West Lynn Pop Warner advances

With a sturdy defense, the West Lynn Pop Warner A squad defeated the Ypsilanti, Mich., Panthers, 29-0, in the opening round of national championship play at the ESPN Wide World of Sports complex in Kissimmee, Fla. on Saturday.”It was probably the toughest defense we’ve seen all year,” coach Maurice Cordy said on Sunday. “We had to fight for every yard we got.”The score stood at 8-0 at halftime and 16-0 entering the fourth quarter before West Lynn broke open the game late.Abraham Toe scored two touchdowns, one on a 10-yard run and the other on a 79-yard punt return.Jonathan D’Oleo scored on a 40-yard run, while James Hunt Jr. scored on an 11-yard run and also played well on defense.Gabriel Bernard recorded a safety for West Lynn.Defensive standouts included linebackers Alphonso Weah-Weah and Cody Mullen, and safety Tyrone Henderson.”Our defense as a team played really well,” Cordy said.The West Lynners advanced to the semifinals, where they will play the Palm Bay Rockets (Fla.) Tuesday at 3:15 p.m. in Kissimmee.Rich Tenorio can be reached at [email protected].