EAST ORANGE, NJ — The East Orange Junior Jaguars U11 football team went down to Florida with one mission.
They wanted to return home with a perfect season and a national championship, after coming up short last season.
The Junior Jaguars got the job done.
Competing in Plant City, Fla., the Junior Jaguars defeated the Virginia Beach Mustangs to win the United Youth Football League national title. Under head coach Joe Lewis, East Orange won three games in Florida to complete a 13-0 season.
With a roster of 26 players, the Junior Jaguars qualified for the nationals after winning the Garden State League championship, as they defeated the ASG Chargers, from Palin, to win the New Jersey division and then defeated the New York division champions – the Southern State Seminoles, of Hempstead, Long Island, N.Y.
The Junior Jaguars have come a long way. They won just one game two years ago, before enjoying a remarkable turnaround last season, qualifying for the nationals in Florida, where they won one of three games to fall short.
But this time, they got their redemption.
The city of East Orange will honor the team with a parade on Saturday, Dec. 20, beginning at 11 a.m. at City Hall Plaza. A pep rally for the team will then take place at noon at East Orange Campus High School.
Lewis, a 1995 graduate of East Orange High School, has been coaching the Junior Jaguars for 15 years. To Lewis, winning the national championship is definitely sweet.
It feels absolutely great,” Lewis said. “The kids were so resilient. Just a couple of years ago, we were only 1-7. Then from 1-7, we went down to the championship game last year; we lost 14-7, but we still qualified down to Florida, where we won one game and lost two down there. But this year, the kids came back focused and practiced hard. We played spring football. The last two years, I haven’t stopped playing football or coaching football, just to have our kids ready. I’m proud of the boys; they showed resiliency, they showed heart, everything you can think of, from where we were two years ago to becoming national champions this year.”
Junior Jaguars president Tony Page was elated for the team on winning the national title.
“It’s a testament of what dedication and hard work look like,” Page said. “The coaches started (the season) early. Coach Joe started on a path maybe two years ago; he had an unsuccessful season and he really committed himself to say he would not let that happen again. His coaching staff and his kids dedicated themselves. They worked really hard, as far as their cohesiveness and their work ethic in the offseason, and that translated into the regular season.”
Photo Courtesy of East Orange Junior Jaguars president Tony Page
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