CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Flour Bluff Youth Football League-Steelers from Corpus Christi are making their dreams a reality this weekend at the NFL Flag Championships, which is an event partnered with the Pro Bowl in Florida.
Under the lights, this 12-and-under flag football team is fine-tuning their plays before representing the region at the NFL Flag Football Championships against 19 other teams. To qualify, they won the Houston Texans regional.
"As soon as the game started it was like wow we're going to score every time we get the ball, and we did for the most part," Damian Shipley, flag football head coach, said. "I think we got stopped twice in the tournament. That was it, and it wasn't them it was us."
This Flour Bluff Youth Football league team is made up of five Flour Bluff middle school athletes and four from London.
"Like it helps me see the field better and know how to throw the ball in certain places," Troy Shipley, quarterback, Flour Bluff middle school, said.
Quarterback Troy Shipley has a lot of teammates he can throw the ball to, like Ethan Castillo.
"The short passes are better for me," Ethan Castillo, wide receiver, said. "I'm a lot quicker on my feet, and the long routes are better for our taller guys."
The team will also get a chance to meet some of their favorite NFL players because they earned tickets to the NFL Pro Bowl on Sunday. I had to ask, who is their favorite player?
"Well I'm a Steelers fan, and we have three people. I really want to see T.J. Watt, Minkah Fitzpatrick or Cameron Hayward," Troy Shipley, said.
"CeeDee Lamb because he's my favorite player and I like the Dallas Cowboys," Tyler Reymond, London seventh grader, said.
"Probably Devon Witherspoon because he plays for the Seahawks which is my favorite team," Braden Bliven, London eighth grader, said. "I think he's the best corner(back) in the league."
An opportunity that only became available because of flag football.
"We do it in a way that it would transfer to tackle football because that's our main goal," Damian Shipley said. "It was really neat to see the translation from flag football to the gridiron you know, and it's been really neat to see."
The flag football championships for the 12U Rec Division will start this Thursday with pool play at the University of Central Florida. Brackets begin Friday with championships on Saturday. The FBYL-Steelers are going by the name FB Hornets when they represent the Houston Texans.
