Members of the Marysville Youth Football Association’s Junior Black Chargers get warmed up during practice on Thursday, Aug. 1.
Lauren Salcedo, Marysville Globe
MARYSVILLE — The Marysville Youth Football League began practicing the week of July 29, and the nearly 250 local players will spend each weekday practicing until school starts, as just a small part of what makes the league one of the most competitive in the area.
“The league in Marysville is great,” said Kevin Gallo, head coach of the Senior Black Chargers. “It is so competitive. Marysville always has a team in the championship every year.”
Gallo noted that M-P’s quarterback Jake Luton went through the program when he was younger, and his younger brother is currently competing.
“We have a lot of the players from both Marysville-Pilchuck and Marysville Getchell who started out with Marysville Youth Football,” he said. “There are so many kids in the area who have a lot of talent, and there is a lot of great coaching out here. I think the coaches know that Marysville is known for being competitive so they really step their game up. Marysville has set a tone, so if you’re going to coach you know you are going to have to put a championship team on the field.”
Each year, more and more kids sign up for MYFL, and the program continues to grow. This year, the league has one Pee-Wee team, three 8-9 year-old teams, three junior teams and two senior teams.
“Marysville really teaches the kids how to play the game, and they focus a lot on sportsmanship,” said Donny Giles, assistant coach for the junior team. “Competitive teams always make people turn their heads and look at the league. We have 250 kids and everyone can play the whole year. We make sure that no matter what the score is, we are making sure that the other team knows we are there to play a game.”
The league is a feeder organization for both Marysville-Pilchuck and Marysville Getchell high schools, so the teams wear either a Tomahawk or Charger helmet and jersey.
“It’s important for us to be representing the schools in our city,” said Giles, who noted that the equipment for each player was purchased through funds raised by the Powder Puff football game.
“Without the Powder Puff game, there would be no equipment,” said Gallo. “They have new helmets, new pads, new jerseys. It’s amazing.”
Gallo also mentioned that for kids who have not signed up for MYFL this season, the Marysville Stealth Organization hosts a winter arena football league.
“It runs from February to May, and you can tell the kids who are playing for both football leagues,” he said. “It keeps the game fresh in their mind.”
For more information on Marysville Youth Football, visit www.marysvilleyouthfootball.com.