Reighard's Iowa squad advances to youth football Sweet Sixteen

Washington?s Ryan Reighard is a member of an Iowa squad that won a pair of games last weekend at Valley Stadium in West Des Moines to advance to the Sweet Sixteen of the Football University seventh-grade national championship tournament.

Reighard, the son of Paul Reighard and Vicki Reighard-Kean, is a running back for the Iowa squad that blanked Wisconsin 19-0 on Dec. 1 and then defeated Minnesota 29-6 on Dec. 2. Reighard rushed for a touchdown in Iowa?s win over Minnesota.

The Football University National Championship is a football version of the Little League World Series featuring 64 teams competing in an NCAA-style bracket tournament to select a true national champion in youth football. The tournament features the nation?s top sixth-, seventh- and eighth-graders from around the United States, playing in a single elimination, multi-round tournament. Over 12,000 players tried out for the tournament, but only 6,000 were selected.

Reighard?s Iowa team now advances to face a team from Dallas, Texas, in Kansas City on Saturday. If the Iowa team wins, it will face the winner of a game between Wichita, Kan., and Northwest Louisiana on Sunday. With two wins this weekend, the Iowa squad would advance to the national semifinal game in San Antonio, Texas, on Jan. 4.