Local Pop Warner team heads south

The Evergreen Bulldogs from Vancouver will take on the Southern Marin (Calif.) Broncos at noon on Saturday for a berth in the Pop Warner Super Bowl.

The Pop Warner Pee Wee Division playoff game will played at Andrew Hill Middle School in Santa Clara, Calif. The Pee Wee Division is for players ages 9-11, and “older-lighter” 12-year-olds who weigh between 75 and 100 pounds.

The Bulldogs (9-0) earned the opportunity to travel to Santa Clara by winning the Greater Northwest Conference championship last weekend at a Pacific Northwest tournament in Spokane.

Many of the players on this Bulldogs team played for the Evergreen Pee Wee team that made the regional finals in the Junior Pee Wee Division last season.

Head coach Brandon Victor said last season’s experience will help his team be prepared for this challenge. He noted that the Bay Area teams usually have more “older-lighter” players and play the game at a faster pace than Pop Warner teams in Washington and Oregon.

The winner of Saturday’s game will qualify for the Pop Warner Super Bowl, a multi-team event held Dec. 1-8 at Orlando, Fla.