Young gridders' Ice Bowl is about more than touchdowns

Deseret News (Salt Lake City), Dec 15, 2008 by Tanya Husselbee

CEDAR CITY -- Temperatures in the low 30s, gusty winds and delayed snow meant Saturday's second annual Ice Bowl between youth football teams from Cedar City and Moorpark, Calif., was more chilly than icy.

But the two games between seventh- and eighth-grade players also brought some cool cash to the community's Shop With a Cop program.

Ice Bowl founder Tom Collett, a former Southern Utah University football player, said he started the games to give his players a unique experience -- playing in cold weather. But it's not just an opportunity to play more football, he said, it's also a chance to serve others.

Along with their helmets and cleats, Collett's Packers of Moorpark brought $2,000 to support Cedar City's Shop With a Cop program. Collett said when he got the idea for the bowl, he called Cedar City Mayor Gerald R. Sherratt and asked if there was a local organization it could support.

"The mayor suggested Shop With a Cop, and I thought it was a great idea, " he said. "It's an excuse for me to come back."

Collett was an SUU defensive back for two years before graduating in 1986.

Donations for Shop With a Cop

came from players and families in Moorpark, an affluent Southern California suburb just north of Simi Valley. Collett called the charity experience a "real eye-opener" for his players.

The children who benefit from the charity "were asking for things like jackets and blankets, not Xboxes," he said. "It really taught our kids a lesson."

Collett said each player is asked to donate what he can, and some parents have their boys "breaking open their own piggy banks" to support the cause.

Travis Johnson of Cedar City, whose sons Jesse, 13, and Skylar, 11, played in the games, said the charity game has also opened his sons' eyes. "We talked with them to let them know families here are in need," Johnson said. "(The donation) means a lot to them since they go to school with (them)."

Merrilee Puccio of Moorpark said she doesn't mind the icy weather, as long as the kids have a great time.

"When we left home, it was 80 degrees," she said. "We've got to come here to appreciate it."

Puccio said she also appreciates the referees and other volunteers "getting cold with us ... without them we wouldn't have a game."

Several of the Moorpark players also enjoyed playing in the cold, since their games are usually played in short-sleeve temperatures. Several families even planned to go searching for snow after the game ended.

Moorpark tight end Braden Oroz, who played in the early game, said the best part is "playing in the cold and being away from my brother."

Cedar City's Lane Black, 12, said he was impressed that the Moorpark kids traveled so far just to play.

"They're really good sports just to play us," he said. Unlike the Moorpark players, he did not miss the snow since even though the game was snowless, "it was cold enough out there."

Sherratt stood on the sidelines for part of the late game and spoke highly of Collett, the Moorpark families, and their motivation.

"They don't get to see this kind of weather," he said, "but (the game) is a prize for these kids, from what I understand."

Sherratt also said he is "really appreciative" of the donation.

"I have good faith in the next generation," he said.

Cedar City's 11-year-old team beat the Packers 20-18 in the early game, but the Packers' 13-year-olds took the late game 18-6. Collett said even though his own sons are too old to play, he hopes to keep the tradition alive "for a few more years."