Local Pop Warner football teams eye cash for championship try in Fla.

Under the lights of the football field at Gambrel Playground, the Frankford Chargers took the turf on a cool, clear Tuesday evening, readying themselves for a second chance.

From the sidelines, Joe DiGiorgio, a laid-off contractor, watched his son, Tim, the team's 16-year-old quarterback, warm up. The father was wearing his son's shiny red playoff jacket, emblazoned with "2009 Runner Ups."

After losing in the Pop Warner Eastern Division final last year, the Chargers have a second chance at the league's Super Bowl. In the Philadelphia tradition of Rocky and Invincible, they share a story of beating the odds.

Over Thanksgiving weekend, the Chargers' 160-pound football team, along with the North Philly BlackHawks 120-pound team, dominated the Division One regional championships. Now, both are headed to the ESPN-televised Super Bowl tournament at Walt Disney World in Florida - if they can raise enough money to get there.

Time is running out for both teams, rooted in two of the roughest neighborhoods in the city. They must come up with enough money for airfare, hotel rooms, and meals for seven nights for 20 kids in a matter of days.

The first game is scheduled for Sunday.

Coaches and local league officials estimate the cost at $1,000 per player. Both teams are battling, about halfway to the goal.

"Money is always an issue," said Donald Richardson, the BlackHawks' football director. "When we hit postseason, we're just about out of gas. Now that we're heading to the Super Bowl, we're trying to gas up to get there."

Throughout the league, teams depend on grants, fund-raisers, and donations to pay for helmets, shoulder pads, and travel through the season, said Wade Brockington, president of the Liberty Youth Athletic Association.

To get to the Super Bowl tournament, with 64 teams in four age-and-weight ranges from eight regions, the two Philly teams have been scrambling, calling contacts and hitting up businesses. They plan to station themselves in a parking lot at Lincoln Finanical Field during Thursday night's Eagles game to solicit money from fans.

"There's no possibility we won't go," said Richardson. "We're going. We have to. We don't want to forfeit the game. We want to have the joy of being champs."

Rasheed Muhammad, the Chargers' head coach, agreed. "These kids really, really deserve this," said Muhammad, 30. "They never gave up."