After seven weekends of play, the 2025 Youth Flag Football League wrapped up with a series of dramatic upsets as lower-seeded teams defied the rankings to claim championship titles.
Sixteen teams across four divisions faced off for the divisional semi-finals and subsequent finals on the last day of the league held on 6 Dec. at the Field of Dreams.
The day served as the climax of the season that began on 18 Oct. which league co-organiser, Jennifer Choice hailed as “the perfect close of off the action-packed season.”
Beyond the competitive divisions, the Grassroots programme, in its second year of operation, continued its work, with over 40 children registering this season.
Maggie Ebanks, youth league director, stated that the programme “accepted kids [aged] seven and under and provided a space for them to learn the game at their own pace [while serving] as a great introduction to the sport before joining one of the teamed divisions.”
10U division: Stars shine bright
The Cardinals, who entered the playoffs as the number one seed after a 6-0 regular season, edged out the fourth-seeded Parrots in a tight 7-6 contest, showcasing the collective effort of players like Dray Gould, Kason Strachan and rookies Haven Parsons and Julius Skeete.
Meanwhile, the third-seeded Stars, powered by the offense duo of Arana Fitton and Jimmy Westin and players like Jakob Frederick and Landon McTaggart being a part of the team defense efforts, claimed an 8-6 overtime victory over the number two seeded Blue Bombers.
In the championship final, the Stars rose to the top, securing the division title with a 19-8 victory over the Cardinals.
12U Division: Falcons fly high to claim the trophy
In the 12U Division, the semi-finals saw the top-seeded Hurricanes, bolstered by key players like Cecelia Connors, narrowly defeat the fourth-seeded Saints 26-21.
The other semi-final had the number two seed Falcons, led by the shared quarterback duties of Jackson Shambaugh and Camden Bergstrom, advance with a 26-13 win over the Dolphins.
The Falcons, riding a three-game winning streak heading into the playoffs, demonstrated superior momentum in the final, securing a dominant 28-8 victory over the Hurricanes to be crowned 12U Champions.
14U Division: Titans complete upset run
The newest division in the league saw the number one seeded Gators, led by quarterback William Westin, stunned in their semi-final matchup, falling 18-14 to the fourth-seeded Titans in a major upset.
In the other semi-final, the Raiders defeated the Tigers 27-14, setting up an unpredicted Titans versus Raiders championship.
The final proved to be a back-and-forth defensive and offensive battle with both teams trading touchdowns and stops until the Titans ultimately claimed the title with a narrow 20-18 victory to take the 14U crown.
18U Division: Bills ride momentum to championship
The top-seeded Patriots were defeated in the semi-finals by the fourth-seeded Bills who carried an extra burst of momentum into the playoffs to win 20-7 despite the rain.
The number two seed Spartans defeated the Eagles 12-0 in the other defensive-focused semi-final.
The 18U final closed the night with high energy, speed, and friendly banter with the Bills continuing their playoff surge, riding their momentum to a 28-19 championship victory over the Spartans.
Reflecting on the 18U Division, Maggie Ebanks said, “Without a doubt these players rose the level of play in this division to the highest it’s been in the past few years.”
With the 2025 season coming to an end, Ebanks added, “In 2026, we look forward to the introduction of an all-girls drive into the sport, the forming of Youth National Teams for international travel, some camps and mini weekend tournaments.”
