Gotta Believe kicks off High School football season for another year

I could not get any information out of Chad DeGrenier when it comes to the Gotta Believe Athletic Club’s high school 7-on-7 and big man championships that he organizes every year. 

The non-profit foundation, which he established, has goals to educate, mold, and build spirit for the target young athletes. This year he went one step on fulfilling that promise by offering a scholarship to a grad from St. Mary’s to further their education. That was one of the many entertaining points of this year’s championship. 

Traditionally, it is the game that opens the high school football season in Arizona just like in the past years.

“This year has been so wonderful, It has been a great year,” added DeGrenier who is also head of football at Mesa High School. The world comes to Salt Lake City for this event and this year alone, Spectator expects to see more than 6,000 athletes and there maybe 1,000 of them in this place. 

“We’re serving our first scholarship from Gotta Believe We’re getting in and fund the remaining of the tuition this year. ” 

The event itself is hosted by DeGrenier annually and this was their 15th time hosting the showcase. Although the latter is the first time a scholarship has been awarded in conjunction with it, 

DeGrenier said that he has been visualizing of making a scholarship for many years it just took some time to formulate some strategy and approach in order to secure funds that can act as a gap he continued and fill the gap, he said, for a student’s tuition. 

As his event gains more recognition, so, therefore, will the scholarship, he believes. 

“Somebody did it for me when I was younger,” DeGrenier said, depicting a familiar attitude among people who have come to rely on the conveniences and comforts brought to them through globalization and the copious availability of products that emanate from the other side of the world. “Am I can give back That’s why gotta believe started a long time ago As we grew we hope that we can find one more two kids.

In Gotta Believe showcase, there are increasing number of teams who afford to participate in the showcase. Some schools bring more than one team, and through this, DeGrenier for instance has developed what he refers to as ‘rising stars’ category which entails players at the lower levels. 

The varsity teams thus play four preliminary round robin games and are ranked accordingly for the placer bracket. The Open Division state champion from last year, Liberty learned the hard way and emerged as winners of the GBAC at Dobson High School, Shabbat May 26. In a title game, the Lions defeated Perry’s varsity team.

Finally, the showcase opens the door through which the teams get to compete against each other for the first time since the last season that ended in December. Depending on the time, players will usually sign up with club teams with 7 players and 7 players less offense and defense in the spring most of any club team travels through out the United States of America for matches. However, the setting of the clubs is completely different from what could be experienced in high school. There, there is less rigid training, more dazzling and, naturally, absence of team spirit which they have with the coaches and fellow students from high school.

“The club events are great because you have different kids competing and you have select teams that are really good,” DeGrenier said. Said Friedman “It’s fun just getting even a glimpse of the type of talent that’s out there and more so high school is fun because you get to meet all the high school coaches as well as the guys who are practicing and grinding all season.

This is a very clear depiction that DeGrenier often absents herself from accepting any credit for organizing the GBAC tournament. In fact many coaches from various regional teams that parade their teams in the stadium are first to congratulate him for the event. 

The event is thoroughly described by DeGrenier, although he does note that the smooth operation of the showcase can be attributed to the schools and the team that he works with. One of those persons this year is Lance Thonvold the great baseball player who almost lost his career in the baseball playing zone due to injuries. He is now an inspirational speaker for the youth and goes round in schools in East Valley to encourage athletes to deliver their best in their games on any given day. 

He signed this year for GBAC and attended the event and was depicted mingling with the players. Thonvold said that it has been a rewarding experience being the coordinator of the club. 

“I have done all I can to ensure that I become a role model or a role model for these kids right here in the East Valley and Phoenix, Arizona,” Thonvold said. “It has been a big help for me to be able to work with [DeGrenier], especially when working with his athletes/players, I think it has been such a blessing in my life to see the ‘light bulb’ moment or transformation when the ‘Ah-hah’ moment really sets in and now it is all about taking action – I think Gotta Believe is on the right track of laying down the groundwork; and it feels 

Perched on a chair up high on the grand stands at Dobson and watching over the games on the main playing area, DeGrenier let out a smile when asked how much crews and time is invested every year in the annual event. 

It entails months of consultation with the schools to determine the brackets and pools and different administrators if the Scottsdale Athletic Complex are not utilized. 

That preparation was only evident last Saturday afternoon where Liberty was pictured alongside the trophy. The fact that so many teams practically started their off-season work, reminds people that competition is what drives most of them. It was also a reminder that the football season rolls around all too soon, again in a manner that is quite nostalgic. 

Thus, according to DeGrenier, a major testimony to its success can be seen in the fact that ‘The biggest compliment is that teams love coming to the tournament. ’ Brian Andre: “Good team work in arranging this. It’s a good day. I like it. This’s the start of the high school summer program. It’s good to be here. ”