree passing touchdowns and two passing two-point conversions.
‘Max Myrand, Chase Beall, Jimmy Elder, Lucas Seedorf and Tristain Cox all contributed on a number of big second-half defensive plays,? Cassise noted.
The Colts ended their successful season in the Lake Orion First Grade Division with a record of 6-0-1. ‘It truly was a great group of boys who always did their best and had a lot of fun playing together,? Cassise said.
The Colts weren’t the only team to bring home a championship trophy.
The Daniel Axford Wildcats also won the big game, defeating the Northville Mustangs 13-6 in the second grade division.
The boys went 5-1 during the weekend tournament.
‘All the boys played exceptional,? said Coach Jeff Lijana.
Joey Bieniasz and Brody Moore shared quarterback duties and Kyle Kavac, Max Marsden, Cooper Caufman , Carson Lijana, Diego Medel, Jack Bauman and Nate Cruz all played center, receiver or running back. On defense, they were very strong, led by Kavac, Moore and Caufman.
‘Kyle had an interception returned for a touchdown, which helped finalize one of our five wins during the tournament,? Lijana said. ?(Overall), they showed off their exceptional skills, but more importantly great sportsmanship and teamwork. They are the true definition of a team and represented the Oxford community very well.?
While they didn’t win the championship game, the Oxford Rams, who played in the fourth and fifth grade division, are worthy of honors after a hard fought loss of 18-8.
‘We won five straight games to get to the championship game. We were a number one seed verse a number five seed,? said Coach John Feltz. ‘The boys were crushed. It was tough seeing them so upset (after the loss).?
The Rams entered the tournament with a perfect 7-0 record.
‘The boys played absolutely incredible all season. We were never really challenged until the championship game, but they never let their success (go to) their heads,? Feltz added. ‘I couldn’t be more proud of these 10 kids. Between us and the recent success of the OJW (Oxford Junior Wildcats) kids, the future looks real bright for Oxford football.?