Tyler Hunter Goodwins team secures Pee Wee Pop Warner title
Published 12:00 am Thursday, December 27, 2007
ORLANDO, Fla. &8212; Traveling from their home in Marengo County to the Florida panhandle, Willie and Ann Hunter were hoping to watch their favorite team beat out a tough opponent in a good game and take home the championship title.
The couple got their wish on Dec. 7 when their team won 32-30 in overtime off of a blocked kick. Their team was the Super Bowl Champion, and the icing on the cake was that their grandson, Tyler Hunter Goodwin, was on the winning team.
Of course, Goodwin doesn&8217;t play in the National Football League &8212; he&8217;s 10-years-old. Goodwin is a nose tackle for the Lake Brantley Football Association&8217;s Pee Wee division team, the Patriots, who are the first team from their league (which boasts alumnus Tim Tebow) to win the coveted Pop Warner Super Bowl.
The Patriots defensive unit as a whole was a large part of the group&8217;s success. They lead the team to a 14-1 season by putting up eight shutouts along the way. The Patriots dominated their season by outscoring opponents 477-94 &8212; or 31.8 points a game to 6.3.
The group went 7-1 in the regular season, with its sole loss coming from Ormond Beach, 20-14. The group swept though the Mid-Florida Conference playoffs with two shutouts and had a repeat performance in the quarterfinals, where neither opponent got on the board. The group beat out two more opponents before making it to the final four teams, eventually beating out the Eagles for the title.
And prior to this season, Goodwin, whose favorite football team is the Jacksonville Jaguars and player is Fred Taylor of that team, got a little preparation with high profile sporting events by going to the Colts/Bears NFL Super Bowl in Miami &8212; his uncle, Will Hunter, does replays for game broadcasts.
But he also has a plan for life after football: &8220;I want to work for the NFL like my uncle.&8221;