TAMPA, Fla. — The Westchase Colts youth football program has been about as dominant as possible this season.
“It’s just the team's greatness,” Westchase 9U quarterback Joshua Kisner said. “Defense, D-line, secondary is really good.”
The 9U, 12U, and 13U teams finished the regular season with a combined 24-0 record.
“We run good, our passing game is good, and our defense,” Westchase 12U running back Tyrone Taylor added. “Especially our defense. Our defense is number one.”
Now, those three teams have qualified for the Pop Warner Super Bowl, a national tournament in Orlando.
“It’s a blessing we can take it this far to nationals,” Westchase 9U running back Cyrus Jackson said. “I’m grateful we can make it to here so far.”
“Every year, we always win Tampa. Most of the time we win Florida, and the goal is to win Nationals,” Westchase 12U wide receiver Dewey Paxon said.
Westchase has won two Super Bowl national titles, with the 13U team winning in 2017 and, more recently, the 12U team taking the crown in 2021.
With three chances to win another national title this year, Colts’ president and 13U head coach Chuck McLeod thinks this year’s squad is due.
“We’ve been five or the last six years, and we haven’t won one in three years,” he said. “It would be big. It’s an unbelievable experience for the kids. Life-long memories. It would be big to win, of course.”
Westchase has been a member of Pop Warner since 2017, but their resume is unmatched.
“It starts with our volunteers and parents,” McLeod said. "There’s an expectation when you get here that our volunteers are the best trained. We go out of our way to make sure our coaches are USA Football trained. We also have our in-house clinics that we do.”
In addition to a pair of national titles, the Colts have 14 regional championships and 38 conference titles.
“I think when people hear ‘The Westchase Colts,’ they’re going to be like, maybe a little frightened,” Westchase 13U running back Bakari Pierce said.
The first round of the Pop Warner Super Bowl kicks off on Sunday.
“I think our leadership all season, we’ve all been really motivated,” Westchase 13U quarterback Aiden Alexander added. “We kind of had some unfinished business from last year. We’re looking forward to showing the nation what we got and what Tampa is looking like in Westchase.”
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