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Maricopa Youth Football’s second championship won by Junior Pee Wee Vipers

Dec 11, 2008

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A team from Maricopa won its first ever Pinal County Youth Football championship Saturday morning. It would only take a few hours for another team to win the second one.

The Junior Pee Wee Vipers, comprised of nine and ten year olds, successfully defended the home field at Maricopa High School early Saturday evening and defeated the Predators from Apache Junction 44-0. The victory led to the city’s second championship in one day.

Maricopa’s Keyshawn Churchwell led the Vipers in scoring with four touchdowns on rushes for 8, 46, 40, and 65 yards. Rounding out the scoring was a touchdown run of 18 yards by Yoane Mootherly.

After taking possession on the opening kickoff at the 50-yard line, the Vipers quickly went to work, putting together a drive that was capped off by Churchwell’s first touchdown score. They were able to hold up this early game momentum as their defense took the field and kept the Predators to less than 10 yards, turning the ball over on downs.

This series was only a precursor of the rest of the game, as the Vipers seemed to score at will. But it was with a stifling defense that they were able to secure the shutout victory, containing the Predators to their own half of the field and forcing an interception by Naz Mootherly.

“I’m so proud of these kids,” said head coach Greg Johnston after the game. “I’ve never coached a better group of players. They’re great kids, every last one of them.” After the game, Johnston, his fellow coaches and the team came together at mid-field to celebrate their victory on the 50-yard line.

“Playing out here on this beautiful field,” said Maricopa Youth Football League Vice President Larry Davis, “gave the kids the opportunity to be rewarded for all their hard work. It gave them something to dream about, something to continue to work for, and it showed them that the school district and the community wanted to partner to help them strive to reach their goals. It was a great day for these kids.”

This win finishes the season for the Vipers, who ended their fall season undefeated with a record of 12-0.

The full roster of the championship Vipers includes:

Daniel Bates
Brady Gerber
Trent Luckey
Noah Morris
Yoane Mootherly
Naz Mootherly
Kirk Bookman
Zachary Bachelder
Robert Ortega
Drew Durbin
Jordan Harris
Joey Fonseca
Keyshawn Churchwell
Michral Krella
Araya Ude
Armando Sernas
Johnathon Slaughter
Andrew Earle
Kegan Schirato
JD Rios
Joseph Olivarez
Landon Brown