Saturday, November 2, 2024
Do you believe in second chances?
Well, I do and, as it turns out, so does the Gold Coast Youth Football League Board of Directors.
As you may recall if you are an avid reader of this blog, our grandson Jacob's Pop Warner football team, the #8 seeded Camarillo Stingers Blue, lost their Quarterfinal Playoff game last Saturday to the #1 seeded North Valley Bears by a score of 20-6.
In the days following the game, the Stingers' coaching staff was able to prove beyond a doubt that four Bears players did not play the required minimum 12 plays. One of those four players only entered the game for two downs.
The result of this flagrant violation of the most basic and oldest of Pop Warner rules meant that the North Valley team had to forfeit the game thus resurrecting the Stingers' season and giving Camarillo a spot in the Junior American Conference Playoff Semifinals!
Now the question was, would the Stingers be able to rise to the occasion and take advantage of their new life?
Is so, they would have to do it without Jacob who was still ailing at home, a step away from a bout with pneumonia according to his physician.
The Semifinal Games would both
be played at Simi Valley H.S.
#8 Seed Camarillo Stingers Blue
7 Wins - 2 Losses
2024 Season Results
34 Santa Barbara Saints Black - 0
38 Simi Valley Bulldogs Orange - 14
30 Ventura Packers White - 6
36 Oxnard Knights - 28 OT
8 Simi Valley Bulldogs Black - 20
0 Santa Clarita Wildcats White - 8
30 Saugus Spartans Grey - 0
Junior American Conference Playoffs
10 #9 Camarillo Stingers Grey - 0
2 #1 North Valley Bears - 0 Forfeit Win
Nov. 4 vs. #5 Santa Clarita Aztecs
#5 Seed Santa Clarita Aztecs
8 Wins - 1 Loss
2024 Season Results
34 Saugus Spartans White - 6
26 Calabasas Rams Gold - 0
36 Santa Clarita Wildcats White - 0
32 Camarillo Stingers Grey - 0
40 Saugus Spartans Grey - 0
40 Simi Valley Bulldogs Orange - 0
0 Simi Valley Bulldogs Black - 14
Junior American Conference Playoffs
46 #12 Simi Valley Bulldogs Orange - 6
34 #4 Fillmore Raiders - 14
Nov. 4 vs. #8 Camarillo Stingers Blue
The game Kicked Off at the ungodly hour
of 8:00 a.m. on a perfect, crisp Autumn
morning just made for playing the great
game of American football!
The Aztecs were a running team
Thus the battle in the trenches
would be real all morning long
The Aztecs caused the Stingers
problems controlling the Edge
That meant that the need for team
pursuit and gang tackling would be
of the utmost importance for Camarillo
Lots of Hand-to-Hand Combat in The Pit
GREAT pass rush forced . . .
. . . this big interception by the Stingers #87!
Now on Offense the OL pass blocked
extremely well to allow the exploitation
of a weak Aztecs secondary
#87 was a force at WR too
Camarillo ran the ball just well enough
to keep Santa Clarita off balance
The Aztecs #74 was HUGE!
This Aztec Fumble . . .
. . . was recovered by Stingers FS #87
That pick set up this . . .
. . . TD PASS!
With 3:32 left in the First Quarter and having successfully completed a two-point PAT pass, Camarillo led, 8-0.
Aztec turning the corner again
Team pursuit minimized the damages
A Tackle for Loss helped greatly
Another random Aztec pass . . .
. . . led to another . . .
. . . interception by Camarillo FS
#87 to close out the First Stanza
After the first ten minutes of play, #87 had made two interceptions and recovered a fumble plus a key pass reception WOW!
End of the First Quarter
Camarillo - 8
Santa Clarita - 0
Lots of Stingers caught passes today
This Aztec was possibly their best
two way player and easily their hairiest
Yes, he was tackled by his hair a couple of times and yes, that is a legal tactic.
#87 about to . . .
. . . catch another big pass . . .
. . . set up this short TD pass!
#87 catching the two-point PAT pass
With 8:32 left in the Second Quarter, the Stingers held a surprising 16-0 advantage.
The Aztecs responded with another
efficient run
This collision might just leave a mark
GREAT JOB #1!
Darn, another solid run by the Aztecs
The Aztecs scored their first TD
The Santa Clarita two-point play was stopped and with 4:02 left in the First Half. The Stingers' lead had been cut to 16-6.
The Camarillo passing game was
EN FUEGO!
The Offensive Line continued to shine
Is that Aztec'c technique legal?
The Pass Blocking kept the Stingers'
QB upright all game long
The Stingers just had to double-team
that Aztec behemoth
Catch the pass, turn and RUN!
Cutting back in the open field
GREAT PAD LEVEL!
#21 making a ballsy TD catch in traffic!
The two-point PAT pass attempt was incomplete but with just 0:05 left in the Second Quarter, the Camarillo lead was extended to 22-6.
Was this really happening?
The Stingers' Defense stopped the
Aztecs' last ditch play of the Half
Halftime Score
Camarillo - 22
Santa Clarita - 6
#87 going deep again to start
the Third Quarter . . .
. . . and making another big catch!
The Aztecs doing what they do best
RUN TO THE BALL STINGERS!
NOT SO FAST MY FRIEND!
Nice stretch in those Aztec jerseys
Aztecs on the Goal Line
The Stingers stopped them . . .
. . . tough on the inside . . .
. . . three times . . .
. . . before allowing this TD
The Santa Clarita two-point PAT was good and the score was now Stingers 22 - Aztecs 14 with 5:52 left in the Third Quarter.
The Stingers' Bull Elephant joined
the running attack
With three Stingers banged up in the game and three others not suited up today, the depth was becoming an issue.
A SAVAGE Stingers' pancake block
GET THERE!
End of the Third Quarter
Camarillo - 22
Santa Clarita - 14
We believe that we will win!
FOURTH QUARTER!
Nice Form Tackle #78!
Controlling Gaps on Defense
HUSTLING TO THE EDGE!
A key Third Down Stop
HANDS UP!
HOLD ON TO THE BALL!
The Stingers eating up the clock
with their running game
Tackles for Loss are so good
against a team that can't pass
WRAP HIM UP!
It was getting more and more
frantic as the seconds ticked away
Finally, the best play in football,
"TAKE A KNEE!"
FINAL SCORE
#8 Camarillo Stingers (8-2) - 22
#5 Santa Clarita Aztecs (8-2) - 14
EXHILERATING!
WAY TO GO STINGERS!
Up next for the miracle Stingers is the GCYFL Junior American Conference Super Bowl.
As for today's GCYFL Semifinal action at Simi Valley H.S. . . .
10:00 a.m. Semifinal Game
#2 Simi Valley Bulldogs Black (8-1) - 22
#3 North Oxnard Warriors (1-9 *) - 0
* This North Oxnard Warriors played in the Junior division's upper league, the National Conference during the regular season and were relegated to the American Conference for the Playoffs
Junior American Conference Super Bowl
Saturday, November 9, 2024
at Santa Barbara City College
#8 Camarillo Stingers Blue (8-2)
vs.
#2 Simi Valley Bulldogs Black (8-1)
The Kickoff time is yet to be announced but 8:00 a.m. sounds good to me.
These two clubs met back on September 28th at Camarillo H.S. which was the Stingers Blue team's only home game of the soon to be eleven game season. On that BEAUTIFUL day for American football, the Bulldogs Black prevailed 20-8.
Still, don't count these gritty, vagabond Stingers out just yet in this rematch.
For the record, the Junior Blue Stingers, besides their one home game at Camarillo H.S., will have played games this year at Santa Barbara City College twice, Simi Valley H.S. twice, Oxnard's Pacifica H.S. twice, Oxnard's Channel Islands H.S., Ventura's Buena H.S., Saugus H.S. and at Sylmar's El Cariso Community Regional Park.
On a much smaller level, all of this travel smacks of what Cal and Stanford are enduring by joining the Atlantic Coast Conference this year.
