Pop Warner season gets underway soon
By Hector Trujillo
Scripps Ranch Pop Warner Football and Cheer Association (SRPW) will be starting team practices on
Aug. 1 with the first games of the season scheduled for Aug. 27.
The four-week interval is aimed at conditioning the young athletes for the season ahead with the goal of fielding four tackle football teams for ages 8-14, one flag football team for ages 5-7, and three cheer squads for ages 5-13.
“We couldn’t be more excited to kick off another full season of Scripps Ranch Pop Warner Football,” said association President Krista Clausen. “Falcons Football returned in 2021 and turned in a fantastic season for the Scripps Ranch community. After skipping a season due to the pandemic, the entire board, coaches and Falcon family worked hard last year to welcome, recruit and build four teams, three cheer squads, and skilled coaching staffs to enable a new season.”
Among the highlights from last year was that the Scripps Ranch Pop Warner 12u Falcons football team capturing the West Coast Conference Championship at home after defeating the Coronado
Islanders 7-0.
In addition, 14 student-athletes were honored as Pop Warner All-American Scholars in 2021. The Pop Warner Little Scholars All-American Program requires a minimum 96 percent GPA to apply for All-American status and is the only national youth sports organization that requires its participants to perform adequately in the classroom before stepping on a football field or cheer track.
“We saw many of these kids grow and develop as athletes and young people over the course of the season,” Clausen said. “We had many first-time football and cheer athletes take the field last year and to see the confidence and skill by the end of the season was truly inspiring.”
Among the most noteworthy competitors were football players Caden Clausen, Aiden Frank and Kale Searles, who started playing in flag football many years ago and were able to finish their Pop Warner careers on the field. In order to make 2021 such a successful season, the SRPW board implemented several strategies such as shifting from shared to individual hydration; disinfecting equipment when needed; distancing and masking when appropriate; and ensuring the COVID protocols of the host field at the high school were followed. These steps became part of the organization’s playbook as the season continued.
“Our season can’t happen without the time and effort of all our board members as well as all our coaches and other volunteers who commit time and effort to the development of our student athletes. Our program would not be a success without all of them,” Clausen said.
Local business owners in the community are asked to consider sponsoring Scripps Ranch Pop Warner Football and Cheer Association’s 2022 season. Anyone interested in marketing their business in the community while supporting student athletes can email President@srpw.org for more information.
Visit scrippsranchpopwarner.com.