By Steve Knez
BurbankNBeyond Staff Writer
At the beginning of the season, Midget Green Coach Corey Enman predicted that as many as three teams from the Burbank Vikings football program would make it to the Pacific Youth Football League Super Bowl.
It was a bold statement considering that only three Vikings teams have made an appearance in the title game in the entire 19-year history of the league. The last Burbank representative was in 2007 but all three teams were unsuccessful.
Enman’s prognostication nearly came true as Bantam Green, Midget Green and Senior Green made it to the semi-finals last Saturday. Midget Green and Senior Green each won hard fought contests and will now represent Burbank in the PYFL’s Super Bowl XX on Saturday at Thousand Oaks High School.
Midget Green (11-0) plays Ventura Black at 2:00 p.m. and Senior Green (10-1) plays North Oxnard Black at 7:00 p.m.
“We wanted to attract more kids to the program,” said Enman, who also serves as the vice-president of the Burbank Vikings. “The best way to do that is to win. This [success] is great for the program and great for the community.”
Midget Green’s march to the title game included an undefeated regular season in which the Vikings were hardly tested and a successful run through the playoffs that provided a handful of adversity. Last Saturday, the Vikings beat undefeated Lancaster 33-14 under miserable playing conditions in the Antelope Valley to advance to the championship game.
“We left no doubt on that field that we were the better team,” Linebacker Max Cotton said. “We fought through the playing conditions and now our hard work is paying off.”
Enman and assistant coach Dan Moore started preparing for this title run the day after last year’s season-ending banquet when they were in the Bantam Division. They had the boys flipping tires, pulling sleds and throwing medicine balls months before the season began. Preparation is the key to the Midget Green’s success this season and the two coaches have spent numerous hours studying video of their opponents. They are prepared for any possible situation.
Ventura Black, the No. 4 seed from the northern bracket, beat No. 1 Camarillo and No. 2 North Oxnard on its way to the championship game. However, the Vikings easily handled Ventura Black in a pre-season scrimmage game.
Much to the credit of the players, coaches and parents, Midget Green is a well-oiled machine. They don’t make many mistakes and they are versatile at every position. Their running game is explosive with Loyal Terry and Dante Coxsom and the defense is polarizing with linebackers Jake Moore and Trystan Daggs leading the attack. Sebastian Leal and Isaac Cordova are threats on offense and defense and guard Manny Pimentel is a menacing force.
“We feel so confident right now,” Daggs said. “We put in so much hard work and we play so well together. I can’t wait for Saturday.”
