West Lynn Pop Warner preps for Florida

In what has become something of a post-Thanksgiving, pre-Christmas tradition, the West Lynn Pop Warner A squad is once again preparing for a trip to the “Sunshine State.” For the third time in as many years, the Rams are heading to Orlando, for the Division 2A Super Bowl tournament, held at the Disney World sports complex.With its first contest scheduled for Saturday, Dec. 7, the team is preparing for its imminent departure. Travel details are still being ironed out, but Rams coach Maurice Cordy is ready and waiting.?Things are still up in the air a bit about how we are getting down there, but however it turns out, we will be leaving by Friday morning at the latest,” explained Cordy, who coached the B squad to the 2009 tournament. “This will be my fourth time taking a team to this tournament and I?ve enjoyed myself every time.”The team hosted a fundraising event at Tony?s Pub, where 20 percent of the night?s income was donated to the trip. A comedy show held at the Volunteer Yacht Club on the Lynnway also helped the cause.The players got themselves involved in the process by canning as well as doing group yard work around the city.?We tried to get our kids more involved this year in the money-raising process,” said Cordy of the team?s new cleaning service. “We put out ads in the newspaper and the kids had some fun together. They were able to help out some of the elderly and bond a bit more as a team.”Despite the stresses of fundraising, Cordy has never found himself overwhelmed by the process.?I have never been left with any doubts about us getting down there,” Cordy explained. “It was a little straining the first year because it was new but we manage to find our way each year and it?s always a good time. Once the fundraising is over with, it?s really just all fun from there.”The Rams have, for the most part, been quite successful in the their past tournaments, winning at least once each time except in 2011. The locals lost in the title game in 2009 and 2012.?We have always shown that we can compete with the best Pop Warner teams in the country,” said Cordy. “We probably should have won in 2009, but in 2011 we lost five kids to injury. We shouldn?t have been allowed to play but they let us with the 13 we had and we only lost by scores of 14-0 and 14-6.”In order to bring home their first championship, the Rams will rely on the play of their four captains, who are making their second trip to Disney. Cody Mullen, Tyshawn Anderson, Douglas Guevara and Jonathan D?Oleo will be asked to lead the way both on and off the field.?As of now, they can only help the first-year kids with talk,” explained Cordy. “Once we get down there, they will be able to influence the team. They know about the curfews and the demands to get their homework done. We will need them to be leaders.”The team will learn about its upcoming competition during a selection show aired on ESPN3 this evening. The team will gather together for dinner before watching the show via a live feed.