Back on Aug. 1, when all the Greater Miami Pop Warner teams held their first day of practice at parks across Miami-Dade County, there was something special in the air at Suniland. For the first time in 32 years of Suniland Sundevil success, the National Pop Warner League announced there would be a Superbowl held in Orlando at the wide World of Sports Complex to name a true National Champion in each age and weight division. This year it was formatted on a competitive basis, not an elective basis. Simply, if you won at the local, state and regional level, you could advance to National playoffs against teams from all over the country and compete for the title. Not so simple, but it was the only goal the Sundevil 125 lb/Jr. Midget team had in sight. They wanted to win it all.

First Row (Left to Right) Gabard Guillot, J.P. Beattie, Tommy Hoffman, Rasheed Ali, Michael Jenner, Andre Ferguson, Steven de la Fe. Row Two (Left to Right) Richard Christie, Isidro Sanchez, Deltravis Davis, Reynaldo Delva, Matthew Valdes, Evan Lee, Pat Allen, Brandon Nealey. Row Three (Left to Right) Matthew Lavit, Brandon Herlong, Dexter Hanes, Rickey Bishop, Rickey Louis, Jerry Mingo, Jarmaine Brockington, Derek Rodriguez. Back Row (Left to Right) Coach Mike Harper, Coach Rick Jenner, Coach Robert Beans, Coach Jermaine Brown, Head Coach Gator Rebhan, Coach Wayne Blalock. Absent from photo: Chris McCracken, Terrance McClendon, Coach Kelsey Harrell. Team Mom: Rosy Valdes

In many sports kids dream of winning and being a champion. Few ever realize their dreams, yet to this special group it became an exception. They were dedicated, focused and had set a goal behind the tremendous leadership of their head coach, Gator Rebhan. From that point on, every practice, every game and every meeting was a step in the ladder to the Superbowl. The team had been together for two years and had come close before. In the past, they lost the big games not because they were beaten by better teams, but because they had lost focus, became overconfident and failed to execute. This season was to be different.

Their story is a multi-faceted one of success both on and off the field. These young men ages 12-13 represent what's right in our youth and they have become the pride of our community. They come from all walks of life, yet functioned as one. Each was required to maintain good academics and did so. Their coaches also became educational mentors. They met with teachers and even made special arrangements for the boys to keep up with their schoolwork while away on road trips. When traveling to competitions, they were required to hit their books before they hit their pads. The high caliber of their effort was only exceeded by Gator's coaching staff, who redefined the word dedication. They are: Robert Beans, Wayne Blalock, Mike Harper, Kelsey Harrell, Jermaine Brown and Rick Jenner. Their team mom, Rosy Valdes, literally adopted the 25 players and looked after them all season long.

These men managed the X and O's better than any youth coaching staff in Pop Warner history and continually gave unselfishly of themselves to enable the boys to achieve greatness that so many dream of. They also taught these men important life lessons, including the value of working hard, teamwork and setting goals. Whether any of them ever go on to become professional football players is not an issue, as they will all become better citizens as a result of their lessons and mentoring.

As the season started in late August, so did the winning. The Sundevils, led by Tommy Hoffman at quarterback and Derek Rodriguez on defense, became the team to beat. Unfortunately for their opponents, the Sundevils would not yield and could not be defeated. The team finished the regular season 8-0, and had only 20 points scored on the defense all year. The Sundevils usually won every game by 25-30 points. Running back Chris McCracken scored over 25 touchdowns and wide receiver Dexter Hanes added more than 20 touchdowns. Tommy was notorious for completing 40 and 50 yard passes with cutting accuracy. Many wondered if Marino or Montana were that good at 13.

Suniland won the division and then the conference in the local playoffs. Next they faced a strong ream from Liberty City for the Greater Miami Pop Warner Bowl, their last local step. It was a windy day, so much so that passing the ball was dangerous. While both teams concentrated on their running game, each team's defense became a wall. Thanks to great kick placement and brilliant strategy, Suniland won on a safety, 2-0, and advanced to the regionals.

In the month-long march to the championship, Gator's team won the four regional and national semi-final games, outscoring their opponents 188-0. "Everyone was telling us they never saw a team so dominantbefore," said Gator, who believes "champions are not born, they're made." League officials, well experienced in football, kept saying this was the best youth team that ever played.

Finally on Saturday, Dec. 11, the team's moment of glory time was at hand. It was time for the Superbowl National Pop Warner Championship game. There was only one team left to beat, the Northwood Rams from Baltimore, MD. They were big and undefeated. Both teams had 15-0 record.

Many parents and fans had come up from Miami to cheer them on. In fact the dedication of this team's parents and the Optimist Club is a story in itself. Collectively they and the coaches volunteered countless extra hours, fundraising nearly $20,000 in less than two weeks to cover the cost of traveling. They did it the old-fashioned way, without benefactors or government subsidy. All the while, incredible respect and sportsmanship was demonstrated by hundreds of fans from rival parks, who came together to cheer and support all the remaining Miami teams. The air was "positively" electric as the Sundevils 125lb took the field.

By halftime the score was 24-0 Suniland. The game started a little jittery, but the Sundevils settled down to their game by the second quarter. The defense was swarming, shutting down any scoring chance the Rams had. The offense seemed to move the ball at will. They established a strong running game and then started airing it out. By early in thethird quarter, Suniland was up 30-0 and decided to tone it down out of respect for their opponent. The final was 30-0 and the Suniland Sundevils 125lb team was named National Champions!

Ironically, since the team had been up at Disney for the better part of the week competing, when a few of them were asked what was next they just said they wanted to go home.

Coach Beans was asked how they did it and he replied, "they're just good." Coach Harper thanked the boys, "for the privilege of coaching them."

Head Coach Rebhan said, "We just clicked from the beginning. We had a wide open offense and a defense that just shut everyone out. We have a great team, the best ever, some are saying."

Team mom Rosy just sat and bowed her head with tears of joy. She was too emotional to speak, as you might imagine the proud "mom" of 25 young men might be.

The team accepted the National Championship trophy and individual medals proudly from the representatives Pop Warner. Interestingly enough, there was no MVP or individual awards that afternoon and that suited everyone just fine. They are a team in the truest sense and they have finally shared a special moment in life together.

(In the next issue, the team would like to publicly thank their sponsors and supporters who helped make their dream a reality with their support.)