The Florida Lightning All- Stars of Broward County attend the 2013 Turkey Day All-Star Classic National Championship of Youth Football
By Dedrick D. Henry, Sr. and Bobby R. Henry, Jr.
With a team of thirty- five twelve and thirteen-year-old boys, a coaching staff of ten and four team moms the Florida Lightning All- Stars headed for Atlanta. The Florida Lightning of Broward County dominated 2013 Turkey Day All-Star Classic Tournament until the championship game which was held in Atlanta, Georgia on Thursday, Nov. 28, 2013 – Saturday, Nov. 30, 2013. The tournament which is considered the Little League Football All-Star Classic invites the best football teams from all over the United States to compete for total dominance and state bragging rights. The tournament this year was held at McEachern High School located in Powder Springs, Georgia.
On Thursday, in front of a crowd of over 3,000 spectators the Florida Lightning’s first competitors were the Memphis Ducks All Stars. The Lightning held the Ducks scoreless, winning the game 22-0. Friday morning the Lightning faced off with the home state team the Decatur Devils All-Stars which turned out to be a defensive match up, but the Lightning stood strong to pull off a 13- 6 victory. The Lightning now undefeated in the tournament showed their resilience and determination by also defeating the Georgia Super Sized Shoal Creek Bengals All-Stars 13- 12 on Friday night just hours after their previous victory.
Saturday was the championship and with the Lightning winning its’ previous games they were highly favored as well as fatigued as they took the field against the Detroit West 7mile Rams of the Motor City. The game was a defensive stand-off in which the Rams managed to secure a 6-0 victory over the Florida Lightning. Head Coach Zeff, Coach Rod & GM Rick, assistant coach & trainer Antwan, defense coaches Suge, Ced, Hill, and Bobby would like to especially thank the boys for their hard work, team work and commitment. And a special thanks to the team moms as well. Thank you to all our supporters, sponsors and cheerleaders for their constant support and contributions.
“This was a great experience and opportunity for the boys to meet other athletes their age from all around the US and for them to learn sportsmanship, teamwork, dedication and unity in an unfamiliar atmosphere. They also got a chance to play in a 240,000,000 million dollar stadium which seats 12,500. See you again next year Atlanta, We’ll be back,” stated Coach Bobby.
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