Brian Woodward - In The Zona

scottsdale Firebirds
The Firebirds played in the Central Arizona Youth Football League’s Midget Division, where
they went 9-0 in winning the state championship, 32-0, over the Chandler Blitz,last year’s
YFL national champions. All 5 players below were starters on the Firebirds team and plan
on attending Brophy in the fall.
Representing
Arcadia!
st thomas the apostle catholic school
Nationally Recognized Blue Ribbon
School of Excellence
52 ND ANNUA L HEA RD MUSEUM GU ILD
Where Art Meets Entertainment
MARCH 6 & 7
Art · Music · Food · Entertainment
Exhibits · Apache Village
Featured Entertainer:
R. Carlos Nakai
Halfback
Cornerback
Get
Psyched
BROPHY!
Tight End
Romano scored a
touchdown with
50 seconds to go
to send the
championship
game to overtime
Flanker
Offensive
Tackle
Quarterback
Middle Linebacker
Arcadia’s Five Firebirds (l to r)
Will Edwards, 51, St. Theresa, 8 th grade
Romano Bottini, 32, St. Theresa, 8 th grade
Zack Kotoske, 23, St. Theresa, 8 th grade
Jake Dempsey, 15, St. Theresa, 8 th grade
Brian Woodward, 5, St. Thomas, 8 th grade
The Firebirds scored 277 points in their march to the title while only allowing 58 . They were named
as one of eight Regional Champions that were invited to play in the National Championships in
Orlando December 5-11, 2009. There, Scottsdale played 3 games in 5 days, beating a team from
Maryland, 56-6 in the first game, a team from San Jose, 16-8 in the semi final and losing to Staten
Island, 32-24 in overtime in the national championship game.
zona: Tell us about your National Championship trip to Orlando. Was it all business, or did
you find time to have fun? brian: We called our trip to Orlando a business trip – and we
did take it seriously during practices and games but when we had free time we definitley
took advantage of it. zach: It was one of the best trips I have ever taken? zona: What did
you learn while you were there? Romano: I learned how to work hard to achieve a goal
while I was there, and I’m very appreciative of the opportunity to go to a place like Orlando
and play in a tournament like that. Jake: While in Orlando I learned that heart is a big part of
football, and that there are better teams out there and you have to fight harder than anyone
else to be the best. I am very appreciative of my opportunity. zona: What did you guys
do in Orlando when you weren’t playing football games? zach: We played mini put-put,
hung around the hotel together and ate at Joe’s Crab shack. zona: How in the world did
your team get so good? Brian: I think it was a combination of coaching and talent. We had
really good athletes but we depended on the coaching to get us prepared physically and
mentally for our games. zona: Favorite NFL team? Favorite Player? jake: AZ Cardinals.
Anquan Boldin. romano: AZ Cardinals. Beanie Wells. zach: The Bears. Charles Woodson.
Brian: Philadelphia Eagles. Brian Dawkins. will: The Saints. Devin Hester.
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zona: What are the three most important things in your life right now?
will: Sports, Family, God. jake: God, family & friends, and my education.
zach: God, Getting in to the high school of my choice, and family. Romano:
God, School and Sports. zona: Do you have a favorite teacher? Brian: My
favorite teacher at St. Thomas is Ms. Junker. She cares for each student so
much as an individual and student. She has a great sense of humor and is really
passionate for what she teaches. Romano: My math teacher at St. Theresa, Mrs.
Griffin, because she is an awesome teacher, and helps me reach my full potential
in Math. zona: Can you tell us something funny that happened in Orlando?
zach: Not so much funny, but more angry when me and Jake walked in our
room to see Nick and Brian sleeping in our beds, and it smelled awful. zona: Do
you think the Firebirds have prepared you well for high school ball? Romano:
The Firebirds have prepared me very well for high school football because of all
the tough practices and competition we played against is just like the high school
competition. zona: Do you think you were a better team than Staten Island
and would probably win if you played them again, or were they deserving of the
victory? zach: Staten Island is a great team. I would love to play them again for
another shot at victory. I think we could win. zach: If we got them again we
would win. will: We were better, but we made too many mistakes.
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1/15/10 4:55:38 PM