The Mint Hill Panthers represented the Greater Charlotte Youth Athletic Alliances proudly last month, winning the American Youth Football 8th Grade Under Armour National Championship in Orlando, Fla.
This marks the second consecutive national championship for the team from Mint Hill, N.C. Last year, the team won the AYF national championship in the Junior Midget division.
The Chargers earned passage to the championship by sprinting to an 11-0 mark achieved in dominant fashion; they averaged 38 points while conceding just three per game.
In Orlando, the team faced an arduous task: play three games with only one day of rest between each. They did, winning them all, capped by a 20-8 title-game victory over the Monroe (Conn.) Lions.
"It was a tough week playing three quality teams in five days," said Chargers head coach Mike Fairfax.
In addition, six members of the team earned AYF All-American honors and were selected to represent the East squad in the Jan. 4 Under Armour All-American game at the Citrus Bowl: Running back/linebacker Josh Glisson, quarterback Riley Ferguson, defensive back/wide receiver Malachi Hanes, linebacker Sean Wiggins, guard/linebacker Spencer Kendall and halfback/defensive end Uriah Lemay.
Fairfax was selected as one of the coaches for the squad, which won 20-12.
The Carolina Panthers are proud to congratulate the Chargers on their success last season.
American Youth Football and Cheer is a national youth partner of the NFL and is the world's largest youth football and cheer organization. The 2008 tournament hosted the top youth football teams, together with the best, step, dance and cheer squads from throughout the United States. In 2008 over 6,000 youth between the ages of 5-16 participated in the national tournament.
To learn more about American Youth Football and Cheer or the GCYAA please visit www.americanyouthfootball.com or http://www.gcyaa.com.
