Practice field is South Fulton flag football team’s secret to success

A metro Atlanta flag football team is going to represent the state at the NFL Hall of Fame.

Channel 2’s Berndt Petersen was at the Walden Athletic Complex where some players are younger than 10 years old and they’ve already won a string of championships.

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Along Lexmark Circle in the City of South Fulton, Mr. Robert Mosley’s backyard was all business.

“Do you have a name for the field?” Petersen asked.

“Mosley Compound,” Mosley said.

It’s the training camp for the South Fulton Ravens and Head Coach Todd Haslem.

“That’s how we win all our games. What we preach is to put your head down and focus on the end goal. It doesn’t matter if we’re on a football field, a backyard, or in a swimming pool,” the coach said.

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The Ravens are among flag football’s very best and some on the team have played together since they were six or seven.

“Seeing them grow is amazing,” fifteen-year-old JT Austin said.

It’s a championship squad of boys and girls.

“It’s fun to see me doing it instead of my brothers. Now, it’s time for me to see how it feels to play flag football,” ten-year-old Elizabeth Haslem said.

After winning the league championship, the regional championship, and the state championship, the Ravens will now represent the Atlanta Falcons at the NFL Flag Championships at the league’s Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio.

Some of the opposing teams practice on the same fields the pros do. But the Ravens’ secret to success is Mr. Mosley’s backyard.

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“You look at history. People have played stickball in the street and gone on to become great baseball players. It’s not always where you practice. It’s the fact that you must have a place to practice,” Mosley said.

The NFL Flag Championships start on July 17. The Ravens are still raising money to fund the trip. To learn more, click here .

The team has created a GoFundMe to help compete in the tournament.

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