PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — The Eagles are not the only Philly-area football team pursuing a championship this year. A youth football team from Darby, Delaware County is just a few games from realizing its goal of becoming national champions.
The Delco Monarchs Pop Warner 14U football team went 9-1 this season, winning their league championship then the eastern regional playoffs. That qualified them for the national Pop Warner Super Bowl in Orlando, Florida, running Dec. 2-9.
"It feels amazing to be able to do this with the people I've been with for as long as I could remember," said running back and defensive tackle Semaj Brown, who expressed his excitement to continue the season in Florida.
Coach Rahsaan Lisimba agreed with Brown. "We built a team and formed a family," he said.
Quarterback Sean Frazier said this season has been all about growth on and off the field. "It's really been fun to hang with my teammates, get to learn the nuance and get to learn as we go," he said, while defensive back and receiver Sheldon Hannible called their run incredible.
"We made it kind of far one time and lost," he said. "Now that we actually made it, it's actually great and I'm proud that we made it."
Despite that run, however, the season was nearly cut short. The team needed upwards of $25,000 to make it to Orlando. That's when their Delaware County community came in clutch, according to Lisimba.
"We called on the community and the village stepped up, and they supported us," he said. The team received thousands of dollars from residents throughout Darby, from friends and family to borough police, to elected officials.
When it comes to off the field, the team, which needed upwards of 25 thousand dollars to make their trip to Orlando for the national championship…received thousands of dollars from people throughout Darby from borough police to elected officials.
"It's exciting because the community is helping young kids be able to put their name on the map, and show what they are really capable of doing," said Frazier.
The team leaves for the national championship tournament on Saturday, and they're focused on bringing a big trophy back to Delco.
"Our eyes are on the prize and we want to be the best in the country," said Lisimba. "We want to be known as the best in the country."
