SV team slated for TV
CRANBERRY TWP — The Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers won't be the only football teams on television Sunday night.
The Cranberry Arrows are scheduled to be appear as well.
One of 11 teams in the Seneca Valley Junior Football Association, the 8- and 9-year-old Arrows will be shown at halftime as this week's Tiny Football League feature during the NBC broadcast.
They were selected from among 371 youth teams posted on the TFL website.
"I don't know why we got picked. Maybe it's because we submitted a team photo of our players inside my Toyota truck," said Ed Thomas, father of Arrows guard-defensive end Josh Thomas.
Thomas bought a new truck from Toyota, which sponsors the TFL, and discovered the program while at the dealership.
"I thought it'd be a fun way to try to get some money for our association," he said.
The TFL website is www.toyota.com/tfl/story?. Every submitted youth team picture is on that site. Visitors can select a picture and vote for that team. The team accumulating the most votes by mid-November receives $10,000 for its respective association.
Slippery Rock Youth Football has a team on the website as well.
The Seneca Valley Junior Football Association has 220 players ages 6 to 12. Nine of its 11 teams have qualified for the playoffs this season.
"Our kids and all of the parents are excited about this," recording secretary Kelley Morrone said. "We're not guaranteed to be aired, though. We've been told we could be pre-empted, there may be a time issue — things happen. But we're scheduled to be on."
Morrone's son, Michael, is a tight end-outside linebacker for the Arrows.
The team originally was scheduled to be on at halftime of the Oct. 31 Steelers-Saints game, "but they jumped us up a week," Thomas said.
John Rosa is the Arrows head coach. He's been a football coach for 20 years and was head coach at Freedom High School for three seasons. He's also been on high school staffs at Ellwood City, Hopewell and Seneca Valley.
The Arrows are 5-2 this season. Rosa's son, quarterback Zach Rosa, has thrown five touchdown passes.
"TFL is a nice concept and it's good exposure for our kids," Rosa said. "I have no idea what they're going to show on TV, probably some footage we sent in."
Thomas used a high-definition camera to shoot footage of the Arrows this season.
The group's teams play in the Greater 19 Youth League.
