Little gladiators on the gridiron

ALEX HART/Alachua County Today

Jhalon Walker in front of a race to the end zone during the championship game. His team, the Newberry Panthers, defeated Alachua.

NEWBERRY – The bright lights were on and shining down on a chilly field for the championship round of the four-to-seven year old flag football league in Newberry Tuesday night, Nov. 19.

The tournament began last Thursday, with 10 teams from around Alachua County. Teams from Waldo, Newberry, Alachua, Gainesville and Bronson participated, said Damon Messina, assistant recreation director for the City of Alachua.

The second final of the doubleheader on Tuesday matched the Alachua Ninjas up with the Newberry Panthers, who would prove to be victorious, in Division One.

The atmosphere was electric as the athletes left it all out on the field, hoping to bring their team and fans the glory they came for.

Coming into the game, the star player for the Panthers was Jhalon Walker, and Newberry was counting on him to have a big game to deliver a championship. He and his fellow runners out of the Newberry backfield had to outrush a stable of playmakers on the Ninjas’ side to prevail in this one. And they were up to the task.

Newberry jumped out to a one-touchdown lead, after a close game in the beginning. Then Walker broke a run to the outside and scampered down the sideline on his way to a touchdown to extend his team’s lead even more just before the break.

Coming out in the second half, the Ninjas moved the ball with ease against the Newberry defense, relying on a running attack. However, the team was unable to punch it in for a score from just outside the goal line, and in turn, missed an opportunity to cut into the Panther’s lead.

When Newberry received the ball back, there was little more than five minutes left to play. They ran two plays and then were called for an offside penalty, giving the ball back to the Ninjas, who once again had life.

Alachua continued to mix their running attack and drive down the field to draw the game back to one score. Then, just as he had done earlier in the game, safety Jhalon Walker made a play that could have easily broken the heart of every Ninja at the Easton Newberry Sports Complex.

As the Alachua quarterback looked to hook-up with one of his receivers for a late touchdown, Walker stepped in front of the pass and made the game-sealing interception. But not only did he get the takeaway, he ran it straight up the middle all the way back to the house, and all but assured his team’s victory.

“He’s been doing that for us all year long,” Panthers coach Mike Gilliam said. “It did not surprise me one bit that he came up with a big play there in the end as well.”

With Newberry up 26-8 and the game in hand, Alachua handed the ball off to the youngest of the competitors, just 2-years-old, to finish the game. This got the crowd going right before the final whistle blew, signaling the end of the season, and the beginning of the Panthers celebration.

The teams lines up at midfield and shook hands, congratulating each other on a great season, and then Newberry prepared to receive their championship trophy and medals.

The parents and fans from Newberry cheered loudly for their champions, and the side from Alachua joined in as well, showing their support. The kids joined their coach for a team picture, and with wide smiles in victory, held their hands up to show they were number one.

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