Three undefeated seasons. Back to back championships. National notoriety. Being the team to beat.
It seems like an outline of a script for a film set in Texas, where youth football is the only way of life, but the accolades more aptly describe the Windsor Knights junior midgets football and cheerleading teams, in the heart of Sonoma County.
The Windsor Knights are part of North Bay Youth Football and Cheer (NBYFC), an organization dedicated to the advancement of youth sports, specifically football and cheerleading. Across Sonoma, Mendocino, Marin and Napa counties, roughly a dozen associations comprise the league.
The Windsor Knights — specifically, this year’s junior midget team — according to championship records and junior midgets head coach Todd Vehmeyer, is the association to beat.
For the past three years, Vehmeyer’s team, which now includes 35 boys between the ages of 11 and 13, hasn’t just taken home the NBYFC championship; the team has been undefeated for the past three years, winning 39 games — often shut outs — to create a legacy composed of hard work, fun and beating bigger teams.
“These boys have been doing pretty good,” Vehmeyer said humbly of his team’s 39-game winning streak.
The key to Vehmeyer’s success is simple: play the game the way it’s supposed to be played. “I tell my boys that I don’t care if they win or lose,” Vehmeyer said. “I care that you play the game right.”
That means memorizing plays, learning to communicate and support one another and, as Vehmeyer highlighted, studying their opponents. “Our success really came after we started watching films on HUDL,” Vehmeyer said. “Once we started doing that, we were unstoppable.”
Encouraging his players to become students of the game paid off. Three years ago as junior peewees, Vehmeyer’s team earned a 13-0 record, eking out a last-minute win against rival Ukiah to also claim the championship.
Two years ago the team added another 15-0 season to its record. “We knew the league was competitive, but we started destroying teams,” Vehmeyer said, noting his team beat Ukiah 34-0 in its first game of the season.
Although the boys and their parents were excited about their success, Vehmeyer cautioned his players to remain humble and level headed.
“We never talk about streaks. Ask any of the boys what their record is and they’ll say it doesn’t matter,” he said. “We take the season one game at a time.”
The effort continues to pay off. This year, as junior midgets, Vehmeyer’s team finished the NBYFC as undefeated victors.
“We try not to make it a big deal,” Vehmeyer said. “But it is.”
Proud of his team and itching to test their prowess and power, Vehmeyer entered the boys into a tournament in Sacramento over the Thanksgiving weekend. The team, which is classified as U-13, was put into a U-14 bracket.
“We were set up to play against teams with guys who were 210 pounds on average,” Vehmeyer said. “Our average team weight is 122.6 pounds.”
Despite the David versus Goliath set up, the team won two of its three games this past weekend, beating an Elk Grove all-star team and oversized group of players from Berryessa in San Jose. The games weren’t pretty, according to Vehmeyer, explaining that many of his boys were thrown around the field with such force they had to hold back tears.
“It was our last hurrah, but the guys just crushed it,” Vehmeyer said. “I’m so proud of them.”
While the football team puts in their own hard work on the field, their accompaniment — the Windsor Knights junior midget cheerleaders have hit the mat hard for the past six years to garner equal local and national attention.
Spearheaded by Christina Carroll, the team has won the NBYFC cheerleading championship every year since 2013.
“I can’t believe what these girls are capable of,” Carroll said. “They started as a bunch of babies and now they’re throwing each other up in the air.”
Carroll, who previously had no interest or experience in cheerleading, took over as head coach once her daughter gained interest in the sport. For the past six years, she’s worked with the girls — who were 6 years old at the time — to create a cohesive team that supports and loves every member.
“We aren’t like the stereotypical team of girls,” Carroll said. “We’re not cliquey. We don’t stab each other in the back. These girls support each other, through and through.”
Respect is key, she said. The team doesn’t just support one another, they respect their opponents and the sport, helping them stay humble and honest at practice and during competition.
“It’s hard having the notoriety we have,” Carroll said. “The girls know they have to bring it, which can come with a lot of pressure. But we buckle down and keep a level head.”
The cheer squad exudes the same humility as the football team it supports every week.
“That’s what’s great about the Windsor Knights,” Carroll said. “We all have the same goal in common and we’re teaching the kids about teamwork. It’s so important to be able to build each other up. The Windsor Knights is special because it supports kids that way.”
Being true and humble to oneself and one’s team is part of the backbone of the Windsor Knights organization. At its core, the Windsor Knights association focuses on fun, discipline, respect, hard work, goal setting and winning.
“We are a family,” Vehmeyer said. “There’s no bullying and everyone’s included.”
