Wednesday, Dec. 09, 2009

Team's Super Bowl victory is sweet

The Raleigh Vikings Junior League football team could not have had a better season. They were undefeated in all eight games, scored 256 total points, and shut out their entire field of competition. To top it off, the team won the City of Raleigh Junior League Super Bowl Championship Nov. 7.

"We set a lot of new standards, and we have a lot to look forward to," Head Coach Carlos McCain said.

The Vikings Junior League division is made up of kids 11-13 years old. McCain started the division just six years ago when he noticed a void in the Vikings program.

"The junior league age group existed in other city teams, but not the Vikings," McCain said. "I saw a need. In the past, kids in this age range have drifted away."

The Vikings make their home at the Chavis Park and Community Center. For McCain, it's his home away from home. The Selma resident is a counselor at the Johnston County Correctional Institute, and three nights per week, during football season, he leaves work and drives straight to Raleigh where he coaches his team in the evenings.

Darryl Webster is glad McCain started the junior league. An eighth grader at Daniels Middle School, Webster has been playing football for the Vikings since he was eight years old. He recently turned 14.

"I was born to be a football player," Webster said.

His dad, Darryl Webster, Sr., played football during his youth, and Darryl Jr. wants to follow in his dad's footsteps.

He plays two positions: linebacker and running back.

"I like scoring touchdowns," he said. "It feels great, and gets me all pumped up."

Darryl is the Vikings' first David Beatty Award winner. He received the award for demonstrating good sportsmanship; dedication to his education, and a winning attitude.

David Beatty was a Vikings player starting when he was 6 until he aged out of the program.

"David played for me on my very first junior league team," McCain said. "He went all the way through the ranks and he went on to play for Broughton."

Beatty is a senior at Broughton this year.

McCain grew up loving sports, and played football at this inner city high school in Washington, D.C. He completed a stint in the Army and in addition to his job as a prison counselor, he serves in the Air Force Reserves.

He has racked up his share of coaching awards, including a Carolina Panther Volunteer Coach of the Year Award this year, and the 2009 Fred Fletcher Award for Outstanding Athletic Volunteer. Last summer he was the News & Observer's Tar Heel of the Week for Aug. 23.

The awards and accolades are sweet, but his team's championship is even better.

Quarterback Jaquan Harris has been playing football since he was 5. He plays safety on defense, but as much as he enjoys hitting people and stopping his opposition, his favorite position is quarterback.

"I like to help my teammates, and I like to get my hands on the ball," he said.

Jaquan, 14, is an eighth grader at Upper Room Christian School in Raleigh.

He has demonstrated a keen ability to call plays.

"Jaquan has the ability to orchestrate the kids on his own, and I believe they could compete on the high school level," McCain said.

"Sometimes Coach tells me what to do, but I like to call my own plays," Jaquan said.

While football and winning championships are uppermost in the players' minds, academic excellence counts.

"Coach is a great role model for all the players," Jaquan said. "It's important to make good grades, to treat your parents right, to be good young men, and good representatives of our team."

Eight of McCain's Vikings are moving on, and they hope to play high school football. Meanwhile, the coach will continue to build the program and usher other kids through the ranks, marketing his secrets of success.

"We will focus on being humble and staying focused," he said. "These two ideals set you apart from everyone else and make you a winner."

It worked for the Vikings.