Northwest Raiders honored in Harrisburg for Pop Warner win

The Northwest Raiders, winners of the 2014 Pop Warner Super Bowl, were recognized in Harrisburg on Monday.

The resolution was jointly sponsored by state Reps. Rosita Youngblood and Stephen Kinsey and paid particular attention to the academic standards the organization holds. 

“These players aren’t just athletically gifted; they’ve also had to prove their intellectual mettle in the classroom just to get the chance to complete,” said Youngblood. “In the end, it is the latter that will serve most of them well, because a good education can’t be taken away by a bad injury, like those that have short-circuited many athletic careers.”

“We can be proud of the way the Northwest Raiders played the game – and doubly proud of the fact that they emerged victorious. In so doing, they’ve become role models for countless other youths,” said Kinsey.

On Dec. 13, the Northwest Raiders defeated Connecticut’s New Britain Raiders 26-6 in Orlando, Florida to capture the “Midget” Pop Warner Super Bowl. It was the association’s first-ever national title. 

“It’s an amazing feeling — nothing like it,” said quarterback Naeem Bonner at the time. “We went down there, handled our business, came back with a trophy.”