• Wes Bloomquist •
• Originally published July 26, 2008 at 11:40 p.m., updated July 26, 2008 at 11:40 p.m.

With clipboards in hands, coaches followed youth football players around the Memorial practice field Saturday morning in search of talent.

After all, the Crossroads Youth Football League draft is today and they wouldn’t want to miss out on the next talented wide receiver. The evaluation was the second and final one of the year, meaning the CYFL is now ready to select teams.

“We’re trying to give them enough events to do to show their general athleticism,” said CYFL president David Hartman. “We want our coaches to have a chance to see the kids. Our goal in doing this is to avoid stacking teams. We want all the talent to be spread out to make it competitive.”

Around 200 players were out to impress the coaches, from the Pee-Wee Division to the Senior League. Players were put through four different tests to gauge their ability. They ran sprints to show speed, did a shuttle run to display agility and took part in a standing long jump. The final drill was passing and catching to show coaches who their quarterbacks and receivers could be.

“I know I did good,” said second grader Ja’Tavian Moore after the combine. “I can do a lot of things.”

Moore is looking to become a running back or wide receiver for a team, while fifth-grader Gamar Girdy is keeping his playing options open.

“I just love playing football,” Girdy said. “The best thing, I guess is the tackling.”

While some coaches were out evaluating players for the first time, Teryl Taylor knows the CYFL process better than most. Taylor is entering his 10th season as a coach in the league and said he looks for more than just speed and the ability to catch the ball.

“I want to see the determination in their eyes and see who really wants to play,” Taylor said. “If we didn’t have the combine we wouldn’t know too much. This allows everyone to have a fair pick.”

The CYFL, which expects more than 400 players to compete in the league this season, opens play on Aug. 30. The league begins practice on Aug. 11.

“I wanted to show how good I can be,” third-grader Jadyn Anzualda said. “I like playing.”

Wes Bloomquist is a sports writer at the Advocate. Contact him at 361-580-6509 or wbloomquist@vicad.com..

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