Youth football season kicks off Saturday

The Orland and Willows youth football teams head to Redding this weekend for the annual jamboree that kicks off the 2008 season.

The Aztecs will look to improve on last season when they sent two teams to the NorCal Federation playoffs. The Orland peewees finished in second place in the Northern Conference Division 2 standings, but lost to Colusa 6-0 in the first round of the playoffs.

Meanwhile the Orland midgets also finished in second place in the league standings and defeated Winters 22-8 in the first round. Orland fell to Woodland 30-8 in the second round.

The Orland midgets finished the year 8-3 overall while the peewees were 4-6. The junior midgets were 2-7 overall.

The Willows Coyotes also had two teams make the playoffs last year. The junior midgets finished third in league play and lost to Wheatland 8-0 in the first round. The midgets took fourth place and lost to Woodland 34-6 in the first round.

The junior midgets finished the season 5-4-1 while the midgets ended the year 4-6. The peewees finished 1-8.

Orland opens the regular season on the road at Colusa on August 23 while Willows begins the season at home against Winters.

Orland and Willows meet in the final game of the season on Oct. 18.