Junior Cruisers Flag Football Starts Up

This past weekend, the Eatonville Junior Cruisers football organization kicked off their annual flag football program for the youth here in Eatonville. Junior Cruiser football coaches, board members, a few parents and current Eatonville High School football players all helped out at the event.

They mixed it up a bit this year by holding an NFL like combine to kick it off. After a 20 minute stretching session to get all participants warmed up to prevent injury, there were four stations set up that each player would go through. They checked each player’s 40 yard time and also their 3-cone drill time, just like they do at the NFL combine. After that, the players would go to a passing station for evaluation where they would throw two short passes to a receiver to their left and then two passes to their right. They would then throw two long passes to their left and right. The final station was for the receivers. Each player would be thrown two short passes to the left and two to the right. They would then be thrown two long passes to each side as well. All scores and time would be compiled.

Eatonville HS players Alex Brymer and Julian Evans work with a group of players during EJCF's flag football combine. Photo Credit: Deanna Simons

Then on Monday, Junior Cruiser board president Corey Simons met with a group of the high school players to conduct a draft. They all studied the scores and evaluations from the combine and then drafted players based on those evaluations to form their teams. Each team consists of 6 or 7 players. Starting this weekend, they will begin a 5 on 5 tournament.

There will be two age divisions with a bracket style tournament that will span four consecutive Saturday’s culminating on May 18th were the champion of each division will be crowned.

Simons said, “The goal is for both the kids and high school players to have a fun competition while playing flag football. Each age group will end up with a champion! Depending on time and bracket play we plan on also having a Lineman/Trench and Skills day”.

For more information on the Junior Cruisers football organization and their flag football program, please head to their Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ejcfootball.