In a tight game where it took overtime to decide the winner, the Scottsdale Firebirds Red defeated the Southeast Valley Ravens 12-6 in the CAYFL Pee Wee division championship game Saturday at Chaparral High School.

“We started four months ago as a brand new football team, and over that time we came together to become a team,” Firebirds head coach Scott Ruby said. “We put egos at the door and allowed ourselves to become a team. Now we are champions.”

Botched handoffs from the Ravens (9-2) and stalled drives by the Firebirds (10-1) kept the game 0-0 at halftime.

The Firebirds got off to a hot start in the beginning of the second half. Keevil Brown ran the ball downfield into Raven territory and eventually scored on a hand-off up the middle from inside the Raven’s 10-yard line to give the Firebirds a 6-0 lead.

Ravens quarterback Michael Whiteside was able to keep the Ravens in the game with scrambles and draws that opened up running room for the Ravens to work their way down the field.

Midway through the fourth quarter, on a fourth-down play, Whiteside passed to Logan Peterson for a touchdown in the corner of the end zone, tying the game at 6-6.

Moving the ball down the field effectively and eating up the clock, the Firebirds seemed as if they were going to score until their offense stalled and were forced to punt the ball away. The Ravens took over deep inside their own territory with only seconds left in the game and could not score, sending the game into overtime.

It took only one play for the Firebirds, who won the opening possession in overtime, to score, as Brandon Matonis pushed his way through defenders into the end zone for a TD run that gave the Firebirds a 12-6 lead.

The Ravens fumbled the ball away on their first play in overtime, giving the Firebirds the win.

“Our team played great, and we had a great season,” said Ravens coach Michael Mettineo. “We couldn’t have capped it off any better, and we’ll be back next year.”