12u Mambas worked hard for their championship

Hard work.

As the Maricopa Mambas celebrated their state football championship on Saturday with family and supporters, that phrase was mentioned repeatedly as the source of their success.

During an afternoon gathering by the lake in Copper Sky Regional Park, the players accepted their championship team trophy and individual medals to mark their inaugural championship season.

“I’m extremely proud of the boys,” said head coach Michael Karriker. “They put in the work.”

The 12u Mambas, a team of 10- to 12-year-olds, got to work in March for the spring season. Before they could take the field against their first opponent, however, the season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. They were sidelined until May, when the work resumed.

The practiced week after week in anticipation of an August start to the fall season, but the pandemic postponed competition until October. The team went 5-2 and advanced to the state championship in early December, defeating the Peoria Panthers, 30-13.

Going into the championship game against the bigger Panthers, Karriker said he was anxious for his 25 young charges.

“I was nervous,” he recalled as he watched the boys play football at Saturday’s team party. “It was the championship game and I wanted the best for our kids.

“The boys pulled it off,” he continued. “Boys win, coaches lose. It was on them 110%. I just tried to put the boys in the best position to win.”

The team’s ability to make mid-game adjustments, often at the suggestion of the players who were seeing strategic opportunities on the field, allowed the Mambas to win the game, Karriker said. “I allowed them to make the necessary changes to win the game,” he said.

Karriker is assisted by fellow coaches Joe Richardson, Carl Lamour, Delvon Margerum and Daniel James.

Karriker and others in the organization – there are teams for ages 6-14 – hope the Mambas’ success encourages more Maricopa youth to play in their hometown instead of joining teams in and around Phoenix.

“We have a lot of talent here,” he said. “Many leave to go to the metro area. We wanted to provide a good place for the boys to play, to compete.”

“If kids are interested in playing football, they should come on out,” Karriker said, adding the team practices at Pacana Park on Monday, Wednesday and Friday evenings.

‘I HAD FAITH IN US’

Braedan Stanek, 12, played fullback and inside middle linebacker for the Mambas.

Asked if he ever imagined such a successful season back in March, he said flatly, “I wanted to work to get to state champion. I knew we would be. I had faith in us.”

He recalled when the clock ran out on Peoria and the Mambas stood on the field as champions. “That was probably the best feeling,” he said, smiling.

Braeden, a Maricopa resident, praised his coaches for all their help.

“They all push us to our fullest limit,” he said. “Even when we lost some games, they kept our heads in the game.”

Jose Cardona, father of Jose, the team’s kicker, said the state championship was hard-earned.

“I’m not surprised,” he said. “The kids go out there and work very hard. We have a coaching staff that teaches this to the kids. That got the job done.”

As the team prepared to accept their team trophy from Mayor Christian Price, Lamour spoke a few familiar words to those gathered to celebrate.

“The boys worked so hard to bring the championship back to Maricopa,” he said.

‘GREAT PARENTS AND COACHES’

Price presented the trophy and draped medals around the players’ necks, saying “great job” or “congratulations.

“Thank you, Mr. Mayor,” one boy replied.

Price then joined the players as they posed for photos with their team trophy.

Afterward, he said he was happy to help celebrate the players and allowed that their achievement was good for the city, too.

“It really burnishes the reputation of the city of Maricopa,” Price said. “We get to reap the rewards of their hard work.”

Youth football programs like the Mambas also can serve to improve the quality of play at the high school level and draw players from outside the city as well, he said.

The organization has impressed him, he said.

“These are great parents and coaches who are so invested in their kids’ futures,” he said.

For his part, Karriker said his coaching philosophy was pretty simple; it begins and ends with the players.

“These boys are great group of kids. They work hard,” he said. “I really do this for these boys. As long as they are happy and having fun, everything else follows.”