Gwinnett Daily Post

ATLANTA - An unseasonably warm Saturday afternoon saw the seventh-grade Parkview Panthers (9-3) fall to the seventh-grade Wheeler Wildcats 44-16 and the eighth-grade North Gwinnett Bulldogs (10-2) defeated the eight-grade Wheeler Wildcats 12-0.

In a competition sponsored by the Atlanta Sports Bureau, Chick-fil-A and Georgia Tech, both the Parkview and North Gwinnett teams competed at Bobby Dodd Stadium for the honor of being named champions during halftime of the upcoming Chick-fil-A Bowl.

The Chick-fil-A Youth League Championship is an event that began in 2000 and offers local youth league teams the chance to play for a championship in a bowl game environment. Both parents and fans arrived early and the campus of Georgia Tech was full of youth football supporters cheering on their favorite teams and players.

For Parkview, both Chris Carson and Anthony Covington contributed touchdowns but an elusive ground game eventually allowed Wheeler to distance themselves from the Panthers. In the second half, quarterback Ali Groves' 58 yards rushing and successful two-point conversion were not enough for Parkview to close the gap. As time expired, both coaches and players displayed excellent sportsmanship in congratulating Wheeler on its 44-16 victory.

Fans of Gwinnett County high school football might want to remember the name Rahmil Brantley. The North Gwinnett player was dominant at both running back and linebacker in addition to scoring both of the Bulldogs' touchdowns in their 12-0 victory over Wheeler. Steven Burger and Jordan Washington contributed five and six tackles respectively and the stifling North Gwinnett defense dictated play throughout the afternoon.

In victory and defeat, it was clear that both Gwinnett teams enjoyed their experience.