The CCPIF A, B and C teams travelled to Roane County on Saturday for their first real taste of football action of the season.

Here they were no longer taking it easy on their buddies in practice, but mashing heads against strangers.  The teams were sporting brand new uniforms with crazy cool graphics.  The day was hot, but it was hotter on the field. Around the grid stood a city of canopies, tail gates were dropped and the food spread.  It was the day when nerve met possibilities and grit met fight or flight.

The boys put their game faces on and took the field. There were no referees, just one pride against the next, and it gave the coaches a chance to see what each player was made of and who would fill the positions when regular season started.  Players from A team and B team took the field first against Roane County and Frontier of Ohio’s finest ball players. From where I stood, once the early first hit jitters were gone, both A and B  teams had a strong defense and offense, settled into a groove and began a methodical Panther smack down.

The A team had a little problem against Roane, but with some fine tuning, the next time they meet the tide will turn.  Players from C team were also bringing it on the field, and there are no words I can come up with to describe the intensity of the moment when the ball was snapped.  They played like football is supposed to be played – all out and with the idea that they had to prove themselves to their coaches and to their fans. B team, well what can you say, they was in the championship game last year and are well on the way to B team glory this season.  Hopefully all teams will see a return to the big dance at the end of the season.

On this field and on that day, Clay, Frontier, and Roane teams struggled against each other to build their skills and to test their own determination. There were no winners or losers that day, just backyard football at its best. The coaches did an outstanding job with the players, and it showed in their intensity. CCPIF league is where football begins in the heart of a young player, where effort pays off and a future begins. Get behind the league and support the young athletes in this county.