Forget the Kansas City Chiefs, Pompano Beach has its own Super Bowl championship team.
The Pompano Chiefs 6U youth football team has a year of bragging rights as Florida Youth Football League’s (FYFL) Super Bowl champs. The Chiefs beat the Lauderdale Lakes Vikings in November.
The Vice Tribe of approximately 20 kids, some not old enough to tie their shoes correctly, traveled across the state to overcome their adversaries, scoring points and learning self-discipline along the way.
“Our 6u team is very important to Pompano,” said Head Coach Japhus Jackson. “We’re the first team to win the Super Bowl in that league. We have top talent here.”
Jackson along with assistant head coach Terrance Blue, and other coaches Derell Stevenson and Mike Simmons are proud of their young athletes. “I never thought we would coach little kids,” Jackson said. “I thought it would take too much patience.”
But the patience paid off. Since day one, the younger kids practiced better than the 12-, 13-, and 14-year-old athletes that Jackson had coached.
“The big boys have attitudes, but the little kids are ready to work,” he said. The boys traveled to Plant City, Orlando, Miami and more to beat their opponents, but one of the most exciting wins was against the Fort Lauderdale Hurricanes. “The Hurricanes were highly favored to win,” Jackson said. The 6u Chiefs beat the Hurricanes in overtime, twice.
Jackson and his coaching staff plan to follow the kids throughout their football journey. “These kids won’t play the same for anyone else,” he said.
The coaches are proud of the family-like atmosphere they’ve created. “I love that we took the kids out of town, stayed with them, and showed them things they may not have seen before,” Jackson said.
It was Rudakai Atkins first time playing football. “I liked learning how to tackle and to run the ball,” Atkins said. “I was really happy about winning the Super Bowl because we worked really hard for it.”
For the coaches, this is all about giving back. Jackson, Blue, and Stevens were Pompano Chiefs themselves. “It taught me discipline and life lessons,” Jackson said. The coaches hope that their young prodigies will learn the same.
Workouts will start over the summer. If you are interested in signing up for the Pompano Chiefs, please contact Mitchell Moore at (954) 786-4131.
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