Crimson Tide Pop Warner ‘D’ team head coach Rick Pulsifer, players, and assistant coaches were big fans of the New England Patriots – the reigning Super Bowl champions – even before their youth football exhibition game at halftime of the Packers-Patriots pre-season contest.
But their admiration for the Patriots organization and the Kraft family has no doubt grown even larger after what was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for these players who took the field before thousands of fans for a scrimmage against the Mount Hope Cowboys of Providence.
The players had the opportunity to stand on the sidelines during the second quarter before their scrimmage. What they likely noticed up close was how big, tall, and strong National Football League players are – and how very fast the pace of the game is. The vantage point of seeing 68,000 fans from the stadium turf also provided a unique experience.
What we noticed from the great photos that the Patriots organization sent to our newspaper is that the Crimson Tide were wearing sharp, professionally looking uniforms – as were the Mount Hope Cowboys. The fact is the Crimson Tide Pop Warner, led by president Brian Dimond, is giving our football players and cheerleaders a first-class athletic opportunity to learn and to develop their skills.
We all know how successful the Everett High School football program has been under the direction of John DiBiaso, with the support of Superintendent of Schools Frederick Foresteire. As recently as last December, EHS players had the special opportunity of competing in a Super Bowl at Gillette Stadium.
The New England Patriots and the Kraft family have opened their beautiful stadium to Pop Warner football and we thank them for the hospitality they have exhibited in making the Aug. 13 scrimmage a dream-come-true for our Everett players and coaches.