Two teams from North County Pop Warner won Southwest Washington championships on Sunday at Battle Ground District Stadium to qualify for regional play.
In the Pee Wee Division for players ages 9-12, North County defeated the Vancouver Warriors 28-0 to remain unbeaten.
In the Junior Pee Wee Division for players ages 8-11, North County edged the Evergreen Bulldogs, 6-0.
In the Junior Midget Division for players ages 10-13, the East County Jets defeated the Vancouver Warriors 28-0 to earn the Southwest Washington title.
In Pop Warner, divisions are dictated by a player’s age and weight on July 31. The oldest players in each division have a lower maximum weight than their younger teammates.
Both local champions from North County will travel to Santa Clara, Calif., for Pop Warner Division II regional playoff games on Saturday. If they win games on Nov. 20 and on Nov. 27 in the regional playoffs, they can advance to the Pop Warner Super Bowl in Florida.
The second-place teams from Southwest Washington will travel to Spokane this weekend to play against teams up from eastern Washington in the first Northwest Classic, a new series that will rotate between Spokane and Vancouver.
The East County Jets Junior Midget champions will also play in Spokane instead of traveling to Santa Clara for the regionals.
This will be the second trip to Santa Clara for most members of the North County Wildcats Pee Wee team. Last season, this squad represented Southwest Washington in the Junior Pee Wee Division, reaching the regional finals.
Coach Jeremy Hertner said last season’s experience should help his team this season. In Southwest Washington, his team won each game this season by at least four touchdowns.
In the Junior Pee Wee Division, North County defeated Evergreen for the third time this season to claim the title. The only touchdown was scored on a short quarterback sneak in the second quarter, capping a lengthy drive.
Coach Josh Racanelli said the offensive line and blocking backs keyed the drive on a damp afternoon. The Wildcats (9-0) beat the Bulldogs. Twice this season, North County came from behind to beat Evergreen during the regular season.
