The Area Youth Sports Peewee football team made up of third and fourth grade students from Jay, Livermore and Livermore Falls won the Central Maine Football League Championship Saturday, Oct. 28, in Gray. Pictured in no order after their win are team members Eli Ayer, Connor Blodgett, Oliver Bruen, Abel Clark, Harvey Cote, Dominic Crenshaw, Tucker Cyr, Emmett Gemelli, Jace Giroux, Jett Giroux, Stanley Harnden, Grayson Hodgkins, Reese Mason, Austin Merrill, Ethan Pollis, Otto Richardson, Liam Turner, Zander Webber, and Damion Woodsome and coaches Adam Clark, Eric Gemelli, Patrick Healy and Shane Mason. Submitted photo

GRAY — The Area Youth Sports (AYS) Peewee Football team defeated Gray-New Gloucester 16-6 on Saturday, Oct. 28, to claim the Central Maine Football League Championship.

The championship game was a lot closer than the score portrays. Gray-New Gloucester Patriots scored first in the second quarter of the game. Their 2-point conversion attempt failed leaving the score 6-0 at the end of the half.

“Jace Giroux started the third play of the third quarter with an 80-yard touchdown run, followed up by a two-point conversion by Grayson Hodgkins,” Eric Gemelli, head coach, said on Sunday, Nov. 6. “Late in the fourth quarter Zander Webber scored a five yard touchdown run followed up by a two-point conversion by Jace  Giroux.”

The Patriots were left with 2:45 minutes left to score twice to overtake the Phoenix, Gemelli noted. Eli Ayer led the defense to shut the Patriots down and win the championship, he added.

AYS programs are for children in the Jay, Livermore and Livermore Falls area. The Peewee division is for students in grades three and four. During the regular season the Phoenix lost their first game to the Mt. Blue Area Youth Football Bobcats with a score of 6-8. The Phoenix then defeated its next four opponents: Dirigo 18-0, Mt. Valley 18-0, Mt. Blue Area Youth Football Lynx 20-0 and Telstar 20-6.

In the playoffs the Phoenix overpowered Lisbon 26-8 on Oct. 16, then pulled out a close win over Oak Hill 20-16 on Oct. 22 to advance to the championship game.

Other team members were Connor Blodgett, OliverBruen, Abel Clark, Harvey Cote, Dominic Crenshaw, Tucker Cyr, Emmett Gemelli, Jett Giroux, Stanley Harnden, Reese Mason, Austin Merrill, Ethan Pollis, Otto Richardson, Liam Turner and Damion Woodsome.

Assistant coaches for the Phoenix were Shane Mason, Adam Clark and Patrick Healy.

This team worked hard, never gave up, Coach Gemelli said during the trophy presentation. They are a family, help each other out, he noted. “I am proud of them,” he stated.