ELK GROVE, CA (MPG) - The Pleasant Grove High School football team had a successful night for its first Clash of The Nest inner squad scrimmage on Friday Aug. 8 at Pleasant Grove. Not only was there the inner squad scrimmage that took place at 7 p.m., but there was a tailgate that started at 5 p.m.

The tailgate was held on the outside basketball courts where the families barbecued and got to spend time with the entire Pleasant Grove football community. Along with the barbecue, the football program had introduced the junior varsity football team and had a dunk tank that gave a chance for players and families to dunk the varsity coaches.           

Once the tailgate was over, everyone headed to the football field to watch the scrimmage, where this was the first chance for the team to be in a live football setting.      

 

Coach Sam Cole after practice.

                          

Head Coach Sam Cole had split the roster in half to make two teams, where every player had a chance for significant playing time. He put each team in certain situations and had them play for 20 minutes. Every player was able to show the community how much work they had put in for this upcoming season.           

“I want to say thank you to the booster club we’ve assembled, all the support from the families and everybody that came out to make this event possible,” said Coach Cole.

Cole knows how important it is to have a strong community that supports the football team to not only succeed on the football field but off of it as well. The support comes from the families of the players and the kids that attend Pleasant Grove High School and even down to their junior football program.

 

From left are Vice President Andrea Carter with President Pearl Previtera. 

Andrea Carter, who is the vice president of the booster club, said, “We are just reaching out to our spheres of influence, to the people that we know to try and get their support as well.”  

And that is exactly what the booster club is accomplishing: reaching out to the Junior Eagle program for support in supplying the barbecues and reaching out to the community to supply the dunk tank.

 

Junior Varsity player hitting the target to dunk Coach Cole

The booster club is looking to continue to build its fundraising committee so new parents can join to help support the football program by bringing new ideas that will strengthen the community.

“Our main goal is to raise money and to bring the families in and make them feel included,” Carter said.      

Pleasant Grove is pushing to have a family-like community where the parents know every player and want every player to be successful.