Protect, serve ... and tackle

Homeless children to benefit from firefighter football game

by Ambria Hammel

VALLEY – On the job, they “protect and serve” Valley citizens. On the football field, the same personnel become the Phoenix Thunder and strike at every chance they get to make a play or block a move.

“There’s some great hitting,” defensive lineman and Anthem resident Ty Parten said while describing the team’s games. Most of the 55 players are Phoenix firefighters like Parten, but police officers and similar public safety personnel from seven other Valley cities also fill the roster.

The undefeated team (4‑0) is hoping sports fans will come out in droves to witness the game June 9 against the Fire Department New York’s Bravest during the National Public Safety Football League’s championship match. Ticket proceeds benefit the Thomas J. Pappas School for homeless children in Phoenix, the Boys and Girls Club of Metropolitan Phoenix, as well as other charities supported by the FDNY.

General Manager and Phoenix Fire Captain Brian Cole said the team’s season goal was to get back in the championship game. In 2004, the Thunder’s first season in the league, Phoenix lost 9‑6 in the overtime championship game against New York Police Department’s Finest.

“We missed out on a lot of opportunities to put the ball in the end zone,” Cole said. That game and another last season also against NYPD are the only two the Thunder has ever lost. This season, the Thunder cooled the Los Angeles Fire Department Heat 30‑0 and triumphed against the Orlando Police Department Guardians 20‑7. The team won its other two games by forfeit.

The police officers and firefighters are now up against New York’s Bravest, a pairing that matches the original way the Thunder rolled into Phoenix in 2003. “A guy on the team knew a guy out in New York and he wanted to put on a game with New York, especially after 9/11,” said Phoenix firefighter and Desert Hills resident Ben Petrucci, a defensive tackle on the Thunder.

Phoenix won that exhibition game in 2003 with a final score of 41‑3. “I think they didn’t realize what we were all about...that we were a serious team,” Cole said. At the time, the team was still forming and not yet part of the league.

The Thunder and its fans who showed up that day in support, however, did take the game seriously, enough to raise $8,000 for Valley charities from ticket sales. All money raised in the league goes to charity.

In addition to supporting sports programming at the Boys and Girls Club, money from the Thunder’s ticket sales has also provided a scoreboard and a baseball field built by the team for the students at Thomas J. Pappas School. “They already had a big grassy area. You can pretty much go anywhere there’s a big open area and play football,” Cole said of the school’s open space and the greater need for a baseball field.

Members of the Phoenix Thunder stay involved with the school by hosting an annual football clinic for its students. This year, volunteers from Xavier College Preparatory hosted a cheerleading camp for the girls. More than 500 students in kindergarten through fifth grade participated in the clinic. “I remember growing up, what kept me out of trouble was sports,” Parten said.

He, like other Phoenix Thunder members and coaches, played high school and college football. Parten even played for the Cincinnati Bengals and the Kansas City Chiefs. Several now coach high school teams as side jobs.

Beyond their school and coaching experience, Cole attributes some of the team’s success to the players’ physical condition. “It shows when we play our games. Come fourth quarter, they’re (the opponents) looking pretty tired and we’re still fresh,” he said.

Cole also speaks highly of the quality of the team’s coaches and its defensive line. He is quick to point out the team’s strength: “Our front four. They’re by far the best guys on our team.”

Petrucci agreed. “We’ve been able to hold teams to little or no points.”

The Phoenix Thunder will face the FDNY Bravest June 9 at 7 p.m. with students from the Pappas school cheering them on. Firefighters based in neighboring stations will ride in on their trucks to offer their support.

The game will be played at North Canyon High School, 1700 E. Union Hills Drive in Phoenix. Tickets are $10 general admission and $5 for students and adults with fire, police or military identification. Children 12 and under are free. Tickets are available at the gate or by calling Brian Cole at (602) 750‑7197. For more information, go to www.phoenixthunder.com.

Reach the reporter at ambria@thedesertadvocate.com.