SPECIAL TO THE JOURNAL:

This year the South Alabama Youth Football League (SAYFL) kicked off its inaugural season of smash mouth football for children between the ages of six and 12 years old.

The league was composed of teams from various areas in South Alabama, such as the Highland Home School Flying Squadron, the Luverne Tigers, the Opp Bobcats, the Andalusia Bulldogs, the Georgiana Panthers and the Evergreen Jaguars.

The season was kicked off with a jamboree exhibition game hosted by the Luverne Tigers at Glenn Daniel Stadium on Sept. 10. The Luverne Peewee Tigers were the standout team, and on Oct. 29 they reached the pinnacle of the league and were crowned SAYFL Regular Season Champs and Superbowl Champs for the 2016 year.

The Tigers fought valiantly this season by squaring up in head to head competition against the Highland Home Flying Squadron the first game and winning that game 30-6.

The second game of the season the Tigers had to travel to Opp and face the Bobcats. The Tigers dominated that game and walked out of Opp winning 56-6.

In the third game of the season, the Tigers hosted the Andalusia Bulldogs, and the Tigers came up victorious yet again with a final score of 55-7.

Week four brought a clash of the Titans as the Tigers then traveled to Evergreen to face the also unbeaten Evergreen Jaguars; the Tigers had a hard battle but walked away yet again victorious with a 26-17 victory.

That win allowed the Tigers to clench the No. 1 position in the league and secure the No. 1 seed in the Superbowl playoff series.

In week five, the Tigers hosted the Georgiana Panthers and won by forfeit and decided to play a scrimmage game. The Tigers put 18 points on the board, and did not allow the Panthers to touch the ending.

Week six was the playoff series hosted in Evergreen. The Tigers played the Highland Home Flying Squadron the first game on the playoffs and walked away from that game victorious with a 46-6 win.

The championship game of the night was played at almost 8 p.m. and the Tigers dominated the entire game walking out of Jaguar Stadium with a final score of 50-12.

The Tigers won the SAYFL Regular Season Championship, and the SAYFL Superbowl Championship.

The Luverne Tigers will go down in history as the first team to win both championships, and the first team of the new SAYFL to win both championships.

The Tigers are coached by head coach Jimmy Campbell, who also serves as league president and president of the peewee association, assistant coaches Will Tate, Spudd Lynn, Keith Stephens, Eric Harrell, Richard Lewis, Kip Smith and team medical support Paul Creel.

The Tigers also have a very strong supporting cast of parents who make sure their sons are safe, sound, well behaved, have remarkable grades and most of all loved.