West Orange Bobcats 8U team wins national tournament

For the first time in the program’s history, a team from the West Orange Bobcats advanced to — and won — the championship game at the AAU Tackle Football League Based Nationals.

The Bobcats 8U team, coached by Danny Glover, went 5-0 over the three-day event at Northeast Regional Park in Davenport, including an exciting 19-18 victory over the Apopka Raptors in the championship game.

That final game marked the only time the team allowed points on defense, as the Bobcats were responsible for four shutouts in five games.

The other West Orange Bobcats team at the national tournament, the 14U team, went 1-2. The 14U Bobcats won their first game by defeating the Seminole Sharks 26-14, before being defeated in the second game of pool play by the Hammer Down Tar Heels and again in bracket play by the Conway Falcons, 14-12.

Meet the Bobcats

1 — Saphir Miller, 2 — Gavin Badua, 5 — Dakiren Glover, 6 — Dominique Redding, 7 — Anthony Johnson, 8 — Brodon Moore, 9 — James Burroughs III, 11 — Kortavious Parker, 13 — Rhett Meyers, 14 — Eric Weems, 15 — Michael McGinn, 18 — Michael Puleo, 21 — Samuel Grande, 22 — Blaze Allen, 24 — Jaxson Wells, 25 — Cade Scheer, 31 — William Strange, 32 — Jake Koziol, 40 — Anthony Schmelzie, 42 — Terrance Drain, 87 — Alan Zimmerman, 90 — Roman Chism, 93 — Daniel Albertson

Coaches: Danny Glover (HC), Rob Zimmerman, Roger Badua, Kevin Meyers, Mike Chism, Ivan Taylor, Dez Johnson