San Tan Youth Football League Eagles

Well folks, there are going to be some changes next year that could spell the end of the STYFL Eagles football club as we knew it. According to STYFL.com, the changes will help the league, “manage league operations more effectively and provide more evenly matched competition for all of our players”. So, how are things going to change…

Well first, the STYFL is going to be reorganized into a smaller number of “clubs”. Each club will have a team represented in each of the previous age groups and each team will basically have a varsity squad and a JV squad based on “skill level”. So, the size of each club will expand as will the number of coaches (more on that later). Also, each club will have a general manager that oversees all the teams within the club.

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On what’s generally thought to be the biggest sporting event in the world, the Patriots face the Giants in their quest for perfection.  I’m not a big fan of either team, but it should be an interesting match up.  If I had to go one way or another… I guess I’d have to go with Big Blue.

The Giants defensive coordinator, Steve Spagnuolo, is a disciple of Philadelphia Eagles DC Jim Johnson, so you’re going to see a lot of press coverage and well disguised blitz packages.  I think you’re also going to see alot of cover 2 on Randy Moss with pressure off the same edge.  This means that Wes Welker could have a monster game.  I’m predicting 10+ catches and 100+ yards for Welker.  Stallworth could take one to the house too if the Giants leave their corners on an island all day and don’t get home with their pressure.

Should be fun… Go EAGLES!!

Hey everyone… I recently put together another web site, Justjocks.com, that is sports related that I thought some of you might think was interesting. The site is just a blog at the moment, but I have some bigger, bolder plans for the domain in the future. I’m intending to make the site social networking site where players can create their own player profiles and upload videos, photos, etc. Not sure when I’ll have time to put it together the way I’d like to, but it will evolve over time so check back from time to time.

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The STYFL recently posted an article to their site informing interested parties of their Winter Scrimmages and Training Camp to take place in February.

“Our objective is to provide quality instruction of football fundamentals and conditioning for both new and returning players. Additionally, the players will get simulated game repetitions on a weekly basis where coaches can continue instruction in a game setting that is designed around teaching and training. Coaches will assemble different squads from each age group every week with the intent of getting quality match ups and creating learning opportunities for all participants.”

Follow the more tag below to view the FAQ which provides more details. Drew’s looking to play baseball, but we’re going to look into doing both. Should be fun…. hope to see some of you there. Oh, by the way, I think you can contact STYFL to buy the equipment at a discount. The kids are required to bring their own equipment.

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Hey all… the Ball family just wanted to extend our best wishes and hope that you all have a wonderful and prosperous 2008! Just think, the football season starts again in about 8 months! Not sure about y’all, but Drew’s pretty pumped.

Perhaps you hadn’t heard the news, but rumor has it that Coach Gene is going to return to the MM Eagles again next season. I think Coach Romel will be joining him. I think there’s a third coach, but I can’t remember his name at the moment. Guess that blows my chances… oh well, I’ve got a web site to attend to.

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Wow, do I miss the football season! Drew and I are pretty excited about the season the Oregon Ducks have put together, but Dixon going down in the Arizona game really put a damper on our national championship hopes.

Meanwhile, our beloved Eagles (of the Philly variety) continue to figure out a way to snatch defeats out of the hands of victory on a regular basis. Drew and I have surmised that the Birds are just “snake-bit” and D-Mac isn’t anywhere near 100%. He’s starting to show signs that his torn ACL is on the mend, but it will probably be next year before we get to see him play like the old Donovan.  Perhaps we’ll even place an order for some Super Bowl Tickets this time next year!  OK, so maybe I’m getting a bit ahead of myself… I can dream, right?!

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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!

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!!

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.

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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.

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