MONDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 2009, MEXICO CITY - The eighth and final berth for the 2009 International Federation of American Football (IFAF) Junior World Championship has been claimed by Mexico.
The Mexican junior national team defeated Panama, 26-0, in front of a noisy capacity crowd of 5,000 in Mexico City Saturday to become the third and final representative of the Pan-American region to qualify for the inaugural international football tournament.
Mexico joins Canada, France, Germany, Japan, New Zealand, Sweden and the United States as the eight nations drawn from four continents to compete for football's first world championship of teen-aged national teams. USA Football's Junior National Team, led by head coach CHUCK KYLE of Cleveland St. Ignatius H.S., will represent the United States. All 12 tournament games will be played from June 27 to July 5 in Canton, Ohio's historic Fawcett Stadium, located adjacent to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. The tournament's game schedule and seeding will be confirmed shortly.
Mexico raced to a 12-0 first quarter lead and scored four unanswered touchdowns in a convincing 26-0 win. Javier Berny scored on a quarterback keeper on the game's first drive, but Mexico missed the extra point conversion. Physically-imposing Team Mexico soon scored again on a 45-yard touchdown run from Edgar Jesus Arroyo
Trailing 12-0, Panama mounted three first downs on an impressive drive, but was denied points when its 43-yard field goal attempt was blocked.
Mexico's offense continued to score on Panama on a 36-yard screen pass to David Alexis Paz for a touchdown and 18-0 halftime lead. Mexico missed its first extra point attempt and then failed on a pair of two-point conversion tries.
With 5:52 remaining in the fourth quarter, Team Mexico sealed its Canton-qualifying victory with an 85-yard interception return for a touchdown by cornerback Sebastian Miranda. Quarterback David Ramirez hit Augustin Octavio Aguirre Colorado on the two-point pass attempt for a 26-0 lead and eventual final score.
Mexico was represented by players from 17 teams or schools: Aguilas Blancas, Borregos Mexicali, Bucaneros, Buhos Patts, Cherokees, Cheyenes Culhuacan, Cheyenes I.P.N., Frailes, Gamos Cum, I.T.E.S.M. Campus Cd. de México, I.T.E.S.M. Campus Sta. Fe, I.T.E.S.M. Campus Toluca, Pieles Rojas, Politos, Redskins, Tigres CCH and U.V.M Guadalajara. The Panama roster consisted of players from four major teams within its borders, the Falcons, Jaguars, Panthers and Stallions.
2009 IFAF Junior World Championship Qualifiers:
PAFAF (Pan-American Federation of American Football): USA, Canada and Mexico
EFAF (European Federation of American Football): Germany, Sweden and France
AFAF (Asian Federation of American Football): Japan
OFAF (Oceania Federation of American Football): New Zealand
Visit the official 2009 IFAF Junior World Championship website at: http://www.jwcfootball.com/.
About IFAF
The International Federation of American Football (IFAF) unites more than 50 countries on five continents through a burgeoning international sport. With national football federations in existence for more than 70 years, IFAF was created in 1998 to organize and further develop the game through international cooperation and global competition. Having conducted Senior World Championships (players aged 20 and older) since 1999 in Europe and Asia, Summer 2009 in Canton, Ohio, represents the first IFAF Junior World Championship (19 years and younger). The IFAF office is located near Paris, France. For more, visit www.ifaf.info.
