By By STEVE FRANKLIN, Sports Writer
The Washington Saints and Greenville Titans Green picked up Community Youth Football League Super Bowl titles on a frigid Tuesday night at Washington’s Kugler Field.
In the 12-and-under tackle football division, the Washington Saints roared back from a 12-0 halftime deficit with 26 unanswered points in the second half to top the Belhaven Bulldogs, 26-12.
Belhaven jumped out to a 6-0 lead on the opening play of the contest as the Saints tried an onside kick to start the game. But Bulldogs running back Patrick Moore picked up the squabbled kick and returned it 52 yards for a touchdown.
Just before the half, the Bulldogs made it 12-0 as running back Markel Spence broke loose for a 53-yard touchdown scamper with 51 seconds left in the opening half.
In the second half, the Saints finally got rolling as Wilfredo Marrero took the opening kickoff and returned it 31 yards down to the Belhaven 22-yard line. Four plays later, running back Stevie Greene plowed into the end zone for a three-yard touchdown run to get Washington on the scoreboard.
On the ensuing kickoff, three Saints defenders converged to hit Spence, knocking the ball loose and forcing a turnover.
Three plays later, the Saints capitalized on the Bulldogs miscue as Greene burst through the middle of the Belhaven defense for a 33-yard touchdown run to give Washington a 14-12 lead with 2:37 left in the third.
Early in the fourth quarter, Greene got loose again. With just over six minutes left in the contest, the Saints’ running back gashed the Belhaven defense once again, this time scampering 31 yards for a score to make 20-12 in favor of the Saints.
Washington went to its bag of tricks to put the game away with less than two minutes left. Quarterback Daniel Maultsby began walking to the sidelines as coach Peartree was yelling frantically. Once Maultsby neared the sideline, he stopped, and the Saints center snapped the ball to Greene, who slowly walked toward the sideline like the whistle had been blown. Once everyone stopped, Greene took off into the end zone for a 22-yard touchdown run.
Greene was named the Super Bowl MVP after rushing for more than 150 yards and four touchdowns.
The Saints finished the year with a perfect 9-0 record
9-and-under division
Greenville Titans Green 20,
Washington Redskins 0
In the 9-and-under Super Bowl, Greenville used three rushing touchdowns from quarterback Joseph Jackson Carriere to defeat the Washington Redskins, 20-0, and finish the season with a perfect 9-0 record.
The two teams remained scoreless for much of the first half, but with 1:19 left in the second quarter, the Titans got on the scoreboard as Carriere plowed into the end zone from six yards out to make it 6-0.
On the opening drive of the second half, the Titans marched 41 yards for a score. Facing a fourth and 10 from the Redskins’ 26-yard line, Carriere managed to keep the drive alive by breaking numerous tackles to pick up 12 yards. Two plays later, the Greenville quarterback plunged in for a one-yard touchdown run.
Late in the fourth quarter, Carriere put the finishing touches on the Titans victory as he followed his offensive line into the end zone from four yards away to make it 20-0.
After amassing more than 100 yards on the ground, Carriere was named the CYFL 9-and-under Super Bowl MVP.