It’s been more than two years since Cottonwood Fire Department firefighters and Cottonwood Police Department officers faced off to play flag football for honor and to raise money for a good cause.
Known as Guns vs. Hoses, the third gridiron contest between police and firefighters takes place at Mingus Union High School on Saturday, Aug. 13, starting at 6 p.m.
The 2010 contest was canceled because the new field at the MUHS sports complex was not ready. This year will be different.
Fire Marshal Rick Contreras, who will play and coach, said nobody recalls the score of the last game in 2009, but the fire department came out on top.
CPD Sgt. Kevin Murie, who will coach and play, said the event gives his department a chance to give back to the community.
“Cottonwood is a big football town,” he said. “ We want to show our support for the team.”
“It’s such a great cause, and there’s such great camaraderie between the departments,” Contreras said.
“It’s a blast to watch,” MUHS head football coach Bob Young said. “There’s a lot of ex-athletes on both teams, and they’ve still got that competitive drive. It should be a great game.”
Neither coach would reveal his team’s game plan, and both said no practices are planned before the big game.
Drinks and food will be sold during the game. All proceeds go to support Marauders football. Admission is $2.
Although played on a standard football field, in this case, the new synthetic turf at the MUHS sports complex, some special rules apply.
Under traditional flag football rules, for example, each team consists of eight players. The game consists of two 22-minute halves with a five-minute halftime.
The clock runs continuously during the first half. During the second half, within the final two minutes of the game, the clock only stops for the following reasons: Incomplete passes, out of bounds, penalty and administration, team timeouts, touchdowns and extra points or a Referees’ discretion. The clock will stop on a fair catch on a punt too.
The clock will start again at the snap of the ball except for change of possession in which the clock starts once the ball is placed.
For more information, call 649-3135.{jcomments on}
