A fantastic game of football full of well-executed plays and bone-crunching tackles was played Sunday afternoon at Ford Field in downtown Detroit.
But it wasn’t the Lions burning up the gridiron. It was the Oxford Jr. Wildcats!
The 56,269 screaming fans attending Detroit’s home opener against the Minnesota Vikings got to see football at its finest and purest when those scrappy Jr. Wildcats took the field at halftime to play a seven-minute scrimmage.
‘I never got to go on a pro football field before,? said Wyatt Scott, a 9-year-old defensive lineman who attends fourth grade at Clear Lake Elementary.
The local youth football program sent 61 members of its Freshman Blue and Gold squads (ages 7-9) to the Lions? den along with 23 peppy young cheerleaders to root them on.
‘They had a great time as they always do,? said Oxford Jr. Wildcats Commissioner Jeff Miller. ‘It was a great experience for them ? the whole atmosphere of being at Ford Field. A couple of them got to high-five Lions players.?
Accompanied by their excited parents and siblings, the players and cheerleaders spent the first quarter of the Lions game watching from their seats in sections 338 and 339, otherwise known as the ‘Family Fun Zone.?
Then it was off to the steamy tunnel below where the pint-sized warriors suited up for battle, listened to some last-minute words of advice from their coaches and iously waited for the Lions and Vikings to exit the field.
As they walked to the tunnel, fans partying outside the stadium cheered the Cats and exchanged high-fives with them.
Miller overheard some of the kids say they felt like ‘rock stars.?
Once the field was clear, the Jr. Wildcats took center-stage on the seemingly endless sea of synthetic turf. Dressed proudly in Oxford’s blue and gold colors, the players, cheerleaders and coaches exploded through the tunnel as if they were NFL pros.
For seven magical minutes, the kids experienced what professional football players do on any given Sunday ? heart-pounding adrenaline rushing through their bodies, energy radiating from a packed stadium, and the opportunity to achieve glory.
You couldn’t hear yourself think as fans cheered every run, every tackle and every touchdown the Jr. Wildcats made.
Jr. Wildcats Ben Nuss and Matt Pezolt were the big stars of the day as each of them scored a touchdown.
For Pezolt, a fourth-grader at St. Joseph’s Catholic School in Lake Orion who plays tight end, his trip into the end zone was the highlight of his day. ‘Our quarterback, Ryan Miller, gave me a perfect throw,? he said.
Nuss, who plays tailback and attends fourth grade at Clear Lake Elementary, scored his touchdown following a hand-off and a 35-yard run. ‘It was really cool and fun,? he said.
A total of 120 players, ranging in age from 7-12, participate in the nonprofit Jr. Wildcats football program, which consists of Freshman Blue and Gold squads and Junior Varsity Blue and Gold squads.
The Jr. Wildcats are part of the 15-team Northern Youth Football League. They play an eight-game season that this year runs from Aug. 22 through Oct. 18.
‘We have the potential to qualify for two rounds of playoffs and a Super Bowl,? Miller noted.