Chandler earned the Phoenix AYF Jr. Pee Wee division championship and a trip to Florida with a hard-fought 14-8 victory Saturday over the South East Valley Wildcats at Paradise Valley High School.

(Game photos, click here.)

The undefeated Wolves, who outscored opponents 293-6 during the regular season, used two long first-quarter touchdown runs and a stout defense to outlast the Wildcats.

After the two teams exchanged fumbles on consecutive plays, Stacey Boyd raced 42 yards for a touchdown to put the Wolves on top 6-0 with 4:36 left in the first quarter.

The Wildcats went three-and-out on their next possession, and the Wolves took over at their own 48 after a punt. Cito Hemphill-Toledo scored on a nifty 52-yard touchdown run on the first play of the possession. The Wolves led 14-0 with 1:57 left in the first quarter after a successful PAT kick.

Chandler forced a punt after another Wildcat three-and-out on the next possession, and the Wolves looked like they were going to take a commanding first-half lead when TJ Green scored on a 57-yard scamper on the first play of the possession. The play was called back for holding, and the Wolves’ offense could not gain traction for the rest of the game.

The Wildcats’ defense, led by William Porter, forced the Wolves to just one first down the rest of the game. The Wolves gained just 32 yards of total offense after their first three possessions yielded 141 yards.

“I’m very blessed to have a great defensive coach,” Wildcats’ head coach Steve Holmes said. “We have a bunch of kids who have a never-quit attitude, which will help them not only in football, but life.”

The Wildcats took possession at the Wolves’ 47 after Chandler turned the ball over on downs in the middle of the second quarter. A facemask penalty and an 18-yard pass from Brock Burton to Travis Moore helped the Wildcats offense penetrate deep into Chandler territory. Burton capped the drive with a 3-yard touchdown run, and a successful PAT kick made the score 14-8 with 5:27 to go in the first half.

Both teams could not do much on offense in the second half. Neither team had a first down in the second half until the Wildcats took possession at midfield late in the third quarter.

The Wildcats worked the ball inside the Wolves’ 10-yard line with a drive that lasted most of the fourth quarter. SEV had a fourth- and-6 at the Wolves’ 8 with 3:18 left in the game. The Wolves held and took over possession on downs and killed the clock.

The Wildcats finished with a 9-2 record, losing only to the Wolves.

“Our kids got better every single game,” Holmes said. ‘[The kids] played a heck of a game and we were close.”

Holmes said his squad and the Chandler team developed a competitive rivalry this season.

“We have a lot of respect for the Chandler team,” he said.