This youth football team from Columbus and Phenix City won a national championship
A local youth football team has brought home a national championship trophy.
The age 8-and-under Twin City Outlaws, representing Columbus and Phenix City, won their division’s national title with a 30-6 victory over the Georgia Eagles of Atlanta on Dec. 11 at Nathaniel “Traz” Powell Stadium in Miami, Florida.
“I am very proud of the team,” Outlaws head coach Timothy London told the Ledger-Enquirer. “The guys fought hard all season long to get to this point.”
An organization called Youth National Championship conducts the annual playoff series to crown winners in age divisions from 8-14. To qualify, a team must be ranked in the national top 10, London said. The Outlaws were ranked No. 2, and the Eagles were ranked No. 1, he said.
The Outlaws went undefeated in 22 games this year, London said, including the summer season in June and July, the regular season in August through November and four wins in the national playoffs.
This is considered the first national title for a Columbus youth football team, London said.
The team’s players are Oryan Auguste, Jaedyn Crowell, Kadrian Hall, Jeremiah Hardaway, Rashane Hills Jr., Robert Holmes, Joshua Jackson, Ashton Jones, Jace Kidd, Cameron Kyles, Elijah Long, DeWinston Meniefield, Juan Merritt, Darrius Mills Jr., LaJaevian Moore, Durante Moss, Tristan Moss Jr., Bryce Patrick, Tiandre Rogers, Dontareus Taylor, Taylor Turk, Ameer Turner, Kevin Watts, JenTrez Williams, Tristen Wilson and Zaiden Wineglass.
The team’s staff members, along with London, are assistant coaches Kevin Hall, Darrius Mills, Robert Holmes, Chris Kyles, Nathaniel Patrick, Eric Moore, Torie Jackson, Rashawn Long and team mom Briana Patrick.
Mark Stinson, Reggie Lyles and Chris Lee started the Outlaws program in 2016 with one team. Now, they have a team for each age division 5-11.
“The program was designed to display and showcase the talent in our area and serve as a mentorship so that kids can have guidance to keep them out of the streets and away from violence,” London said.
Asked why Outlaws is the program’s name, London said, “We want to outlaw our kids out of violence and crime and put them on the path to being law-abiding.”
London thanked D.A. Benson Tax Service, Jerome Dune Walton and former NFL running back Isaiah Crowell, who played at Carver High School, Georgia and Alabama State, for helping to support the nonprofit organization, which is looking for additional sponsors.
For more information about the program, email twincityoutlaws@gmail.com.
This story was originally published December 30, 2021 at 12:56 PM.
