The Ocala Bucs put together a stress-free championship run. Drake Eason wouldn’t let it be any other way.
Eason, representing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers franchise affiliate, threw for two early touchdowns and watched his defense turn the game into a rout, as the Ocala Bucs beat the New York City Ravens 33-21 to win the Boys’ Under-14 title at the 2026 NFL FLAG Championships, according to NFL.com. Eason was named tournament MVP.
The title game wrapped up Sunday at the Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield, Indiana — the same complex that hosts the Indianapolis Colts’ training camp. Colts quarterback Daniel Jones handed the championship trophy to the Bucs on the field, a moment the NFL’s official X account captured in a post that read: “A new 14U Boys NFL Flag Football champion is crowed at @GrandParkSports!”
.@Colts QB Daniel Jones hands out the hardware to the Bucs from Ocala, FL! 🏆
A new 14U Boys NFL Flag Football champion is crowed at @GrandParkSports! pic.twitter.com/1LWAOOEvxb
— NFL (@NFL) July 26, 2026
The game itself was never close. Eason found Kingstyn Henderson for a touchdown to open the scoring, then connected on a deep shot to Duke Simpkins to push the lead to 15-0. From there, Ocala’s defense took over — two separate pick-sixes stretched the margin to 33-13 before the Ravens managed a late push that made the final score look tighter than the game actually was.
NFL’s official account tracked the run in real time, posting during the game: “ANOTHER BUCS PICK-6. They are closing in the 14U Boys Flag Championship at @GrandParkSports.”
ANOTHER BUCS PICK-6
They are closing in the 14U Boys Flag Championship at @GrandParkSports 🏆
2026 @NFLFLAG Championships on ESPN/NFLNhttps://t.co/u9u8C2UgX8 to find a league near you pic.twitter.com/BRNSM8HnuY
— NFL (@NFL) July 26, 2026
A Growing Stage for Youth Flag Football
This was the third annual NFL FLAG Championships and the first held inside an actual NFL club market, with all 32 franchises fielding affiliated youth teams alongside 15 international squads, per NFL.com. The Boys’ 14U and Girls’ High School finals aired across ESPN and Disney’s broader network, part of a 30-game broadcast slate for the weekend.
The tournament ran Thursday through Sunday. Hours after the Bucs closed out their title, the Los Angeles Seahawks capped the weekend with a 15-14 overtime win over the Austin Texans in the Girls’ High School final, decided on a last-play touchdown from quarterback Ava Ortman to receiver Mya Smith.
For a 14-year-old like Eason, sharing a stage with an active NFL starter carries weight beyond the trophy. Jones, working his way back from a torn Achilles, has spent this offseason logging long days in the Colts’ facility — reportedly arriving as early as 6 a.m. — according to Yahoo Sports. Watching him hand off hardware to a group of middle schoolers was a small but visible piece of that comeback story playing out in public.
