Youth football team makes desperate plea to raise money for trip to big game

HENRY COUNTY, Ga. — A Henry County Pop Warner football team has been chosen to play in the Pop Warner Mitey Mite Super Bowl in Orlando, but after a major donor backed out, their trip is in serious jeopardy.

Jennifer Rice is the vice president of the Henry County Mustangs. She says she and others promised the players if they made it, they’d be going to Orlando this weekend for the big game.

Documentation from the Pop Warner league shows $20,000 is needed to send the team for three days to Disney World.

Rice thought they’d meet their goal, especially after someone pledged $10,000. But that pledge fell through and now the team has come up short.

“A lot of these kids have severe ADHD and the school labels them behavior-issue children. But here we don’t see that. These kids are amazing children,” she said.

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Their coach, Tony Philon, says they’ve earned it and deserve to go.

"We worked very hard all year long. We pushed them. We pushed them very hard. And we told them if you win, this is where you’re going,” Philon said.

“We’re about $8,000 shy,” Rice said.

Now they’re worried they’ll have to break the news to the Mitey Mites.

“They’re gonna be devastated. We’ve told them for months they’re going,” Rice said.

If you'd like to help, contact Rice at 404-512-9147 or donate to the GoFundMe. The team is supposed to leave Thursday for the trip.

Cox Media Group