Kids & Family
Collingswood Youth Football Team Takes First Title
The Panthers youth football squad powered past Sterling, 27-14, with a strong second-half performance.
The Collingswood senior youth football team capped off an undefeated season Friday night by taking home the Tri-County Midget Football League title game.
The victory represents the first championship the organization has ever won, and it was earned in comeback fashion, organizer Mike McKeown told Patch in an e-mail.
Trailing the Silver Knights of Sterling 8-6 at the half, the Panthers made some adjustments and battled back to overtake their opponents, 27-14 under the lights at Collingswood High School.
The panthers were led by seventh-grade running back Michael Jenkins, who rushed for three second-half touchdowns and more than 200 yards behind a big offensive line that included Xavier Gonzalez, Matt Meloni, and Chris Hoffner.
The defensive side of the ball was handled by captains Rafeal Rasario, Aaron Carter, Abdul Bungara, Sammy Sanchez, Maliki Richardson, and Onias Brown.
McKeown thanked all the coaches, parents, and cheerleaders, including coordinator Melanie Lawless, for their support and dedication to the program.
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