Correspondent

Three seasons that began in the heat of summer concluded on a clear but frigid morning, as six of the city's best recreation league youth tackle Football teams battled for supremacy at the Virginia Beach Sportsplex on Nov. 22.

The players were boys ranging in age from 10 to 14 and ranging in weight from 70 to 145 pounds. But hard-hitting tackles and NFL-sized big plays were the order of the day.

Here were the matchups, divvied up by weight and/or skill sets:

* The Courthouse Cowboys took on the Larkspur/Salem Bison in the 125-pound B League final;

* the Cooke Hokies battled the Larkspur/Salem Lions in the 125-pound A League championship;

* and the 145-pounders wrapped up the day with a title clash between the Green Run Spartans and the Woodstock Rams.

125-pound B League final:

Courthouse Cowboys 34, Larkspur/Salem Bison 26

The rallying cry from the Cowboys rang out through the crisp air in rhythmic fashion: "Shut them down!"

While the mantra did little to slow the Bison during regulation, the Cowboys came up with a crucial stop in overtime, tackling Larkspur's Devin Broadnax for a 2-yard loss on fourth-and-goal on the 7-yard line to seal the 125-pound B League championship.

The Cowboys opened up overtime by going to running back Jack Brown (53 yards rushing, two touchdowns), who took a 3-yard run on third down into the end zone to put the Cowboys ahead for good.

Nicholas Boniface nabbed a 2-yard pass from quarterback Justin Schoonover for the 2-point conversion that put the Cowboys ahead by eight.

From there, the defense made sure that Broadnax and running back Raekwon Randolph stayed clear of the end zone for the win.

"Defense has been our moniker all year: We only run about 10 plays and keep it simple," Cowboys head coach David Schoonover said. "I only had about four returning players, so this really means a lot."

Leading 20-18 entering the fourth quarter, Justin Schoonover appeared to ice the game for Courthouse when he intercepted a Broadnax pass for a 45-yard touchdown with 2:57 remaining to give the Cowboys a 26-18 edge.

But Ra'Quan Battle answered with a 57-yard return for a touchdown on the ensuing kickoff, which forced overtime after Rodrick Nicholson caught a Broadnax pass for the game-tying 2-point conversion.

125-pound A League Final:

Larkspur/Salem Lions 16, Cooke Hokies 12

Despite being out-gained by the previously undefeated Hokies - 111 yards to 82, the Lions were able to come up with big stops on the Hokies' 2-point conversion attempts to ensure a close victory.

Running backs Myles Broadnax and Devin Davis combined for 82 yards and two touchdowns as the Lions led the championship game wire-to-wire.

The Lions converted one of the Hokies' three fumbles lost into the game's first points when Broadnax punched in a 2-yard score with 4:42 left in the second quarter. Davis provided the extra points with a 2-yard run of his own to make it 8-0.

But the Hokies responded on their next offensive play as Byron Ford broke off a 34-yard run that featured slick, tackle-eluding moves for the touchdown. The Lions stopped the Hokies on the 2-point try to maintain the lead.

Larkspur took advantage of prime field position in the third quarter as Davis capped a drive that began on the Hokies' 7-yard line with a 6-yard touchdown run, which became a 16-6 lead when Broadnax scampered 2 yards for the 2-point conversion.

Cooke found the end zone again - a 54-yard run from Long - with 2:55 left in the game, but the Lions' previous stop on the 2-point conversion, paired with their two converted extra point attempts, proved too much for the Hokies to overcome.

"Extra points are what really held us back all year," Lions coach Darius Carr said. "I really tried to emphasize on the team fighting more in the red zone."

145-pound League Final:

Green Run Spartans 20, Woodstock Rams 12

While Football may be the consummate team sport, Tavion White put on a one-man show for the ages as the Spartans won their second city title in as many years.

White almost single-handedly derailed the Rams' undefeated season (9-1), rushing for 268 yards on 36 rushes for all three Spartan touchdowns. He out-gained the entire Rams team by 192 yards on the game.

Of his 268 yards, 127 of them came on his three electrifying touchdown runs - all of which coming from more than 30 yards out.

The Spartans (8-2) took the lead on a 31-yard breakaway from White that made it 8-0 with 4:17 remaining in the first quarter.

After the teams exchanged fumbles deep in Spartans territory, KaRaun Overton took a 9-yard run into the end zone with eight seconds left in the first quarter. Rams quarterback Lloyd Lee was unable to even the score when his 2-point pass fell incomplete, and the Spartans retained their 8-6 edge.

Outside of White's 61-yard touchdown run near the end of the second quarter, the teams played 10 minutes, 44 seconds of scoreless Football as the Rams stayed within striking distance at 14-6.

But White sealed the game for Green Run with a 35-yard touchdown sprint in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter.

The Rams answered immediately, as Brehon Daniels ran back a 65-yard kickoff return for a touchdown on the ensuing kickoff to bring the score to its final margin.

John Streit, 639-4805, vb.beaconsports@yahoo.com

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