Off and running

Steve Virgen

COSTA MESA -- Though there was pushing, shoving and mean stares,

Saturday was a day of joy and pleasure for many young football

players, as the Costa Mesa Pop Warner league opened its season with

scrimmage games at Costa Mesa High.

The day began with a Mighty Mite (ages 7-9) scrimmage game between

the Costa Mesa Mustangs and the Fullerton Rams. For many of the

children, this was their first game-type introduction of football.

And, several of them made a valuable first impression on Costa Mesa

Coach Sean Patterson.

“They’re all having a good time, and you can tell,” Patterson

said. “I just wanted them to get shocked and see what real football

is like. They got that (Saturday). It’s really hard to explain to

kids about how things are going to be when you don’t know that kid on

the other side of you. They actually have to experience that

feeling.”

Patterson, whose son, Sho, plays tailback on the team, saw his

team improve with each play. Jack Jeffries, who also played tailback,

had two long touchdown runs, thanks to the blocking from his friends

and teammates on the Mustangs.

Patterson stressed blocking throughout the game.

“Your goal is to win the game,” Patterson told his players during

a break in the game. “And, you can’t win the game unless you’re

blocking. You all have jobs to do.”

The Mighty Mite Costa Mesa team also worked on defense during the

scrimmage. Aside from the action on the football field, the day also

included cheerleader routines, food and a silent auction for

fundraising.

Funds and community support are qualities that Costa Mesa Pop

Warner is lacking, league president Sue Rice said.

“We’re going to have to find new fields to practice on soon,” Rice

said. “(At TeWinkle Park) the city is going to bulldoze the fields to

make way for another baseball field there.”

Rice said TeWinkle Park will go into development for another

baseball field in the summer of 2003, which gives the league some

time to find another field. Rice said, if there were stadium-type

lights at Costa Mesa High, the addition would take care of half the

teams’ practices.

Costa Mesa Pop Warner’s status will be fine this season, however

the board of directors and parents still find themselves reaching out

to the community for help, Rice said.

Last year, Rice wrote a letter to the NFL Foundation and other

charity groups to donate money, and the results allowed

under-privileged players to join football teams.

When asked what would be the season’s message to the players and

parents of Costa Mesa, Rice answered: “Go out there into the

community and ask for support. We’re desperate for support and

funds.”

Rice also said the league continues to grow, noting that

registration increased 20% this season.

“We had about 65-70% of returning players register,” said Rice, a

football fan who grew up in Costa Mesa and graduated from Costa Mesa

High. “ There are close to 300 children in the league.”

Despite the need for support, Rice takes pride in the strength

within Costa Mesa Pop Warner, where there is a comfortable sense of

family. Most parents encourage the children, and not just there own.

Kristen Woods, 11, is perhaps the one who receives the most

attention. She is the only girl in Costa Mesa Pop Warner. Her

brother, Jonathan, also plays. The intense excitement of football is

what lured Kristen to the league.

“I think (football) is better than all of the other sports,”

Kristen said. “There’s not much contact in other sports. I like

football because there is contact. I like football because you can

hit.”

Kristen’s parents like football because it serves as a learning

tool for their children.

“(Jonathan has) matured a lot since he started playing,” Maria

Woods said. “He became more responsible. His self-esteem also grew.”

For Robbie Greany, 11, football has been a big part of his life

for the past four years.

“He’s always wanted to play and he’s always liked it since he

started playing,” Robbie’s father, Bob Greany, said. “I like the

discipline.

And, they’re really teaching him about teamwork, and how to look

out for one another.”

As the season continues for Costa Mesa Pop Warner, the parents and

players plan to look out for one another while creating memories.