Charity football game scores touchdown for children

A team of Marines from Marine Corps Air Station Yuma will play against a team of players from five area high schools on Friday night in an annual charity game of flag football to collect toys for underprivileged children in Yuma County.

Now in its fifth year, the Marine Corps Reserve Toys for Tots flag football game will be played at the Yuma High School football stadium at 6:30 p.m. Friday.

"We needed another event to get the community involved and to collect more toys, and this does that," said Sgt. Abel Torres, of Marine Fighter Training Squadron 401. "It just evolved into having fun."

Players from Yuma, Kofa, Cibola, San Luis and Gila Ridge high schools will be participating in the game, which also happens to be a little bit about bragging rights.

"We are going to have our hands full this year, that is for sure," Torres said. "We had some Marines who attended some football games and they said they saw some pretty talented players on every team."

Those going to the game can expect to see Yuma High's J.C. Baker, Andrew Herrarte and Trevon Clark, as well as brothers Dominic and Lucky Castaneda of Kofa High on the high school team.

Kofa's Timmy Lee is also scheduled to participate, but is still nursing an ankle injury.

Admission to the game is a donation of one new, unwrapped toy. Each person will also receive a ticket for a halftime raffle featuring prizes donated by local businesses.

Torres said they collected 135 toys during last year's game. He hopes to raise even more this year.

He said he expects the game to be competitive because most everyone on the Marine team has played at least one year of organized football before, including their quarterback, Capt. Andrew Miller, who played the position in college.  

A team made up of Marines from several units at Marine Corps Air Station Yuma beat Yuma High School 25-20, in the first Yuma Toys for Tots flag football game at Yuma's Doan Field.

However, after the Marines won the inaugural game in 2005, the high schoolers won the following two years, winning by 14 points in 2007 and 10 points in 2006.

The series is tied now at two games a piece after the Marine team won last year, thanks to a timely interception by Torres, who picked off a pass in the end zone with under a minute left in the game.

This will also be the first year the game will feature a halftime show. Called "Battle of the Drum Lines," three high school bands will be competing and entertaining those in attendance.

Panda Express will also be on site selling entrees.

Toys for Tots began in 1947 when Maj. Bill Hendricks and a group of fellow Marine reservists in Los Angeles collected and distributed 5,000 toys to needy children.

The 1947 pilot project was so successful that the Marine Corps adopted Toys for Tots in 1948 and expanded it into a nationwide campaign.

MARINE FIGHTER TRAINING SQUADRON 401 football roster

Lt. Col. Timothy Frank
Maj. Andrew Miller
Master Sgt. William Yerby
Staff Sgt. Joe Lopez
Staff Sgt. Edwin Jose
Staff Sgt. Frank Timke
Sgt. Abel Torres
Sgt. Andrew Chaney
Sgt. Victor Navarro
Sgt. Henry Calderon
Sgt. Jonathan Presley
Sgt. Brian Vanwinkle
Sgt. Jason Tracoma
Sgt. Benjamin Patat
Cpl. Troy Hutchinson
Lance Cpl. John Teixeira
Lance Cpl. Francisco Rabara
Lance Cpl. Matthew Paulin

James Gilbert can be reached at jgilbert@yumasun.com or 539-6854.