The East Lynn Pop Warner Tiny Mites ‘F’ squad completed a successful season with a glitzy 9-1 record.
The team of 24 football players, ages 5 and 6, went 6-0 in the regular season and won three more games in a postseason tournament before falling to Lawrence in the Tiny Mites championship bowl game.
East Lynn claimed bragging rights to the city by defeating the West Lynn Rams 30-18 in battle of unbeatens on October 30 under the lights at the Meadows. Quarterback David Brown Jr., son of head coach David Brown Sr., scored five touchdowns for the Bulldogs in that matchup of intra-city rivals.
Brown was a force on offense throughout the season, averaging three touchdowns a game. Brown also had an excellent season at the safety position.
Doren Benzan was a two-way standout at defensive tackle and offensive center. Linebacker Elijah Quintana was a leading tackler for the swarming East Lynn defense. Tyler McCullough excelled on both sides of the ball while Kevin Aquino was a strong contributor to the team’s success on defense.
Constantinos Koutoulas and Juan Setalsingh also played strong defense for the Bulldogs.
Jason Masemota was one of the team’s most improved players this season.
“For a first-year player at the age of 6, he became a great defensive player,” said coach Brown.
Brown said the returning 6-year-old players made considerable improvement from last year and they helped lead the team by setting a good example with their efforts during practice and in games.
“Our 5-year-old players got better as the year went on and I expect them to make great strides next year,” said Brown. “It’s tough to expect a 5-year-old to go out there and make tackles and be aggressive the first time playing at this level but they still did a great job this year.”
Brown, who guided the Winthrop boys basketball team to a state championship in March, thanked assistant coaches Kevin McCullough, Kevin Aquino, and Chris Marciano for their dedication and commitment to the team this season.
Brown said the team will celebrate its championship season at a breakup banquet in January.