San Tan Youth Football League Eagles

I’ve got to admit… entirely too much time went by since I uploaded the photo from the Eagles year end party.  It was a great way to wrap up an unbelievable season for the boys in green.  Each of the boys took turns receiving their moment in the spotlight as the coaches handed out trophies and personalized Eagles sweatshirts for each of the boys.  Take a look at the pictures in the Flickr section.

After they got done cooking on the grill for the 50+ people in attendance, the coaches also got into the act and received a thank you gift from the players as well.  The night was capped off with the entire group viewing Ryan Ingram’s Director’s Cut… a wonderful compilation of highlights from the Eagles season.  What a great group of people… what a remarkable season… what a bummer it’s over!  Looking forward to next year already!

[Read more →]

Hey Eagles… are you ready to party til you turn purple? Well you’ll have a chance to do just that at next week’s Season’s End Football party. The party will be held on November 14th from 6:00 to 8:00pm at the Will Rogers Community Club House (20485 E. Colt Drive… between Hawes and Ellsworth off of Ocotillo Road).

Coach Gene has asked that all the boys wear their game jerseys to the party. Dinner will be provided for the players and their families. Brats, hotdogs, and other delightful treats… oh my!!

See you there!!

[Read more →]

The Eagles faced off against the Predators Saturday night in the semi-finals of the San Tan Youth Football League playoffs. Earlier in the season, the Predators were victorious over the Eagles 13-6. This game figured to be a similar dogfight as the two teams seemed evenly matched across the board.

The game didn’t turn out quite how the Eagles expected as the Predators seized momentum early in the contest as they recovered a fumble and rumbled into the endzone to take an early 7-0 lead.

The Eagles offense never seemed to get on track in the first half and suffered from some untimely mental errors that forced the team into third and fourth and long situations. The Eagles showed a ton of heart though as they turned back the Predators toward the end of the first half on a 4 down series inside the Eagles 10 yard line. The offense sputtered again though and provided the Predators with a short field on the ensuing possession. The Predators punched in another score just before halftime to take a 21-0 lead.

[Read more →]

The Eagles picked up where they left off last week and took it to the Miners again today in the quarterfinal round of the STYFL playoffs at Prospector Park in Apache Junction. The kids from Queen Creek were sharp on both sides of the ball as they dominated the Miners from the opening kickoff to the final whistle.

Before the game began, both teams gathered in prayer at mid-field as Coach Gene led a prayer for Kellie Ardans (see photo). The game was dedicated to Kellie’s memory and will forever be remembered for all those in attendance as a heartfelt moment of community and compassion.

The Eagles came out firing to open the ball game. Led by quarterback Reed Erwin, running backs Dakota Neer, Walker Pattyson and Bradley Beaver, and a stout offensive line led by Maison Ardans, the Eagles offense was simply unstoppable. The Eagles led the game 21-0 heading into halftime. For all intents and purposes, the second half was merely a formality.

[Read more →]

Hey All… wanted to reconfirm that the first game on Saturday against the Miners has been moved to 12pm.  I think this bodes well for the Eagles as the Predators will no longer have an extra 2 hours of rest before we meet at 8pm.

There was much talk about the location of the games (Prospector Park).  Click here for a Google map to the game’s location and click here to view a web page about the location.

Also, ol’ Scorsese was at it again and put together another stellar video of the Eagles versus the Rattlers.  Nice work Ryan… your videos are incredible!

[Read more →]

As the Eagles gathered together for their final practice before this weekend’s playoffs, they did so with heavy hearts. Earlier today Kellie Ardans, mother to Maison Ardans and Amber Ardans and wife to John Ardans, passed away from complications related to her six year battle with cancer.

In a display of unbelievable heart and unimaginable courage, Maison decided to attend tonight’s practice despite today’s tragic news. Throughout the season, Maison has displayed his strength and courage on the football field. Tonight, I think it’s fair to say that the young man and his proud and humble father redefined those terms for all of us.

As I learned of Kellie’s passing this afternoon, I was simply overwhelmed with sadness and empathy for my dear friends and their family. And as the day progressed, I was equally touched by the outpouring of love and support that was shared amongst the Eagle’s extended family as they rallied to put together a game plan in support of their fallen teammate and family.

[Read more →]