MONTGOMERY VILLAGE, Md. (DC News Now) — A Montgomery County youth football team is hoping to compete on the national level.
It’s been a journey for the Montgomery Village Chiefs 13U players to even get to this point after a shooting near their field almost two months ago nearly derailed their whole season.
A week ago the team pulled off an overtime win to clinch the Capital Beltway League championship. Now they have a chance at a national title in Florida, but they need significant financial support to get there.
“I’m happy that we persevered,” said head coach Jonathan Frazier.
The team persevered after a three-minute gunfight on Sept. 21 that started near an apartment complex and spilled into the parking lot at Spring Valley Park. No one in the league was involved, but a 17-year-old was shot and suffered minor injuries.
“All of us ran all the way to the corner over there to the woods so we could hide and protect ourselves,” said player Dylan Turner.
Though traumatizing for both players and parents, it was the kids who wanted to come back within two weeks.
“They said, ‘We want to go back home. We’re ready to go. We got unfinished business. This is our last year. We got some stuff we’re trying to get done,'” said Brice Jackson, commissioner of Montgomery Village Chiefs.
And the team got it done in overtime.
“It’s zero-zero the whole time. We get to overtime. We’re on defense. First, we force a fumble, we get the ball, we take three plays, get to the one-yard line, and then it’s fourth and one to win the game, and we win it,” Frazier said.
Player Houston Anderson said after the shooting, they weren’t sure if they were going to continue the season.
“So it meant a lot to get back and win the championship and have an opportunity to go compete in Florida for a national championship,” Anderson said.
Through adversity, they persevered and Frazier said the kids deserve to reach for a national title in Florida next month.
“We got over 30 kids trying to fly ’em down there. We gotta get hotels for a week,” Frazier said. “I would be devastated to not be able to spend just because something like, we just don’t have the funds to get there.”
With more than 30 kids on the 13U team, it would cost between $20,000 to $30,000 to send them to Florida.
Another Montgomery Village Chiefs team also qualified for nationals through a wildcard. So for both teams, that’s upwards of $60,000 they’re hoping to fundraise.
