The Dayton Valley Junior Pee Wee Blue Devils Pop Warner football team finished the regular season with a come-from-behind 13-12 win over Feather River Tigers to win the league championship.
Dayton clinched a playoff berth with the win. Both teams were 6-1 going into the game. The Blue Devils overcame a 12-0 deficit to beat Feather River, avenging its only loss, an 8-6 defeat in Portola, Calif.
Dayton will host a playoff game against South Tahoe at 10 a.m. Saturday at Dayton Valley Junior High. Dayton defeated South Tahoe earlier in the season. The winner will advance to the Snow Bowl the following week.
In the regular season finale, Feather River scored in its first six plays of the game and scored again on a touchdown pass. Dayton was able to drive down to the 10-yard line where Timmy Doyle scored, cutting the deficit to 12-6 at halftime.
With five minutes left in the contest, Dayton mounted a drive down to the Tiger 20, but Feather River held. Dayton forced the Tigers to punt, which Doyle returned to the Feather River 30.
The Blue Devils drove down to the Tiger 10 with two minutes left where Johnny Pollack scored on a cross play. Pollack then scored the game-winning extra point on the same play.
Other teams Dayton has beaten include Truckee, Lassesn and Winnemucca. The Blue Devils have 17 boys and one girl and most of the other teams they have faced have 30-plus players. Last year, the Blue Devils finished with a 2-6 record.
