The cars were parked diagonally from the football field up to the Lee Road School parking lot. It was still tough to find places for everyone. Twenty-two youth football leagues sent Division II teams to Cornwall on Aug. 17 for preseason scrimmages. The 10 and 11-year-old gridders used the varsity field and the fields behind the middle school.
The defenses had an advantage, because the games were played across the width of the field rather than the length. With a narrow playing area, ball carriers had to be deceptive to find openings. If they went too far outside, they might wind up in someone else’s scrimmage.
No one kept score. Teams ran a stipulated number of plays and then turned the ball over to their opponents. After each half-hour, the match-ups changed.
Cornwall has hosted the event for several years. “We do it as a fund raiser,” league president Dave Carnright said. It appeared to be successful, as the refreshment stand had a steady stream of customers.
The teams arrived at one o’clock, and waited patiently while the coaches gathered for a short meeting to make everyone aware of the format. There were no officials on the field, and no penalties. At the end of each scrimmage, the players lined up for the traditional handshake.
One of the visitors may have been familiar to local fans. Kevin Holland, an assistant coach for Cornwall’s championship high school team in 2003, was on the field with the boys from Pine Bush. His son is the quarterback.
The weather was good for football. The skies were clear, and the temperature hovered around 80. League president Dave Carnright said that Walter Moran and his Buildings and Grounds Department did an excellent job of getting the fields in shape for the event.
Youth practice started on Aug. 1. During the summer the Dragons’ varsity football coach, Marcus Hughes, conducted a free clinic for Cornwall’s youth league volunteers.
