Gerardo Mora Photos
New Haven’s Steelers traveled to Orland for the Pop Warner Super Bowl. Alexandra Paparsenos sent in the following write-up:
The New Haven Steelers Junior Pee Wee team fell to the Waianae Tigers (HI) 28 – 0 in the first round of Division I national competition at the 56th annual Pop Warner Super Bowl at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando, FL.
The Steelers will play a consolation game against Watkins Hornets (DC) on Wednesday at 8:30 a.m.
Sixty-four teams from across the nation have battled their way through regional competition to advance to the week-long Pop Warner Super Bowl, the pinnacle of their young football careers. National champions will be crowned in four divisions based on age and weight — Jr. Pee Wee (ages 8 – 11), Pee Wee (ages 9– 12), Jr. Midget (ages 10 – 13) and Midget (ages 11 – 15).
Pop Warner is the nation’s largest and oldest youth football, cheer and dance organization, and the only one that requires academic proficiency in order to participate. The NFL Players Association estimates that roughly 70 percent of current NFL players got their starts playing Pop Warner.