This past week the top homeschool football teams from across the country descended on Florida to compete to take home the trophy.  Hosted by the National Homeschool Football Association (NHFA), qualifying teams from Maryland, Virginia, Ohio, Texas, Oklahoma, and Missouri made their way out to Panama City Beach to compete for the win.  

Many homeschool sports in the Tulsa area are organized through NOAH, the Northeast Oklahoma Association of Homeschools, a non-profit organization that provides sports opportunities for homeschoolers in the region.  The Tulsa NOAH Jaguars have teams for football, basketball, baseball, tennis, cheer, track, and other sports.

Last year, the Tulsa NOAH Jaguars, led by coach James Ballinger, came home with the national championship after defeating the Georgia Force 42-9 in the final game.  This year, the Jaguars lost the semi-final game to the Tomball Warriors (from Texas).  This year, the Oklahoma City Patriots also made it into the competition, after beating the Jaguars at the end of the regular season 23-21.  They also lost their semifinal game to the Christ Prep Patriots (from Kansas City).

The two teams that don’t advance from the semi-finals compete in what is known as the “Homeschool Bowl” for 3rd and 4th place.  On Saturday afternoon, the Jaguars and the Patriots had a rematch in the Homeschool Bowl.  After a determined struggle by both sides, the Tulsa NOAH Jaguars emerged victorious, winning 21-14 and taking the third place spot.  Video of the Homeschool Bowl (and other NOAH Jaguar football games) can be found on the NOAH Jaguar Football Rumble page.

The NHFA national championship this year went to the Tomball Warriors, defeating the Christ Prep Patriots 17-0.