It’s been a tough 12th season for the High Desert Phoenix and its owner Norma Cook. Due to the coronavirus pandemic, it has taken a while for the local semi-professional team to gather enough players for this season. They finally gathered enough players for the year and started the season 0-4. As Cook tried to secure enough players, she also dealt with the illness of her younger brother, who succumbed to his illness last Saturday, which also happened to be the Phoenix’s first home game. “Said cook. “It was a bit difficult, but I kept going because I knew I had this commitment to the league and my players and staff.” Despite all the challenges this season, Cook hopes that things will get better in the second half of the season , starting tonight at 7 p.m. with the team’s second home game of the season against the West Coast Lions at Knight High School. “I’m optimistic that the next four games will be good for the rest of the season,” Cook said. Tonight’s game is High Desert’s annual grocery drive for the Grace Resource Center. They will collect canned food at the gate. Bringing three cans increases the price of admission to $ 8, while regular admission at the entrance is $ 10 (cash only). Children under 10 years and seniors over 60 have free entry. There will also be a raffle for two 20-inch girls’ bicycles donated by the Grace Resource Center. The raffle tickets cost $ 2. There will also be a 50/50 raffle with tickets for just $ 1 each. Also, since this is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, the Phoenix are asking their fans to wear pink to the game. Fans can also meet Cookie and Scoop from Sweet Frog Frozen Yogurt and get discounts on frozen yogurt. A snack stand will be provided and outside food and drinks are not permitted. “We’re excited and hope a lot of people will come out (today),” said Cook. “Football is back. Outdoor activities are on the rise. We want our community to come out and cheer on their semi-pro team. ”Will also donate about 40 boxes of long-life groceries to Jeremy Johnson of the Grace Resource Center. “This league seems to have put more emphasis on zero tolerance and promoting the teams and their activities in their community,” said Cook. “So that’s better than what we had at PCFC and UFAL.” The meal promotion is something that Phoenix has been doing since the organization started in 2009. For Cook, community support began with a personal story. Her daughter once told her that she didn’t have enough money to live on and went around asking her neighbors to donate their bottles and cans so she could recycle them to get money for baby food and diapers. It was something she didn’t want to tell her parents back then. Cook wants to make sure other people’s kids aren’t in the same predicament and she knew she could use her talented players to help out a little lightbulb from God that says, ‘Hey, you have all these guys doing You there?’ … The first charity work we started was with Grace Resources, ”she said. “We did the food trip, we did Christmas in July at the JetHawks Stadium with them, we made dinner. “We have done a lot of things and we will just keep doing this work because it is so important that there are no other daughters.” Cook and her players attend community charities throughout the season. The players love to help the community and in return the community has helped them. This year sponsor Dr. Snow Orthodontics custom-made mouthguards for all players. Sweet Frog Frozen Yogurt has sponsored the team with money and advertising and with their mascots at every home game. And Knight High School made it possible for the Phoenix to have a home game. “We have had numerous people supporting us, and we in turn support them and everyone else in the community,” said Cook. “Football is not just about the players on the field, it has to be about what they are building with their community.” The coach shut everything down in February 2020 before the pandemic. However, over the past year, Law continued to meet with players and help them with conditioning. “He never stopped conditioning the guys,” said Cook. Phoenix player veterans Justin Robertson and Larry Lee Woods returned this year and have been of great help to Cook and the organization. “I’m really glad they are with us trying to recruit and get things rolling for next year,” said Cook. Both players have encouraged with their words and their efforts to build the team back on the level before the pandemic. “Larry and Justin are great guys,” said Cook. “You work hard, Justin’s a family man, and you have helped me through this whole pandemic. Always encourage me, always tell me positive things and try to recruit players for myself and employees. “You are always there for me. You are my rock. Without Justin and Larry, I wouldn’t know where I would be now. They definitely made a difference in the organization of Phoenix. ”The team is already recruiting players and staff for the next season. Anyone interested should contact the Front Office at 661-524-6029. “I always say, ‘Become a player, become an employee, become a fan, become a sponsor,'” said Cook. “We try to build a program on a higher level than everyone else.”
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