El Paso youth football teams hope to bring back state titles

Jesus Baltazar
·2 min read
El Paso youth football teams hope to bring back state titles

EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – Two youth football teams representing El Paso hope to bring back state titles to the Sun City this weekend.

The El Paso Sharks organization will be sending an under-5 (U5) flag football team, and an under 11 (U11) tackle football team to compete in the Texas Youth Football Association’s (TYFA) state championships at Texas State University in San Marcos.

“They’re going for a state title. They deserve for the city and the Borderland to know who these boys are,” said Arturo Mares, head football coach of the U11 football team.

Head football coach of the U5 EP Sharks, Steven Deucher, said football is huge in Texas, and wants to put El Paso on the map.

“How we want to represent El Paso is with being tough, disciplined and physical. If we can be physical, we can be disciplined and we can go out there with the right mindset. That’s how we want to represent El Paso” Deucher said.

Roman Pinedo of the U5 Sharks echoed his coach’s message, and understands what it will take to win.

“We have to play hard. I do this (pounds his chest), that means we’re tough” Pinedo said.

Mares has been coaching his team since they were in the under-7 category, and the team has competed multiple times at the national level. However, Mares explained why winning this title could mean so much more.

“Some people end their youth football career at U11 just because now they go into school sports and they start playing in school,” Mares said.

Linebacker and running back for the U11 team, Rome Gamon, has his sights on making history.

“Not a lot of people from here has made it that far. So when we win the state championship, we’ll make history for El Paso” Gamon said.

Both championship games will be streaming live on tyfa.com, on Sunday, Dec. 10.

The U5 flag football team’s championship game kicks off at 9:30 a.m. Mountain Time, while the U11 championship games kicks off at 3:30 pm Mountain Time.

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