North Shore Mass Mambas Win U-7 World Championships At ESPN Disney

DANVERS, MA — A U-7 flag football team based on the North Shore is celebrating a world championship after the Mass Mambas captured the title at the ESPN Wide World of Sports resort at Disney World.

The team included Coach Jordan Lark of Lynn, Coach Anthony Rossi of Peabody and Coach Theritch Roc of Danvers, and payers Darren Kelsey of Lynn, Lincoln Vachon of Hookset, NH, Jordan Lark Jr. of Lynn, Eli Roc of Lynn, Jaxson Lynch of Peabody, Jacob Lynch of Peabody, Ryder Banks of Providence, RI, Bennett Rossi of Peabody, and Keon Dow Jr. of Fremont, NH.

The team previously was Summer National Champions at Harvard Stadium during the 2023-24 season and NFL New England Patriots Regional Champions.

Teams from China, Mexico, Canada, Hawaii, Texas, Nevada, Maryland, Ohio, Florida, and all across the United States competed at the World Championships at ESPN.

The Mambas started the tournament in pool play with a loss to former Patriot tight end Jonnu Smith's team out of Florida but bounced back bigtime with a 32-0 victory against a team from Toronto. They then beat Florida Supreme 18-8 and came up short to a Hawaii team on an untimed play at the end of the game.

The Mambas then went 3-1 on the second day of the tournament to earn a spot in the World Championship bracket with a No. 9 seed.

The team beat a team from Toledo, 28-6, in the first game of the bracket and then avenged its loss to Hawaii with a 13-7 victory. The Mambas then beat another Hawaii team, 19-6, to earn a spot in the championship game.

In the title tilt against the Brotherhood Arizona, the Mambas jumped out to a 14-0 lead before Arizona cut the deficit to 14-12 with a chance to tie the game on the final play. But the Mambas' defense held strong to clinch the championship.

The team will next compete in the AAU Junior Olympics this summer in Texas in what will be the first flag football Junior Olympic event as it becomes an Olympic sport in Los Angeles in 2028.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)