Cheer On Your Local Heroes at the First Responders Flag Football Tournament
On Saturday, September 23, local fire departments from across the Katy and Cypress areas will convene at Mayde Creek High School to compete for bragging rights in the First Responders Flag Football Tournament. Coordinated by Captain Joe Driver, Fire Captain/PIO-PR Officer for Westlake Volunteer Fire Department in Katy, the tournament will feature teams comprised of firefighters from Westlake, Willowfork, Cy-Fair, Cypress Creek, Harris County ESD No. 48, Katy, Community, and Fulshear Simonton Fire Departments.
Drawing inspiration from his participation in the Battle of the Badges Softball Tournament held this past June, Captain Driver began the planning process in July by securing a date, determining costs and reaching out to local business for support. Leading up to that softball tournament, Captain Driver was often tapped by Jyron Harris, a Westlake VFD Firefighter/EMT, about organizing a flag football tournament. Once Captain Driver experienced the electrifying camaraderie at the softball tournament, he knew he had to make a football tournament a reality.
"Ultimately, I reached out to the same departments that played in the softball tournament and then some. It took a second, but the confirmations started trickling in to where we are now with the 8 teams we have," said Captain Driver.
Thanks to a Katy-based vendor's quick turnaround, Westlake VFD players will don custom jerseys at the football tournament. Many other local businesses have offered support for the event including Academy Sports and Outdoors, Dicks House of Sports, Russo Pizza, Cicis Pizza Fry Rd, Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Katy, Katy ISD, and Katy Area Safety Fest.
Since Mayde Creek High School is located within Westlake VFD's territory, it was a natural choice for the event. Each team will have a different number of players, with no maximum on the roster. Since this is a double elimination tournament, there will be 14 games with a possibility of a fifteenth. Officials from the Houston TASO Football Chapter will officiate the games, which will utilize Texas High School modified 7v7 rules to help make the games run smoothly.
The first set of games will start at 9:00 AM and the community is invited and encouraged to attend in support of these local heroes. Thanks to the Mayde Creek High School Booster Club, spectators can purchase snacks and drinks from the concession stand, and restrooms will be available for use.
Although a Championship trophy will be awarded, the best reward will be the memories made and the camaraderie shared between the players and the community.
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Tiffany Krenek has been on the My Neighborhood News team since August 2021. She is passionate about curating and sharing content that enriches the lives of our readers in a personal, meaningful way. A loving mother and wife, Tiffany and her family live in the West Houston/Cypress region.
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