Teams Head to Florida for National Championships
By Matthew Cannata | Sports Correspondent at December 5, 2023 | 9:00 am | Print
It’s been a great few weeks for football in New Britain and it got even better with the news that the Junior Hurricanes and the Police Athletic League Raiders were each sending a team down to Florida for their respective national championship games. The two teams are leaving this weekend and are preparing to play against some of the best competition they have ever seen.
New Britain Junior Hurricanes
The Junior Hurricanes seventh grade team will be departing on a chartered coach bus for Tinsdale Park in Kissimmee, Florida on Friday, Dec. 5. They earned this trip after defeating the Cranston Chiefs from Rhode Island, 48-20 in the New England Regional Championship Game on Nov. 23.
Alex Torres, both president of the league and coach of the seventh grade team, said that while traveling to Florida places a financial burden on the parents and program, it represents the culmination of hard work and sacrifices made by the players, parents and coaches over the past several months. Torres was quick to point out that this is New Britain’s accomplishment and not just that of the Junior Hurricanes program.
“We are witnessing the return of New Britain football to a prominent level in the state and country from the youth ages to the high school level. We have some former Junior Hurricanes that are currently in high school playing on the New Britain PAL Raiders team that qualified for the Pop Warner National Championships. We would like to send a hugecongratulations out to them and their program! In addition, we want to congratulation the high school team for making the Class LL playoffs! It is an honor and privilege to be a part of New Britain football and great to see the success these young men are having on and off the field!”
As Torres mentioned, there is a heavy financial burden placed on the parents and the program. The team is accepting donations, which can be made through www.gofundme.com/nbjrcanes. You can also mail them to PO Box 576 | New Britain, CT | 06050.
The schedule will be released on Saturday after all the teams have checked in but Torres said the team will prepare the same regardless of who they are playing.
“We are going back to the basics and focusing on sharpening our fundamentals and technique. This means watching film, making corrections and getting better with our assignments while perfecting our execution. We will work on getting better every day and that is all we can control. At this point in the season, it is 90% mental keeping them focused, grounded and motivated! That is probably the most underrated aspect about coaching and I believe it is more important than the X’s and 0’s.”
New Britain PAL Raiders
The New Britain Police Athletic League Raiders will be headed to Walt Disney World after defeating East Lynn, Massachusetts, 42-0 in the New England Regional Championship on Nov. 23. Over the years, they have won several league championships, 15 state championships, nine New England Regional Championships and two National Championships.
The players, who are between the ages of 12 and 15, flew down to Florida on Thursday, Dec. 4 and will remain there until they are eliminated from the single-elimination tournament. In a televised broadcast on ESPN3 earlier this week, they found out that they would be playing the Morgan Hill Raiders, who hail from California. The game will be played on Sunday at 1 p.m. and will be televised live on ESPN3.
Dennis Beaty, a retired police Captain, founded the program in the 1970s and is still active in the organization today. He says that this will be an experience that the kids will never forget.
“This is for the kids. A lot of them have never been on an airplane and a lot would’ve never had the chance to get to Disney. It’s a bonding experience. We’ve played in the National Championship Tournament nine times and when we see a lot of our former players, even those who played Division 1 college football, they tell us that the best time of their lives was when they went to Florida.”
The head coach of the Raiders is Stephan Brownlee and Beaty said that he has been doing a phenomenal job getting the kids prepared each week while also helping them excel in school. One of the more interesting things about Pop Warner is that they hold mandated study halls for the players down in Florida. Players are expected to attend study hall and do their work from school or they will not be allowed to play in any tournament game. Due to the expectations already set on them by Brownlee here in New Britain, Beaty expects no problems in this area.
The league is also sending two cheerleading teams down to Florida and Beaty estimates that it will cost $50,000 to send all three teams. While they have received a few generous donations to this point, they could still use a lot more to help offset the costs. Donations are being accepted in person and through the mail at the Police Department at 10 Chestnut Street | New Britain, CT 0651.
Beaty noted that it’s a great thing for New Britain, especially considering the success all across the city.
“Having two teams from different organizations in the same city headed to Florida for the National Championship Tournament is an awesome thing. The high school team is in the playoffs as well and we wish them luck. This all speaks well for the future of football in New Britain.”
