In what proved to be two very competitive and well played games in the Medal Round of the 2nd Global Youth Jamboree, Oak Grove, California was able to hold off Monterrey, Mexico to win the Championship, 6-0; and LaSalle, Cancun went to overtime to defeat Pearl City, Hawaii 14-6.

In the championship game, the USA team scored on an 8 yard run in the second quarter, using a bruising ground attack vs the primarily pass-oriented AFAIM squad. Though able to put on a few sustained drives in the first half, Oak Grove was only able to score once due to an inopportune fumble and the stubborn Mexican defense.

The third quarter was a defensive struggle as both coordinators made halftime adjustments that proved difficult for the offenses to handle. Monterrey did complete some timely passes, but the fierce rush by California caused a few key sacks and fumbles. Similarly, Monterrey´s aggressive defense would not allow the Oak Grove runners to get loose.

It was about the same in the final quarter, until Oak Grove muffed a punt long snap with less than 3 minutes left in the game, and AFAIM recovered on the 10 yard line. The fans were going wild as Monterrey, coached by highly respected Coach Alfonso Cerna, ran three times into the quick defensive line, with little gain. On 4th down a fade route to the corner was well covered and the ball fell uncaught, requiring Oak Grove to simply run out the clock and win the hotly contested game.

Coach Dave Haney of the championship team commented, ¨Monterrey gave us everything we wanted and more. I have a great deal of respect for the quality of football they played, and so do my players. We are proud to have come here to Cancun and won, as our boys worked hard for this tournament.

In the bronze medal game the host team from LaSalle, Cancun proved to have the timely plays when needed most, in overtime, to defeat the Pearl City Chargers of Hawaii, 14-6.

LaSalle scored in the first quarter with an efficient running game, going up 6-0, but Hawaii answered with its own drive and touchdown with only 3 seconds remaining in the half to tie the score. The second half proved to be great youth football as both teams made plays on offense, but both defenses made key stops to kill drives. Although both teams were able to get into the red zone in the 4th quarter, neither could score. So we went to Overtime and the local fans got totally involved in cheering on their boys, which may have been a huge factor. Cancun scored in just 2 plays, made the PAT kick, and put the pressure on the young men from the Island of Oahu. LaSalle was able to stop Pearl on four downs and take home the victory for third place.

The fifth team in the Jamboree, Jupiter, Florida, chose to withdraw from the final games so they could fly home in advance of the arrival of Hurricane Emily on the Yucatan Peninsula late Sunday evening.

The Global Youth Jamboree culminated with the Awards Party at the Gran Camino Real Hotel in Cancun, the host site for the event. Each player, cheerleader, coach and staff member received a commemorative medallion and ribbon, presented by Global Football President, Patrick Steenberge, and Juan “Pepe” Romero, our host coach and local coordinator.

Emily, the largest recorded hurricane ever in the month of July in the Western Hemisphere, fortunately waiting until after all the games were played on Saturday to rush on shore about 40 miles south of Cancun. Though weather channels had been predicting her arrival all week, the locals were convinced she would not come, since it had been three decades since the previous big hurricane in this area. In preparation for the storm, Coca-Cola had to remove the shade tents and chairs at the game field early Saturday morning, but the wonderful hosts at LaSalle University assisted in providing backup seating for the teams and fans. All those who were still in Cancun on Sunday were evacuated to the Mall de las Americas in central Cancun city, inside an 8-theatre movie complex, which proved to be as comfortable as possible under the circumstances. Our group had one theater basically to ourselves, with soft cushion seats, blankets and pillows provided, along with plenty of food throughout the night. It was an odd night to be sure, with roaring winds outside, and no electricity or news inside. The highlight may have been when the Hawaiian team sang their native land songs for hours, accompanied by a ukulele one of the players had brought with him. When the doors were opened at 7 am, and the fresh air began to filter into the mall, we were all grateful to be safe. We returned to the wind-damaged hotel and beachfront, and rearranged flights home for all. Some got out as planned on Monday, while most waited one extra day for the air traffic to return to normal. It certainly was another story in everyone’s lives!

Information on the 3rd Global Youth Jamboree, to be held July 10-17, 2006 will be available in mid-August on the www.GlobalFootball.com web site. A limit of 16 teams per division will be permitted. For information contact Patrick@globalfootball.com