USA tops Canada for inaugural Junior World Championship
CBSSports.com wire reports
CANTON, Ohio -- Bryce Petty threw three touchdown passes without throwing an incompletion and the United States won the gold medal at the Junior World Championship Sunday with a 41-3 victory against Canada.
Virginia Tech running back David Wilson rushed for 87 yards and a touchdown to help the U.S. win the first world tournament of American football for players age 19 and under.
The U.S. roster of incoming college freshmen crushed France and Mexico in the first two rounds by a combined score of 133-0 and led top seed Canada 18-3 lead late in the third quarter.
Petty, from Baylor, connected on a number of short passes that turned into long gains, like Kevin Cummings' 47-yard touchdown catch late in the third quarter. Petty threw into the flat for Cummings, who broke one tackle and raced into the end zone for the score.
"We've got athletes. I had nothing to do with it," Petty said of his perfect day. "I can get my 12-year-old sister out there and throw a 5-yard pass. I'm just so blessed to be part of this and have the athletes around me that can do that type of thing."
Lirim Hajrullahu's 38-yard field goal late in the first for Canada was the only score the Americans allowed in the tournament. The Americans limited Canada to 49 total yards, including minus-8 rushing.
"They are what we are in hockey," Canada coach Glen Constantin said. "We have to catch up to them in football. It's a good measuring stick for everybody."
Steven Lumbala rushed for 32 yards on 10 carries for Canada and quarterback Jeremie Doyon-Roch completed 5 of 17 passes for 45 yards, but his first-quarter interception gave the Americans an early start.
Storm Klein of Ohio State stepped in front of a pass on the second play of the game to give the Americans the ball on the Canada 17. Petty threw a touchdown pass to Jamal Davis on the following play.
Wilson's 29-yard run late in the first quarter gave him eight touchdowns in the tournament, tops among all players.
"This was not an All-Star team. I'm going to look you in the eye and tell you that until the day I die," United States coach Chuck Kyle said. "These guys will be friends the rest of their lives because it's a team. All-Star teams never have that. All-Star teams play to showcase talent. 'I want to show somebody my talent.' Nah, not this one. This was a team."
Japan won the bronze medal, Mexico finished fourth, Germany was fifth, Sweden was sixth, France was seventh and New Zealand was eighth. Canada received the top seed for its strong history in junior international play, and the U.S. received an automatic bid for serving as the host. The remaining six countries clinched bids by winning regional qualifiers around the world.
The next Junior World Championship is scheduled for 2012, and will be played every two years thereafter.
Notes
FB Zach Cutkomp led all U.S. receivers with 56 yards on four catches ... A crowd of 15,473 watched the gold medal game at Fawcett Stadium, adjacent to the Pro Football Hall of Fame, bringing the attendance total for the 12 games to 40,043 ... Canada advanced to the gold medal game with victories against New Zealand and Japan. ... Kyle won his 10th state championship as coach of St. Ignatius High School in Cleveland last autumn.
