Rams Legend and Super Bowl XXXIV champion Roland Williams did not only attend the event as a Rams Legend but as a parent supporting his son’s football aspirations. Williams believes it is important for the Rams to create lasting memories for young football players at the high school and middle school levels. It allows students from schools all over the region to get together and compete, build relationships, and make each other better.
“We have a history of working with middle school and elementary school students,” said Williams. “I think this is a great opportunity for young people to engage and be around the Rams experience. Coaches and players are being unified all around southern California. This is what it is all about.”
Rams Legend Chris Draft expressed the importance of the young football players competing in clinics to sharpen their skills and make themselves better athletes. Being a native of Southern California, he was excited to see the next generation of athletes that could make it to the NFL, including his own nephew.
“We have high school student-athletes prepping and competing. We are finding out who is the best. Iron sharpens iron, so having the top guys here together to see each other and compete makes them all better,” said Draft. “They have a chance to compete out here, but it is important that we let them know that they are student-athletes. This game is greater than just going to the league. They see the facility in the background, they get the chance to be on the field where the world champions Los Angeles Rams train. It’s not just about showing up, but about being consistent and going to work. That is what it takes to be a champion on the field but also off it. This was important for me to come because one of my nephews is playing. I grew up in Southern California. I grew up watching the Rams in Anaheim. I get the chance to go all over the country and see young people play but it’s totally different when you get to see young men from my hometown where I grew up. To be out here and see them compete is special.”
The event included multiple athletes who have committed to several SEC, Big 12 and PAC-12 programs. St. John Bosco High School safety and University of Georgia commit, Peyton Woodyard, spoke about how fun it was playing both sides of football.
“This event was cool. As Coach Wadood said earlier, it’s great to be around everyone out here. You never know, they can draft you one day,” said Woodyard. “This is great exposure but also fun. Who doesn’t like playing football? It’s been fun playing with my team and playing both sides of football.”
Carlsbad High School quarterback Julian Sayin competed on the San Diego team that was crowned as the champions, and he was named the Offensive MVP. As a recent commit to the University of Alabama, he believes this experience helped him enhance his skills.
“This was awesome. I am so gracious to the Rams for hosting this and being able to be at a facility where NFL players play,” said Sayin. “This was definitely a fun day. I was very excited about receiving the most valuable player award. I am just very grateful for my coaches that helped me out today. This experience will help me with teamwork and leadership building skills, especially playing with guys I have never met before.”
The Defensive MVP Award was given to Mission Viejo’s safety, Travis Anderson. He expressed how this event strengthened his hopes of playing professional football in the NFL.
“We won the championship, which is a great feeling. It was a hard and very long day, but I had a lot of fun with the team, meeting new players and coaches. We lost the first game which did not faze us, but we got to get the feel of playing flag football, which I have not done since the fourth or fifth grade. It reminded me of being a child and playing both ways. I caught a couple touchdowns and got a pick. I played great defense and got the game winning touchdown which felt nice,” said Anderson. “This is a dream come true. Participating as an LA Ram was amazing. My dream is to get to the NFL, and it is getting closer. I know I must keep working but I loved being here today. The competition and the coaches were great. It was a blessing to be here. All these guys are going to go to PAC-12 or SEC schools, so this was a great experience.”
To learn more about the Rams’ community efforts, please visit www.therams.com/community.
Travis Burnett
A pioneer in the flag football community, Travis helped co-found the Flag Football World Championship Tour, FlagSpin and USA Flag. Featuring 15+ years of content creation for the sport of flag football, creating and managing the largest flag football tournaments on the planet, coaching experience at the youth and adult level as well as an active player with National and World Championship level experience.
