ELK GROVE, CA (MPG) – Saturday, Aug. 16, the opening day for youth football around Elk Grove, had junior programs of high schools like Elk Grove, Pleasant Grove, Franklin, Monterey Trail and Cosumnes Oaks playing their first games.
The schedule of these junior programs were Elk Grove vs. Placer, Pleasant Grove vs. Highlands, Franklin vs. Union Mine, Monterey Trail vs. Liberty Ranch and Cosumnes Oaks vs. Destiny. Pleasant Grove and Cosumnes Oaks had to travel to play their games.
The day started with the youngest age group, 8U, playing at 10 a.m., while the oldest group, 14U, played at 4 p.m.
Each team in each age group played its best no matter the outcome of the game. They showed not just friends and families how much work and effort they put into the game, but their opponents as well.
With the competitive nature of football, every player is going to want to win the game. However, the fundamentals are going to be the most important part to the youth players.
The only part of the game that changes the older the player gets is the speed. Learning the fundamentals is crucial for young players if they want to continue at a high level. What they learn in the youth program will carry through high school and even into college.
With the speed of the game increasing, so does the competition. The older the player gets and the closer they get to high school, the will to win is going to rise.
Earning the respect of your teammates is a given, but earning the respect of the opponent is the challenge.
The majority of great football players will start playing in a junior program. They learn the game of football, grow their knowledge and strengthen their love of the game as well. Where the only thing that matters is learning the game of football and having fun, not wins and losses. The wins and losses matter once the competition gets closer into high school.
But as players enter high school, they will take the fundamentals of what they learned from the junior programs and use them as a base standard of skills that will be higher than players who start later.
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