Journal-News.com

DAYTON — The quality of Lebanon Youth Football continues to rise, and the proof was on the field last weekend at Welcome Stadium in Dayton.

For the first time ever, Lebanon had two teams represented at the Western Ohio Junior Football Conference "Super Bowl" as the Lebanon Fifth Grade Black and Lebanon Third Grade White played in their respective championship games. Lebanon Youth Football was the only organization among the 17 league members to have two teams reach the finals (first through sixth grades).

"It's a tremendous accomplishment for the players and the coaches of our teams and quite a compliment for our organization," LYFL president Randy Logsdon said. "I think it shows that Lebanon football is on the rise."

The Lebanon Fifth Grade Black team, coached by Jack Sayre, won the WOJFC championship, scoring in the final minutes to defeat Huber Heights (Wayne) Red 7-6. Cody Case ran in the all-important extra point after Kaleb Frankenburg scored the tying touchdown with just over two minutes remaining.

"The kids just played fantastic," Sayre said. "I'm so proud of them. This is a tough league but we played with heart and smarts and just played good team football. I am tickled to death."

The Lebanon Third Grade White team also scored in the final minute — on a 50-yard touchdown run by Cameron Rountree — but failed to convert a two-point conversion pass and dropped a 21-19 heartbreaker to Northmont White in the third-grade championship game.

Rountree scored two touchdowns and an extra point, and Zach Ball also scored for Lebanon White who came up just short of their second straight title. The Warriors, coached by Al Rountree, were Lebanon's first WOJFC champs a year ago when they won the Bantam Division (1st-2nd grade).

Lebanon almost put three teams in the finals as the Fifth Grade Maroon team (coached by Vince Murphy) fell one game short of making it an all-Warrior final when they lost to Huber Heights in the semifinals.

Overall, Lebanon advanced at least one team to the quarterfinals in all five divisions — the smallest of which had 35 teams competing (third grade) and the most of which had 41 teams (bantam division).

Contact this reporter at (513) 696-4526 or shayes@coxohio.com.