Hello Hill Country!
TLDR (too long, didn’t read): CPYFA has joined Hill Country Youth Football! For more information, read on.
Big News in the land of Cedar Park Youth Football! As of yesterday, August 21st, just before 6:00pm, CPYFA officially joined Hill Country Youth Football League (HCYFL) as a member of the Division 1, 5/6A Conference. This marks a significant turning point for our organization and is the culmination of what seems like – and very well might have been – hundreds of hours of work from more people than I can count, or even begin to thank.
A charter member of Central Texas AYF, Cedar Park has been a mainstay of youth football in our community since 2013. For the better part of a decade, our youth have competed against cross town rivals at Vista Ridge, Leander, Rouse, Glenn and more.
We were proud to compete against those organizations and are hopeful that in the not so distant future, we will once again have the opportunity to strap on the cleats and go toe to toe with the rivals next door.
As this move comes amidst the ongoing Coronavirus pandemic, I want to take this time to assure our families and peers that the decision to move to HCYFL was made after careful deliberation and contemplation by the entirety of our Board of Directors. As President of this organization, I feel an inherent obligation and indeed it is my duty to look beyond the present year and guide our organization to a brighter future. It’s no secret that youth football is changing, the opinions, perspectives and concerns of parents in our community are changing; and we must change with them. The fact is, that fewer young men are playing tackle football in our community, CPYFA is not immune to those changes, but to this point, we seem to have been insulated from the most dramatic impacts of the ebb tide. Our organization remains strong and families in Cedar Park continue to seek the formative values of football for their boys.
In making the move to HCYFL, we believe that our organization is positioned to offer the families and youth of Cedar Park a football experience rich with competition that is both robust and diverse for the next decade and beyond. We relish the opportunity to compete against established programs in Liberty Hill, Boerne, Marble Falls, Smithson Valley, Copperas Cove and Lake Travis to name just a few. Moreover, we believe our peer organizations in Leander and Cedar Park will call HCYFL their own in the years to come. For so many reasons, this move at this time makes sense for our football family.
I recognize that the move to HCYFL carries the implied risk of more travel to further reaching destinations than in seasons past. That fact notwithstanding, we believe that every away game, regardless of the time allotted to get there, ought to guarantee top tier competition with top tier programs; Hill Country delivers on that promise. There is no doubt that families and friends will spend more time in the car shepherding their athletes to away games, but I strongly believe that whether sitting in the stands or playing on the field, the drive will have been worth it when the clock reads zero.
This is an exciting time for our organization. It did not come without a tremendous amount of effort and dedication. In particular, I want to thank Beau Walker, D1 Commissioner for HCYFL, who worked tirelessly as an advocate for CPYFA to have this opportunity. Beau is also the head coach of Smithson Valley, who we will play this season – if you happen to see him, please thank him for his efforts and show him the same warmth you extend to every member of our CPYFA family. In addition to Beau, I want to thank Curtis Jerrells – Vice President of CPYFA – and Mike Whittington – CPYFA Tackle Football Director – for their hard work and partnership in making this move a reality. Curtis, Mike and I spent many long nights and early mornings over phone, email and text making this moment possible; we would not be here without them.
For our parents and athletes in our non-contact football and cheer programs – the immediate impacts of this move may not seem apparent, but I assure you, this is to your benefit as well. This is an exciting time for CPYFA. As we open this new chapter, I find myself as invigorated as ever by the season to come. We have work to do, we have new titles to earn, a new legacy to build – Cedar Park remains the place where Champions Play...feel good? How good? REAL GOOD!
Go Timberwolves!
-Brian