Deltona Wolves win it all

PHOTO FROM POP WARNER EAST COAST CONFERENCE
Champs! — The Deltona Wolves won the super bowl of Pop Warner Football Dec. 7, winning the Pop Warner Junior Midget Division II national championship against the West Haven, Conn., Seahawks. The championship team includes, in no particular order, Jalen Gowen, Julian Robinson, Ryan Kenis, Brad Peeples, Amorie Archibald, Trevor Gregory, Tranorris Davis, Jacob Kellie, Jacob Patterson, Peyton Henley, Devin McGhee, Derek Daniels, Dominick Melendez, Brendan Smith, Noah Henry, Makaio Parker, Devon McGirt, Bradley Capo, Lance Clatterbuck, Anthony Mena, Tyrese Herring and Antonio Liberti, and Junior Midget head coach Cameron L. Robinson and assistant coaches Mark Clatterbuck, Anthony Ingram, Neil Kenis, Daniel McGirt, Justin Patterson, Mike Henley, Matt Parker, Bob Capo and Tony Herring.

By Jen Horton
BEACON STAFF WRITER

posted Dec 10, 2012 - 2:08:36pm

The Deltona Wolves are national champs after winning the Pop Warner Junior Midget Division II national championship Dec. 7. The championship game was played at Disney's Wide World of Sports Complex in Lake Buena Vista, and is considered the super bowl of Pop Warner football.

Wolves coach Cameron L. Robinson said that thousands of teams compete for the top spot each year.

"The ultimate goal is to go to Disney — it's kind of a dream, more than a goal," he said.

Robinson's team achieved the dream.

"We're the first team from Volusia County to go there," he said. "We went there, and we won."

The road to excellence is paved with hard work and dedication. The youth, ages 11-13, give up part of their summer to begin training.

"We started football with conditioning in July," Robinson said. "We started practicing Aug. 1. It's been nonstop since then."

In the beginning, practice is two hours a day, five days a week. After Labor Day, the team plays games, and practices three days a week.

The intense practice schedule does not allow the children to slack off on their grades. Students must have at least a C average to stay on the team.

"We have seven Pop Warner All Americans," Robinson said. "They rank in the top 98 percent of students, and get mostly straight A's."

He was proud to say that he also has several students on his 22-man team who are in the top 95 percent of their peers academically.

Robinson has coached Pop Warner for four years; before that, he was the head football coach for Deltona High School. He currently works as the assistant principal of Galaxy Middle School in Deltona.

"By day, I'm an assistant principal; by night, I'm out there being a coach."

Team sports, Robinson said, have a value far greater than just throwing a football around.

"If they're playing football, they're not on the streets getting into trouble," he said.

It also teaches the players life lessons.

"Football teaches them perseverance, dedication, goal-setting, hard work — the same things you do in life," Robinson said. "It teaches them that if you work as hard as you can, and you set goals, even if you only achieve half of your goals, you will be successful."

For more information about Pop Warner team sports in this area, visit www.eastcoastpopwarner.com.

— jen@beacononlinenews.com

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