Chew Honored With Water/Land Parade

[Ben E Lou]

CHARLESTON, SC (AP): They came from all over the Lowcountry to toast the Charleston Chew today as the City Of Charleston threw a unique parade honoring the 2026 FOFL World Champions. The team was flown via helicopter out onto a barge in the ocean a few miles outside of Charleston's large natural harbor. Hundreds of watercraft of all kind greeted the team as they entered Charleston Harbor on the boat. Horns resounded through the water and thousands of people lined the banks of the harbor and the Cooper River as the team sailed its way to the base of the Ravenel Bridge on the northern bank of the river in Mount Pleasant, SC. From there, they boarded floats and made their way triumphantly across the bridge onto the peninsula of historic downtown Charleston, where throngs lined the sidewalks and rooftops of King, Queen and Broad to toast the champs. The parade ended at Ravenel Stadium, where 99-year-old Arthur Ravenel, who spearheaded the fund raising effort that brought the former Capitol City Nationals to the Lowcountry, presented his cousin by marriage, Charleston GM Ben Lewis, with the key to the city for the second time. The Chew won the title in 2016 as well.

The title was won by a 27-21 victory over the Coney Island Whitefish in FOFL Bowl XXIV in Jonesboro, AR. QB Lincoln Wallman earned MVP honors with 316 passing yards and 3 TDs, but it was a banner effort all around by the Charleston offense, which put up 523 total yards on the day. TE Tyrell Hutchins, with 7 catches for 133 yards and a TD (including three catches of 20 yards or more), was the game's leading receiver. Unheralded RBs David Ellison and Matt Adams also combined for 228 yards on the ground.

Of note was that no FOFL officials were in attendance at the big parade, just as was the case 10 years earlier when the Chew won the title. It is rumored that league officials thought the parade was in Charleston, Minnesota, and went there instead, but those rumors are at the moment unsubstantiated.