CCHS soccer teams collect more than 150 toys for children in need

By BRITTANY FHOLER
Cove Leader-Press

The Copperas Cove High School Junior Varsity and Varsity Soccer teams collected 154 toys at their annual Scrimmage Toy Drive held Thursday evening at Bulldawg Stadium. 
With the donation of a new, unwrapped toy, parents, friends, family and other spectators had the chance to see the CCHS soccer teams play before Christmas break and before the season officially begins. 
Coach Tyler Frank said that the soccer teams have been holding the Toy Drive at their inner squad scrimmage for five years now. The toys collected will be given to the Copperas Cove Police Department, whose officers will hand out the toys to children in need on Christmas Eve. 
Last year’s collection resulted in 77 toys being donated, and this year’s amount of 154 toys more than doubled that impact. 
“It’s great. I mean, the kids kind of see it as they’re just donating a toy,” Frank said. “They don’t really know the impact, so we’ve kind of tried to spread that message of just how important it is. You know, imagine if you woke up without anything, and they were like, ‘Well, it’d be kind of expensive.’  I’d say like a Dollar Tree toy. You know, a $2 $3 toy can make the world of difference for a kid that doesn’t get anything, and I think they kind of received that message and it really made them feel like they can make a difference.”
Frank said that there are even some players who left early for their Christmas vacation, but not before they dropped off their toy donation Thursday morning. 
Thursday’s inter-squad scrimmage provided a chance for parents to see their students play at home. Pre-COVID, it would have been the first ever scrimmage of the school year, but the UIL game dates changed and the scrimmages started before Christmas break. 
“This scrimmage is not as impactful as far as seeing the team for the first time, but we want to get all our guys out here for the parents to see them play and kind of see the different levels of our teams,” Frank said. 
The first game of the evening was between Junior Varsity Team A and JV Team B, with a match between JV Team B and the varsity to follow. 
“It’s just so the kids get out there and kind of see, you know, it’s also a good chance for us to evaluate and see if there’s any last-minute changes before we head into the season,” Frank said. 
Scrimmages have started this season already. The alumni game, where former CCHS soccer players from years past come back, will be December 30 at Bulldawg Stadium. 
The first official game will be on January 6, 2022, and the teams will have tournaments for three weeks, every weekend, before starting with the district games. The first home game will be Jan. 25 against Ellison High School.