On Sunday, March 31, the Mansfield and Hackett Little League Football teams got some closure on what their 2019 football season would entail as the Lavaca Golden Arrows joined the West Central Football League. The Golden Arrows are no strangers to the Hornets and Tigers. The three programs faced each other annually in their previous league before Hackett and Mansfield left to help form the WCFL.
The West Central Football League was formed last season with the intent to give smaller programs a chance to play more equal competition. After a great success in their inaugural season, the goal was to attempt to allow three more schools into the League to make an even set ten teams.
Greenland and West Fork spent previous years playing much larger teams in NWA which kept the programs down in success and in numbers of players. Lavaca was offered an invite to the league last season but turned it down. This time around they were all aboard.
Mansfield Little League Football President Josh Strozier said, “This will be our second season in the WCFL and the addition of three more teams gives us more opportunities to see growth amongst our kids. Lavaca, Greenland, and West Fork should be great matches for us which will create more competition. We are building the future for this entire group on and off the field. We’re very excited to face off with our new opponents.”
Hackett Little League President Dave Slavens said, “Both Hackett and the WCFL were successful last year and it shows. When you have other small programs jumping at the chance to gain a spot in the league, it proves to us that we’re doing something in the WCFL that’s needed. Greenland, West Fork, and Lavaca will be formidable programs. They are small programs looking to build off of more equal competition just like the rest of us were last year. We’re very excited to play against them and the rest of the league in 2019.”
In the end, the overall goal of the WCFL is building small school football programs for the kids. The Little League Tigers and the Hackett Hornets proved that that goal is achievable by making the playoffs and winning WCFL Championships last season. Other programs are also seeing success in numbers of kids wanting to play football and communities being excited about little league football again. Small town football is making a comeback and it all starts here. So be sure to get out and support your Little League programs in any way you can.
