Hoffman's Pop Warner team one win away from championship game

The Hoffman Estates Redhawks youth football team is one win away from a trip to Disney World and its first chance in almost a decade to play in the Pop Warner National Championships.

The Redhawks, one of 16 youth teams in the country still playing, will take on the Lee's Summit (Mo.) Titans on Friday for the Mid-America Pop Warner Region title, and an opportunity to travel to Orlando, Fla.

If they win, they'll join two cheerleading squads from the Hoffman Estates Athletic Association who've already punched their ticket to their own national championships at Disney.

Though the Titans beat the Redhawks last year, this year's team is not discouraged about the rematch.

“We have a pretty good chance,” head coach Jason Fox said.

Fox coaches 21 players, ages 12 to 13, who've gone 14-0 this season. They won their last game 6-0 on Saturday.

“It was a defensive struggle,” Fox said.

This week's game kicks off at 2 p.m. Friday at Ames Field in Michigan City, Ind. Fox credited how well the team plays together and their knowledge of assignments for their success. How important is that? Imagine how good the Bears would be if their wide receivers always knew where to line up in their new offense.

Roberta Delgiudice, who leads the cheer program that's sending two teams of 17 to Disney World, said the program's 12- and 13-year-old squad competed in the finals in Florida last year.

“They have three new girls; the rest of them is the same core from last year,” she said.

Meanwhile, members of the 9- and 11-year-old team going to Disney are completely new to cheerleading.

The athletic association is working to raise funds to pay for the trips, which cost about $25,000 per team. The championships are held the week of Dec. 4 to 11.

Donations can be made to the Hoffman Estates Athletic Association, P.O. Box 95641, Hoffman Estates, IL, 60169.