Atlanta Bulldog Nation reaches pinnacle, wins 12U National Championship

Muhammad Ali once said, “Champions aren’t made in gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them - a desire, a dream, a vision. They have to have the skill and the will, but the will must be stronger than the skill.”

That quote perfectly fits the desire, dream and vision Brandon Garner had seven years ago when he organized a football league dubbed Atlanta Bulldog Nation (ABN). At that time Garner and a host of coaches were literally starting on the ground floor as they coached kids who had never played football before.

Some 40 or so children ranging from ages six to 12 signed up to play ball that first year in four different divisions (6U Flag, 8U, 10U and 12U) and that number grew to more than 100 the next year.

Fast forward to the seventh year where Garner, a 2000 Queen City graduate, saw the fruits of his labor and that of his coaches after the 12U team won the 12U National Championship.

Where the game is most competitive as you grow, little league should be the basis or foundation of a young person’s life when dealing with fundamentals of the game. That foundation and fundamentals has been etched into the hearts and minds of the young players by a dedicated group of coaches since day one.

Garner has seen outstanding growth from the flag team to the junior team over the past seven years.

At a point a few years back the 10U team, which is comprised of nine and ten-year olds, finished the season undefeated (11-0) in the Tri-County League and beat Whitehouse in the Super Bowl.

During that successful season the 10U club scored 383 points while only giving up 40.

The team was featured in a state magazine as a team on the rise and one to look out for.

With all of the honors earned the team was invited to play in Deion Sanders’ tournament in Denton (Big Tex Nationals) where they won their first game but lost 6-0 in the Elite 8.

After spending time in a couple of other leagues Garner wanted to see how far the program had come in seven years.

Last year a plan formulated in Garner’s mind to switch leagues which featured teams from Lufkin, Texarkana, Nacogdoches, Shreveport and Longview.

The league was Dallas-based called TexaSports which groups regional teams from east Texas, Dallas, Houston and San Antonio.

TexaSports Youth League was formed in 2017 with a vision to change the landscape of youth sports in the DFW Metroplex and the state of Texas overall.

“I started looking at the rankings in Texas and thought how cool it would be to be ranked and wanted to see how we would stack up against teams from bigger cities and across the state,” Garner said.

Little did he or anyone else at that time see that ABN was going to be put on a national scale.

“The former league we played in the Super Bowl was the end of the line but the TexaSports league allowed for more challenges and we met those challenges and won it all in our first year here,” Garner remarked.

ABN featured 6U, 8U, 10U, 12U teams and of those the 6U, 8U and 12U teams made it to the Super Bowl.

The 10U team lost one game before the Super Bowl in the playoffs, the 6U team fell in the Super Bowl but the 8U and 12U won the Super Bowl in their respective divisions.

“That 8U team really surprised me and everyone else. They were not picked to even make the Super Bowl much less win and ended up Super Bowl champs,” Garner stated.

Although the 8U team would fall in the regional round the 12U team entered the playoffs with a first-round BYE and then beat the Texarkana Leopards and topped the Lufkin Jr. Panthers 13-0 in the Super Bowl.

After beating Lufkin the Bulldogs entered the Final Four which featured the Super Bowl winners from each region.

ABN won the regional game over Dallas 36-12 and then beat out Houston for a state title by a score of 26-6. With that victory the 12U team qualified for nationals which was set in Florida.

“Going to nationals was an amazing experience for the kids as was playing at the Star in Frisco and Independence Stadium in Shreveport,” Garner added. “The 12U group has amassed a 63-1 record in four years, has one regional title, one state title, has won four Super Bowls in a row and won a national championship.”

Twenty-three teams made it to nationals from several different states which included Texas, North Carolina, Virginia, Florida, Michigan, New Jersey, Maryland, Ohio, South Carolina, Illinois, New York and Georgia. Being on the national stage pitted them against some of the toughest competition they had faced to date but after the first couple of games you couldn’t tell.

In the first game ABN beat Ormond Beach, Florida 33-0 then dominated the Brooklyn Steelers 41-6.

In the third game ABN squeaked out a 20-13 overtime win against team Sting from Georgia and then beat a solid Plant City, Florida team 20-7 for the national title.

Garner said that the final team was one of the toughest he has ever faced in seven years of coaching.

“I found out that you can’t judge a book by its cover because I looked at that final team we played thinking we were bigger and faster but they played us harder than any team we’ve ever faced,” Garner said. “I was excited for the boys and although a little down time was needed I found myself doing homework on our next opponents, watching film and reading up on them from internet articles. We wanted to return home with the title and we accomplished that.”

The championship title gave ABN a ranking of eighth nationally and fifth in Texas which is a proud stat for coaches Brandon Garner, Willie “ET” Grundy, Nick Pace, Je’Von Jackson, Dwayne Harris and Josh Walker who helped coach the 12U team to victory.

“I’m tough on them from the practice field to games and we started practicing in June when it was hot,” Garner said. “I have a lot of love for the boys and I’m very happy for what they have been able to accomplish. It’s not easy in any sport to win a championship and they have done that.”

Garner also discussed the support the team had from several different people and how the team played with a purpose for a special person.

“Before the season began we lost a special lady, Nisha Giddens, and the team dedicated the season to her. I’m normally not an emotional person but after the team won the championship and celebrated together - off to the side her son, Nick Pace Jr., and his father Nick Pace embraced and that brought tears to my eyes,” Garner said. “It was a very special moment for them and everyone who has supported us since day one. We did it for Nisha and our supporters.”

“I also would like to thank Atlanta Police Department and Queen City Police Department and Queen City ISD for the warm reception when we returned,” Garner remarked. “I also want to thank the teachers who sent the boys’ homework over while they were on the road. Between practice and play they would study and do work. And a very special thanks to QC AD Eric Droddy who has been very supportive and Coach Kevin Cossey who came and watched us play at the state game. The support has been overwhelming and it is very much appreciated.”

Garner’s desire, dream and vision has taken shape in the form of a National Championship and that’s just the beginning for ABN.

Knowing the Atlanta Bulldog Nation players’ will is stronger than their skill is just what it takes to be a champion.