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Our under 19 squad, the South East Legion, kicked off their season on Saturday with their 2026 home tournament and defended our Shepway turf brilliantly with two wins. Our national governing body had deemed this tournament as an ‘intradivisional’ and so we welcomed six teams to Maidstone for a series of fixtures in which teams from our own south-east division faced off against teams from the south-west. Some of the teams made incredibly long journeys to reach us and so we’re grateful to them for making the effort and helping us to create a fantastic day of football.

South East Legion vs Bristol Aztecs

There was unfortunate news for our first opponents in that one of their coaches was taken unwell in the run-up to the game and was not able to travel. By rule, the British American Football Association requires all teams to have at least 14 players and three Level One (or better) coaches on the sideline. Since the Aztecs did not have three L1 coaches present, the official result had to be a 1-0 forfeit win for the Legion.

However, having made the journey all the way to Kent, we were more than happy to play Bristol in a friendly.

The two teams traded possessions without score on their respective first drives, but the Legion pulled away quickly thereafter with three straight touchdowns on three straight possessions. After Harvey had run the ball well to put the offense around midfield, last year’s leading rusher, Olly Z, entered the game for the first time and promptly scored. Running right behind Riley’s blocking and the receivers, he powered 31 yards for the first touchdown of our season. Eathan added the extra point for a 7-0 lead.

On the next drive, it was the passing game’s turn. From our own 11 yard line, Tye hit Luke on a crossing route and he turned upfield, breaking three tackles to score from 39 yards out. Tye scrambled to add the extra point for a 14-0 lead.

After Bristol turned the ball over on downs, Olly added a second TD, this time on a wide receiver screen. The 30 yard catch and run along with Harvey’s extra point made it 21-0 at half-time.

With a big lead and given the friendly nature of the game, our coaches started to swap in some of our younger players and backups for the second half. The scoring slowed as a result but late in the game, Harvey ripped off a 24 yard touchdown for his first score of the year and a late safety after a mix-up in the Bristol backfield made the unofficial score of the game 29-0 to the Legion.

South East Legion vs Poole Dolphins

Our second game of the day saw us face off once again with our friends and rivals at the Poole Dolphins. Poole won the National Championship last year having defeated the Legion in the semi-finals and so the under 19s were keen to see how they matched up to the 2026 version of the Dolphins squad.

The game started badly for the Legion in that a poor opening play led to Harvey being tackled in the endzone for a safety and a 0-2 Poole lead. The Dolphins then drove downfield on their first possession, completing a 16 yard pass for the opening touchdown to make it 0-8. The extra point attempt failed to keep the Legion within one score.

The first half was dominated by the defenses. The Legion offense struggled to sustain drives beyond the half-way line while Poole moved the ball sporadically but ultimately without any end product.

It was either side of half-time that the game changed. With the two minute warning approaching, QB Tye led the Legion offense downfield in a hurry. Harvey’s running, a couple of completed passes and then a Tye scramble on 3rd down got the Legion to the Poole one yard line with seconds left in the half. Following a timeout, the Legion lined up in their goal-line formation and Eathan punched the ball in from a yard out. A mix-up on the extra point left Poole in the lead 6-8 at the half.

Having scored just before half-time, the Legion started with a bang on our first play of the second half. Our offensive line of Riley, Nick and Adam created the hole and Olly Z, dashed through and ran the length of the field to score. Olly added the extra point for a 15-6 lead.

It was then that the Legion defense took over and in the space of a few short minutes created a lead from which Poole could not recover. Douglas tackled a ball carrier in the endzone for a safety, before Sadiq forced a fumble and Sol recovered in the endzone for a touchdown (extra point failed) and then on Poole’s next drive Douglas was at it again. He sacked the Poole QB in the endzone but forced a fumble and rookie LB Dylan dived on the ball in his debut tournament for a touchdown. Olly Z added the extra point to give a 30-8 lead.

A promising Legion drive late in the game gave Poole hope after a bad snap sailed past Tye and a Dolphins defender was able to scoop up the ball and run the rest of the way for a touchdown to reduce the deficit to 30-14. But a late sack from Legion defensive end Sam gave us another safety and the final score of 32-14.

Other games taking place

South Wales Warriors vs Northants Knights

Wembley Stallions vs South Wales Warriors

Bristol Aztecs vs Wembley Stallions

The London Warriors were unable to travel with sufficient players and so forfeited both their games.

London Warriors vs Northants Knights

Poole Dolphins vs London Warriors