Most Mansfielders know that their Tyger football team was nearly perfect this year and competed for a state championship. What they might not know is that Arlin Field played host this weekend to over 300 elite sixth, seventh, and eighth grade football players competing in the Eastbay FBU national championship. And in true Ohio fashion, mother nature provided epic weather conditions to make the games even more interesting.
Twelve teams from Massachusetts, Indiana, New Jersey, and Maryland traveled to Mansfield to take part in the semifinals of the national, 64 team tournament. An organization called Football University is behind the national all-star tournament, providing a showcase for the best youth football players in the country. According to the FBU web site, they provide “an invitation-only training experience exclusively for the nation’s most elite youth and high school players.”
Athletes receive NFL-level training and coaching and the program boasts NFL and D1 college players such as Eric Reid of the San Francisco 49ers, Marcus Mariota of Oregon, and Tajh Boyd of Clemson.
Team Seventh Grade Indiana, which was victorious on Saturday, is indicative of the competition involved in simply making the championship level squad. “Over 300 players were evaluated from all over Indiana to make this team”, said Robin Davis, a parent (and incidentally, a Buckeye fan) who traveled to Mansfield to cheer on his team.
Sunday will host the regional championship in each division, with games being played all day long beginning at eight a.m. Championship contests will be at two, four, and six o’clock in the afternoon. The FBU hosts a wrap up program on their YouTube channel and can also be followed on Twitter at @fbu_nc.
