Ponte Vedra flag football team caps perfect year with national title

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Perfection is hard to achieve in any sport, but that is exactly what a squad full of Ponte Vedra area fifth and sixth grade flag footballers recently did.

The Ponte Vedra Raiders consisted of 12 players, all from the local area, and finished 36-0 on the year and won the Under Armour Under the Lights Flag Football National Championship on July 25 at IMG Academy in Bradenton.

The team played their home games at Davis Park.

“I realized how special of a group they were when I saw how quickly they bonded and became a team,” head coach Alex Campbell said. “We can tell them what to do, but to actually see it is something else.”

The Raiders’ success was not just this summer but was something that carried through the entire year, as they won the fall and spring seasons before laying claim to the state title in March.

Campbell could not help but be impressed by the consistency and maturity his team showed, despite being so young.

“We preached composure to them,” Campbell said. “It’s all about being the best you can be when things are high and the best when things are at their lowest.”

During the two-day showcase, the Raiders team won all seven of the games it played against teams from across the nation and put a cap on the weekend with a 26-7 victory over the Patriots from Dallas in the final.

The Raiders jumped out to an early lead and maintained it throughout thanks to a stellar defensive effort that coincided with the offense scoring on nearly every possession of the contest.

“Every individual on the team stepped up,” Campbell said.

Flag football can favor the offensive side of the ball at times, which makes allowing just seven points in a contest quite the feat.

Just like in tackle football, pulling the flag of a ball carrier comes down to having proper form and positioning.

“The game of flag football is very fast-paced,” Campbell said. “We work a lot on fundamentals and technique.”

According to Campbell, one his proudest moments was when the league’s director told him how impressed he was with how respectful the Raiders were both on and off the field during the tournament.  

“A lot of it was just having a good group of kids,” head coach Alex Campbell said. They developed good friendships with one another. They were all each other’s biggest fans.” 

Some of the kids had played together in prior season, which made for an easy transition for those new to the team.

The team included J.T. Campbell, Jake Contner, Bryce Lapenes, Mic Pfaff, Noah Wozniak, Jacob Otzel, Maddox Tepper, Camden Tietze, Ryan Ortbals, Tucker Henderson, Truett Henderson, and Matt Mazzella.

Although it was the players that did the work on the field, Campbell also credited the players’ parents for the support and involvement they provided all year long.

“The parents help make the experience,” Campbell said. “This team had a great group.”

Ponte Vedra, Ponte Vedra Raiders, flag football, Under Armour Under the Lights