Dorchester rallies for Pop Warner win
LAKE BUENA VISTA, Fla. -- As a couple of parents cried out for divine intervention, the Dorchester Eagles yesterday staged an improbable come-from-behind victory in the Pop Warner Division 1 national playoffs that had all the markings of an answered prayer.
A day after the cash-strapped Eagles bused 24 hours from Dorchester's Garvey Park to
Enter McKinney.
Hobbling severely as the Eagles faced a fourth-and-17 dilemma at the Detroit 38, McKinney lofted a spiral to Laquane Bradham, who went airborne for an acrobatic, one-handed catch and a 29-yard gain. Jalen Felix scored moments later on a 4-yard run, as the Dorchester kids prevailed, 15-13, and advanced to the Junior Midget Final Four.
The Eagles play the Oak Grove Renegades of San Jose, Calif., Wednesday, for a berth in Saturday's Super Bowl.
"He has the heart of a champion," Dorchester coach Tony Hurst said of McKinney. "He inspired the team to come back and finish the game out strong."
As for Bradham's catch, Hurst said, "They'll be talking about that down here for a long time."
The Eagles, whose Midgets lost last year in the Super Bowl to a team from Oak Grove, Calif., also benefited from Javar Coleman's 13-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.
Thanks in part to the magic by McKinney and Bradham, the Dorchester boys fared better than three other New England champions in the Division 1 nationals. The Everett Huskies, Worcester Vikings, and New Haven Steelers each fell short in the first round and dropped to the consolation bracket.
Everett, whose Pee Wees arrived at Disney World with a 13-0 record, denied the Santa Ana (Calif.) White Monarchs any first downs on the ground in the game and trailed, 8-6, at the half. But the Huskies were unable to foil a couple of a big pass plays after the break and bowed, 24-6.
Everett's top running back, Matt Cafarella, scored the team's touchdown on a 1-yard carry. His father, Frank Cafarella, who coaches the Huskies, indicated the Everett kids may have been affected more than their California foes by the 82-degree heat.
"I thought we dominated the first half but got tired in the second," he said. "They pushed us around in the second half."
Worcester's Junior Pee Wees endured similar woes in a 26-0 loss to the Southside Falcons of Dallas. The Vikings trailed, 6-0, at the half but gained no traction after the break.
"They had more speed than we've seen and made more plays than we did," Worcester coach Mike Chapman said. "They're probably a little bit more used to the heat than we are."
On a day that started with Worcester playing on grass wet with morning dew and ended under the lights, New Haven's Midget team lost in overtime to the Palmetto (Fla.) Raiders, 14-8, as darkness fell.
Everett faces the Arlington (Texas) Thunder Wednesday in the consolation round, while Worcester plays the Manoa (Hawaii) Paniolos, and New Haven plays the Dale City (Va.) Tigers.
