HENDERSON (KTNV) — The Henderson Cowboys 9U football team is heading to the American Youth Football National Championships in Naples, Florida.
“We worked super hard for this opportunity. It's just a life experience for a bunch of people that haven't been there. It's crazy,” said quarterback Zaydn Payne.
He started playing football when he was 5-and-a-half, taking on the position then and developing his arm along the way.
“You're the main person on the offense, and you're just a leader on the whole entire team,” Payne said. “You gotta know the plays, and it takes like two years to study that.”
His dad, Chantz Payne, serves as the team’s head coach. He said the season started in September with eight regular season games. They won two playoff games and then regionals.
“Seeing the overall growth from day one to now, it's cool to see,” Chantz said.
Getting to Florida, however, is going to take a lot more than talent and hard work. That’s why they created this GoFundMe page, hoping to raise $20,000 to offset costs for the team.
“A lot of our kids haven't been to Florida, let alone play in a tournament like that,” Chantz said.
Four other teams from Nevada are also going to the championship, which include:
- 7U D2 - Just Grind Sports
- 9U D1 - Vegas Strong
- 12U D2 - Las Vegas Tribe
- 13U All Stars - NYS Nevada
The team's first game is set for Sunday.
