In the wake of a bench-clearing brawl at a pee wee football game that went global on the Web, league officials rejected calls Wednesday to reverse their decision to ban both teams from the playoffs.

About 100 young athletes, many waving signs and chanting "Let us play," descended on a meeting of the Bay Area Football League on Wednesday evening at Pearland Dad's Club. One of the signs read, "Two Teams, One Goal."

"It wasn't really our fault what happened," said Daniel Petty, 11, quarterback for the Hurricanes. "It's basically the coaches' fault. We're just going to come back next year and win."

Video goes viral

The troubles began at a Sept. 18 game between the Patriots and Hurricanes in Pearland, when a rough block sent a Hurricane player airborne as the Patriots returned a kickoff for a touchdown.

Witnesses say the two players tussled on the field, and an adult stepped on the field to break it up. That's when the free-for-all ignited among coaches, clearing both benches as fists and elbows flew.

The incident was captured on video and spread quickly across the Internet.

Coaches resign, banned

The league subsequently banned several coaches for the rest of the season, a coach resigned and both teams were banned from postseason play.

Doward Gilbert, president of the Hurricanes and also a member of the Bay Area Football League Board, had little to say about the decision when approached by a reporter.

"The decision has been made, and I have nothing else to say," Gilbert said, as he walked back into the closed-door meeting. "Talk to them," he said, pointing to several bystanders.

Kim Yates, whose son is a Patriots defensive end and offensive tackle, was more than happy to oblige.

"I'm really glad that the children came and the parents came," she said, "because they're giving an example of what we've been saying all along … that it's really about the kids."

robert.stanton@chron.com