The Wareham Tigers are heading to Florida after reaching their fundraising goal on Wednesday.

"We reached it today , we were real close last night,"  said coach Chris Perry on Wednesday.  Today (Thursday, Dec. 5) between 11:00 a.m. and noon the team will board a bus leaving from the Wareham Fire Department.

The Pop Warner football team clinched the New England championship on Saturday, Nov. 31, and immediately moved into fund-raising mode to secure the $50,000 needed to travel to Orlando, FL, for national championship competition.

After boarding the bus, the Tigers will be escorted to the on ramp of Route 195 by the Fire Department, then they'll have  a State Police escort to the Rhode Island border.

"The Fire Department said they wanted to do it, and a couple of state troopers jumped in and said they wanted to do it," Perry said.

The boys, their parents and coaches worked hard  making phone calls to businesses, asking for money all over town and using social media to rally resources.

They managed to do what seemed impossible, raising $50,000 in about four days.

Perry says he's grateful to everyone, from individuals to large businesses, that came through to support the team.

"I'm very very proud of this town. . . The town refused to let what happened to the 1990 team happen to this team," he said, referring to a Tigers team that qualified for nationals but couldn't go because there was not enough money.

"We should be able to go down there, feed the kids well and not worry about what we're spending," said Perry. " We can really give these kids the time of their lives."

The Tigers will play Gilroy, CA on Saturday, Dec. 7, at 4 p.m. Perry stated the game would be on ESPN 3, however ESPN does not have the game scheduled for a live broadcast.