Football Contacts
Howard Collmar - 704-866-0904
Alan Melton- 704-904-7498
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Practices are from 6 - 8 PM
Monday/Tuesday -- Thursday
Friday-Team Meetings
No practice on Wednesdays
Practice subject to change. Please contact your childs coach.
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JPW 2009
Head Coach: Alan Melton
Asst. Coach: Tracy Black
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Team Mom: Mandie Payne
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PW 2009
Head Coach: Mike Pressley
Asst. Coach:
Asst. Coach:
Team Mom: Mandie Payne
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2009 MMN
Head Coach:
Asst. Coach:
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Team Mom:
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2009 MMS
Head Coach:
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Team Mom:
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2009 TM
Head Coach: Jesse Brackett
Asst. Coach: Kevin Caulder
Asst. Coach: Jay Goodson
Asst. Coach: Edmond Platt
Asst. Coach: Troy Phillips
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PW 2008
2007 Greater Gaston Division I Champions
2008 Greater Gaston Division II Champions
2008 Mid-South Division II Champions
2008 Division II 2nd Place National Champions
Head Coach: Mike Pressley
Asst Coach: Charelos Elkins
Asst Coach: Jeff Humphries
Asst Coach: Bernard Timmons
Team Mom: Mandie Payne
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JPW 2008
2006 National Champions
2007 2nd in The Nation
2007 Division I Mid South Champions
2007 Division I Greater Gaston Champions
2008 Division I Greater Gaston Champions
Head Coach: Alan Melton
Asst. Coach: Chad Garrigan
Asst. Coach: Rusty Melton
Asst. Coach: John Safrit
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MM North 2008
Head Coach: Justin Mixter
Asst. Coach:
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MM South 2008
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Team Mom:
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TM
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2006 Pop Warner JPW National Champions!
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2006 JPW News Clippings
POP WARNER NATIONAL CHAMPIONS: Hurray! Union Road Jaguars!
Gastonia Jr. Peewee football players win convincingly in Florida
By KEVIN CARY Charlotte Observer
T.J. Fair still had the Pop Warner football gold medal around his neck Tuesday night as he talked about being a national champion.
The 11-year-old was all smiles as he showed photos of himself and his 29 teammates from the Union Road Jaguars. The Jaguars won the Jr. Peewee division at the Pop Warner national championship Saturday at Walt Disney's Wide World of Sports, defeating the East Bay (Calif.) Wranglers 39-6. The Jaguars won their three games in Florida by a combined 115-18 score.
"It was unbelievable," said team athletic director Howard Collmar. "To watch them was awesome. I mean they didn't just win, they dominated."
T.J. wore his black Jaguar jersey with pride. The team members not only beat out thousands of other U.S. teams for the title, they earned the praise of Pop Warner officials and even former NFL star Tim Brown for their humble success.
Brown signed the guestbook on the team's Web site, and praised the team's ability to work together. That cohesiveness helped Union Road dominate its three opponents in the national championship tournament.
Union Road defeated Manoa Paniolo (Hawaii) 42-12 on Dec. 3, then beat Southside (Texas) 34-0 on Dec. 6. No other 2006 Pop Warner national champion won its division by a bigger margin.
They succeeded through persistence. The Jaguars opened practice Aug. 1, and used a no-nonsense approach all season. Union Road never attempted a pass during the national tournament, using speedy runners and strong blockers to overwhelm its opponents.
"I told the kids, `If we all trust each other, we'll be fine,' " coach Alan Melton said.
The players believed from the start -- long before running back Aveontay Armstrong broke free for a 63-yard touchdown midway through Saturday's game. That run by "Sumo" -- the team's nickname for Aveontay -- was replayed on ESPN over the weekend, but the 11-year old Gastonia resident didn't want to take all the credit for it.
He fidgeted after a question about the touchdown run, but quarterback Jevon Patton piped in for his teammate.
"He looked like LaDainian Tomlinson out there," Jevon said. "...We all worked so hard for this. We knew we were ready."
They'll have to be ready for more spotlight soon. The Gastonia City Council will recognize the team Tuesday at its 6 p.m. meeting, and ESPN will rebroadcast highlights of Saturday's championship game Dec. 27. Melton said a Sports Illustrated writer who had followed the team during its final two days of play hinted he might do a story on the Jaguars.
The team could use funding more than fanfare. Collmar said it cost $40,000 to send players and cheerleaders to Florida for the national tournament, and the team's fundraising is still $8,000 short of that figure.
But players aren't talking about refinancing, they are talking about a repeat. Melton said at least 18 of the 30 players will move up to the peewee division next year, but the Jaguars aren't concerned. They watched "Miracle on Ice" last week, and then lived out their own Cinderella story.
Why not do it again?
"Everybody else is moving up, too," T.J. said. "We'll be ready for them
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