Chargers are SoCal’s best

Two weeks ago, the Huntington Beach Pop Warner Junior Pee Wee Chargers could say they were the best team in the Orange Empire Conference.

Now, they can extend their rule to all of Southern California.

The Chargers won the Pop Warner Wescon Regional Championship on Saturday in Rancho Cucamonga, topping the Fontana Falcons, 26-14, at Chaffey College.

Coach John Siebel said he believes it’s the first time a Huntington Beach Pop Warner team has ever gone undefeated. The Chargers finish the year 13-0.

“We went as far as we could,” said Siebel, whose team won’t be advancing on to the nationals in Florida because the Junior Pee Wee division has a “bye” this year. A Junior Pee Wee team from Hawaii was guaranteed the spot.

“We started this back in August,” Siebel said. “We knew at the time we had the potential to do something special with this group of kids. Their hard work paid off. It didn’t come easy.”

Huntington Beach led through the regional final. Quarterback Keith “C.J.” McCord passed for three touchdowns, each to Isaiah Christon. Travis Burleson had a pass interception he returned about 40 yards, for the other Chargers score.

Siebel said his team also did an excellent job on Fontana’s running back, which he said was the best back his team saw all year.

“It was a battle of a game,” he said. “Our kids hung tough.”

The Chargers are traveling to Arizona on Saturday to play in one final game, an invitational bowl game against the Deer Valley Vandals, who Siebel said is the best Junior Pee Wee team in Arizona. The game is set for noon at the Glendale Youth Sports Complex in Glendale, Ariz.

The 2009 Huntington Beach Pop Warner Junior Pee Wee Chargers included: Karson Ayres; Michael Bala; Travis Burleson; Danny Cassaro; Isaiah Christon; DeMarlo Cobbins; Taylor Damron; Abel Diaz; Chase Foreman; Bryan Kelley; Mitchell King; Thomas Kurzawinski; Hunter Martinez; Jackson McCleery; Keith McCord Jr.; Jacob Minnicucci; Shane Reardon; Rex Reeves; Johnny Siebel; Evan Smith; Michael Soto; Sean Strom and Brandon Womble.

Coaches were Siebel and assistants Jeff Damron, John Minnicucci, Daniel Schoonmaker, Quintin Schoonmaker and David Skube.