A North Minneapolis youth football team is fundraising to make it to a national football tournament in Atlanta.

The Minnesota Jays have been competing across the country and bringing home wins. Their next stop is Atlanta, but they need help funding the trip.

The team has overcome a lot to win big in the past and they continue to strive for greatness on and off the field.

When the Minnesota Jays hit the football field they come ready for a win, but what’s more important than the plays are the people.

“It’s like a big huge family,” Chance Eggleston, player, said. “We hang out all the time and do fun stuff together.”

They call the team a brotherhood that has each other’s backs through the good and bad.

Over a year ago, North Minneapolis rising football star Deshaun Hill Jr. was shot and killed. He was a valued member of the Minnesota Jays.

In 2020, the team was practicing in North Minneapolis when bullets rang out sending players, parents and coaches running for cover. 

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“The biggest thing is they were built to be resilient before that because we live in the area where this happens every day,” Adel Morey, Minnesota Jays coach, said.

The coaches are dedicated to showing the players a path to a better life through football.

The young team is practicing for a national football competition in Atlanta, but they’re about $4,000 short of their goal to make the trip.

Morey said football is just a small part of the job. He explained instilling leadership and life skills in every player matters the most.

“If you plant a seed and you take care of it, it’s going to grow into something special,” Morey said.

The coaches said the work starts on the gridiron, but doesn’t end there.

“Sports saved me when I was a kid and I know it’s saving them. Whether it’s in the streets or in school,” Morey said.

Earlier this year, they celebrated a national win after bringing home the first-place award at an Illinois football tournament.

Click here to support the Minnesota Jays to make it to Atlanta to the D1 Championship game.