The Carey and Sestak families turned their Bronxville home into a Bronco shrine, painting it with team images and hosting a backyard homecoming celebration for the village's youth football program.
The event brought together players in grades 3 through 8 and their families for an afternoon of drills and community, myHometownBronxville.com reported. Boys ran football drills in the backyard led by a former NFL player, while families gathered before the festivities wrapped with a drumline-led march down to the school to cheer on the Broncos.
The painted house has been hard to miss for anyone driving through the village. Neighbors have noticed.
The celebration comes as Bronxville youth football enrollment surges. The third- and fourth-grade program grew from a typical roster of 20 to 24 players to 45 this season, enough to field two teams, according to a September profile by myHometownBronxville.com. The fifth- and sixth-grade team has 33 players.
Anthony Civale, who coaches the third- and fourth-grade teams, described the program's growth in a Sept. 16 article. "We're blessed to have such committed volunteer parent coaches, passionate families, and an integration with the varsity program that is truly special," Civale said.
That integration is deliberate. Youth teams use similar playbooks, techniques and terminology as the varsity squad. Younger players serve as water boys on the sidelines during varsity games. Many of the varsity's 32 players, including 18 seniors, have played together since elementary school.
The varsity team went 12-0 last season and won the Class C New York State Championship. The youth teams play a six-game regular season against opponents including Sleepy Hollow, Dobbs Ferry, Harrison, Scarsdale, Valhalla, Ossining and Pleasantville, with younger players in grades 3 through 6 practicing on the Christmas tree lot during the summer.
