Winter Haven Wolverines Youth Sports League Honored at City Hall
by James Coulter
The Winter Haven Wolverines Youth Sports League had the opportunity to celebrate their accomplishments over the past season during the recent city commission meeting.
At their scheduled meeting on Mon. Jan. 13, the Winter Haven City Commission was visited by representatives, coaches, and athletes from the Winter Haven Wolverines Youth Sports League.
Angela Tutson alongside President of the Wolverines Bernita Riley took to the podium that evening to address the commissioners and tell them of the many accomplishments achieved during their seasons these past two years.
In 2023, the flag football team, under head coach Desory Black, won the Super Bowl in Daytona Beach, Fl, while the senior level won as runners-up.
Also that year, Tamara Thurman and all five levels of coaches won first place at the MidFlorida cheerleading competition in Kissimmee, Fl. The junior level also won as grand champions at the Spirit Championship Competition and Best of the Bay Championship in Tampa, FL.
The next year, on Oct. 19 2024, all levels of the cheer team, under cheer coordinator Charlese Riley, won the MidFloridaCheer Competition in Poinciana, FL, coming in first place and being awarded the grand champion in all levels.
The Baby Wolverines won first place and were named grand champions at the Spirit Championships held at Polk State College on Nov. 17, 2024. The Mighty Might Wolverines won second place, Elite Wolverines won first place and grand champions also, and the Winter Haven Wolverines overall won as the most spirited group.
The Lady Wolverines continued and went on to compete in Tampa, Fl on December 8th, 2024 at Showcase of Champions with Spirit Championships and won first place and grand champions
Also in 2024, all levels of the football division advanced to the second round of playoffs, which was held in Rockledge, Fl on Nov. 22.
Recently, both the flag football team, under coach Terel Farlow, and the senior team, under coach Ted Sharp Jr, won the MidFlorida Super Bowl Championship in New Smyrna Beach on Nov. 11, 2024.
On Dec. 7 through 14, the flag football team, under coach Black, won the national championship title at the United Youth Football League.
The representatives, coaches, and athletes in attendance received applause and had a group picture taken.
“We are proud of our cultures and the children we serve in this community and their accomplishments,” Angela Tutson said. “We wanted to share with the City of Winter Haven, who we represent at the Northeast Complex. We want to thank you, the city leadership, for giving us the opportunity to serve the Youth in our community.”
