Kids & Family

Players Make Their Mark On and Off the Soccer Field

From Bingo games with seniors to coaching Special Olympics players, HHS boys soccer team members busy in community.

Sunday afternoon in the main gym at Hillsborough High School, two teams of five players faced off across the floor, a row of colorful rubber-coated foam balls in the middle between them.

At the sound of a whistle, the teams scrambled to run and grab a ball—before the player opposite could do the same and throw the ball. 

Getting hit by the ball in the HHS Boys Soccer fifth annual Dodgeball Tournament meant you were out of the game—and no one wanted to stand on the sidelines and watch.

The tournament was actually a fundraising event for the team, with the 24 teams participating finding sponsors to contribute—it was also the fourth event of the weekend for the team members that had nothing to do with soccer.

"Our boys are really active in the community," parent Janene Kozimbo said. 

It's an understatement: on Saturday, team members helped collect more than 200 bags of donated food for the Hillsborough Food Pantry at the Weis Market, as well as participate in a bingo game with residents at the Emeritus Assisted Living Center. Sunday, in addition to the Dodgeball Tournament, some team members could be found at the fields next to Amsterdam School coaching Special Olympics soccer players.

Oh, and team has compiled a 6-4-1 record on soccer fields this year.

That's teamwork on and off the field.

"The feedback we've gotten from the organizations they work with has been great," Kozimbo said.  

Some of the projects are long-term endeavors, such as the Bingo games and the commitment to coach Special Olympics players, and some—like the Dodgeball Tournament—are organized once each year.

"The kids kind of run the whole event," Kozimbo said of the tournament.

The tournament added another $505 in donations to the food bank, and when the dust settled and the last player was standing—the Untoucha-Balls team was declared the winner.



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