Visibly exhausted, members of the Boys and Girls Club 11- and 12-year-old Meridian Youth Football Association squad made their way to three separate stations Wednesday evening at the Q.V. Sykes football field.

One station had its players doing pushups, another had them jogging in place and dropped, and the final one had the players on all fours doing bear crawls. It didn’t take long for them to get winded, but that didn’t make the 11- and 12-year-olds pout or complain.

After all, there’s a big game coming up, as the undefeated Boys and Girls Club team (12-0) — nicknamed “Navy” — will travel to Southern Mississippi Saturday to square off against Scott Central in the Mississippi Youth Football Association’s state title game for their age group.

“We’ve been through a lot,” coach Howard Atterbury said. “We’ve been in the league for five years, and this is the first time making it to the finals.”

There’s also a bit of revenge on the team’s mind, as Scott Central is a team Howard said he won’t soon forget.

“I don’t know too much about them, but we played them like two years ago, and we pretty much owe them, because they beat us 6-0,” Howard explained.

Navy’s coaches’ motto is to train like no one else is training, which is why they had the players doing three separate station drills during cold temperatures. Running back Fernando Atterbury said no matter how difficult the drills are, he enjoys the results.

“Hard work pays off,” Fernando Atterbury said. “I’m excited. It helps us get better and faster.”

Which is exactly what it will take to beat Scott Central, teammate Mark Smith explained.

“They’re good,” the quarterback said. “We’re going to have to be strong, fast and athletic (to win). I feel tired, but (these drills) make us stronger and better.”

Howard Atterbury said he and the other coaches have been pleased with how the players have responded to their challenges.

“They’re pretty receptive to everything,” Howard said. “They pretty much want to learn and just take in anything.”

Cornerback Robert Brantley said he enjoys playing for the coaches, even though they can be tough on him and his teammates sometimes.

“It’s kind of easy and hard at the same time,” Brantley said. “I enjoy them very much. I learn a lot with all these drills, and they help us get better every time we play a team.”

For Howard Atterbury, the chance to help lead the players into a state title matchup is a dream opportunity.

“It means everything to them,” Howard Atterbury said. “Just me coaching them is a big thing to me. Words can’t explain it.”

Brantley said he and his teammates want to bring the championship back to Meridian.

“It’d feel very good, because we haven’t won a championship in a long time,” Brantley said.