​Jul. 14—- A youth team under the Willmar NFL Flag Football League is on its way to nationals.Who?It is the 10-and-under Titans of the Kandiyohi Roughnecks regional program, which serves roughly 80 youth athletes from Willmar and the surrounding communities throughout west central Minnesota.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBased out of the Kandiyohi County Area Family YMCA, the Roughnecks also had their 12u Chargers and 10u Bills finish as regional runners-up.”These young athletes will have the opportunity to represent not only Willmar and Kandiyohi County, but the entire state of Minnesota on a national state,” head coach Tre Scott said.They went undefeated in the Green Bay Packers NFL Flag Regional Tournament to earn their berth into the 3rd Annual NFL Flag Championships.Nationals take place from July 23-26 at the Droplight Grand Park Sports Campus in Westfield, Indiana.More than 350 boys and girls teams are expected to participate, according to NFL Flag.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThere will be boys, girls and international divisions, which will have representation from 12 countries.”Regional champions representing all 32 NFL clubs will compete on a national stage in front of thousands of spectators,” Scott said. “Games will be streamed nationwide, many of which will featured on ESPN and other Disney and NFL platforms.”This summer marked the fourth time the Titans competed in the NFL Flag Regional.They previously finished 0-4, 0-3 and 1-2 in regional play over the last three years.”Through losses, setbacks and years of development, they stayed committed to one another and continued to work toward their goal,” Scott said. “Instead of quitting when success did not come immediately, they built a brotherhood, trusted the process and ultimately became champions.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement”Their story represents everything youth sports should be about: commitment, growth, teamwork and resilience.”Nine former Willmar Stingers were selected in the 2026 Major League First-Year Player Draft last week.The Stingers tied the Madison Mallards for the most players selected from their respective Northwoods League franchise.Ninety-seven players out of the Northwoods League, former or past, were taken in the 27-round draft.Vahn Lackey, a junior catcher from Georgia Institute of Technology, was the Northwoods League’s highest pick. The Minnesota Twins selected Lackey, who played for the Traverse City Pit Spitters, with the third overall pick.AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIsaac Morton, a University of Minnesota junior right-handed pitcher from Blaine, was the first Stinger off the draft board.It was the Chicago Cubs who drafted Morton with the 188th pick in the sixth round.Morton had a 2-1 record and a 7.11 ERA in 6-1/3 innings pitched with the Stingers in 2025.Kansas City selected Hunter Possehl, a left-handed pitcher and redshirt sophomore at Florida Gulf Coast University who played in Willmar in 2024 and 2025, with the 23