Youth football teams preparing for battle

Northern California Federation Junior Youth Football, also known as NorCalFed, is gearing up for the 2010 fall season and the local programs of Orland, Corning, Willows and Colusa are currently practicing in preparation for their season openers.

NorCalFed is comprised of 24 programs this season, which are divided into divisions of six. The Northern and Southern Conferences each have Division I for more of the larger communities and a Division II for the smaller ones.

There are five teams in each program, ranking in age and weight from youngest to oldest: Mighty Mites (age 6-7, 45-85 lbs.), Junior Peewees (age 7-9, 50-95 lbs.), Peewees (9-11, 60-115 lbs.), Junior Midgets (age 10-13, 70-145 lbs.) and Midgets (age 11-14, 110-190 lbs.). Since high schools have their own football programs, players entering ninth grade are ineligible regardless of age or weight.

All teams have a nine-game regular season schedule. No official score is kept for the Mighty Mites or Junior Peewees and they do not have a postseason. Records are kept for the older three groups and there is a seeded playoff system, a standard eight-team bracket that crowns a champion in each conference.

The season opener for all teams is the weekend of Aug. 28-29.

Orland Aztecs

The Orland Aztecs compete in North Division II with Yreka, Corning, Anderson, Central Valley and Red Bluff.

The Aztecs will continue to be competitive in league play despite being one of the smallest communities to support a NorCalFed program.

Orland qualified for the playoffs in two of the three competitive levels last fall, and both of those squads battled their way to the championship game.

The Peewees lost only once, outscoring their foes 184-30 during the regular season en route to a 8-1 record. They were undefeated in North Division II action and finished 11-1 overall, blanking the Corning Lions in the final, 27-0.

The players who remain on that team will lead the up-and-coming Junior Peewees from last year, and those who move up to Junior Midgets will strengthen Orland at that level.

The Junior Midgets of Orland also had a remarkable year, finishing 10-2 with both losses coming against the undefeated Corning team in league play and the DII finals. The Aztecs blanked Wheatland in the playoff opener, 20-0, and outlasted Colusa in a double-overtime thriller, 19-18, to reach the championship. They fell to Corning, 27-16.

The holdovers from that squad will join forces with the strong class of Peewees coming up, and the bigger, older players will advance to boost the 2010 Midgets team.

Orland kicks off its season on Aug. 28 at Willows in Battle of the Axe Futures match-ups, beginning at 8:45 a.m. with the Mighty Mites.