For Brian Beasley, the Madison County Youth Association is a memory maker.
The youth football coach played for the MCYA Bulldogs as a kid. Now, he coaches his son, Hunter, on the Bulldogs. The elder Beasley chuckles, thinking back on one fond gridiron memory with Hunter, a game a couple of years back when the team held a big lead, and Hunter got some time at tailback.
“I’ll never forget he was turned this way (telegraphing where he was going to run), waiting to get the ball,” said Brian. “The first time he got the ball, he took off running and he ran backwards and they sacked him for a 10-yard loss. So he got back up there again, he turned sideways just like he did before. And that time he actually turned the corner and ran for like 20-something yards and got a first down. That right there is burnt into my head.”
Hunter Beasley has his own football memories and is actively creating more.
“I’m ready for it every year,” said Hunter. “There’s no doubt about that. I’m ready for it.”
But it isn’t just the guys in the Beasley household who anticipate the fall days on the gridiron. Lisa Beasley is the MCYA’s cheerleading director. And her daughter Madison, 9, will soon begin her fifth year as a cheerleader.
“It’s great to spend that time with her and see her interact with her friends, while learning new skills and responsibilities,” said Lisa.
Lisa said she remembers Madison’s first days as a cheerleader.
“At 5, they’re just so little and they don’t really know what they’re doing,” she said. “But they’re so cute and they try their hardest.”
But she’s seen her daughter progress over the years and she fondly remembers the thrill in Madison’s face when she got to be a “flyer,” one of the cheerleaders who gets help up in the air by the other girls.
Lisa says MCYA has become a centerpoint of family affairs. MCYA activities are three days a week — on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the occasional Saturday.
“Cheerleading and football — our lives revolve around that,” said Lisa. “It wouldn’t be as enjoyable if we weren’t all involved. And they learn so much about teamwork and discipline and maintaining a positive attitude.”
Brian says he grew up in a MCYA family.
“I was in a family of four children, two boys and two girls,” said Brian. “And every year, there were two football players and two cheerleaders.”
Of course, the Beasleys are joined by numerous other families in Madison County who also share MCYA memories.
Brian says several of his former MCYA teammates and opponents are now coaching their kids, too.
“I know of three or four coaches who I played with and they’re out there now,” said Brian. “And you can’t help but reminisce. We’re friends just like when we played football together.”
Madison County resident Richard Duncan recalls playing football in the first year of MCYA in 1972 — the organization will celebrate its 40th anniversary next year. His dad, James, was the coach.
“When we started, we didn’t even have field or anything,” said Duncan, who was 5 at the time. “The first game we played was in a roped off area where the tennis courts are. And we practiced at the VFW field and Diamond Hill.”
The first group of MCYA players ended up providing Madison County High School with a couple of its best seasons ever in 1982 and 83, when the Raiders reached the playoffs for the first and second time. Duncan was a freshman on the ’82 team and a sophomore starter at offensive and defensive tackle in 1983. He remembers some of the other MCYA players on those teams: Cedric Hitchcock, Phil Turner, Otis Booth and Ken Mattison.
Duncan got involved with the MCYA again when his son, Jessie, reached football age. He started coaching football teams at the recreation department, spending a decade helping kids learn the X’s and O’s of run-oriented, smash mouth football. Now, his son is a sophomore offensive guard on the Madison County varsity football team.
Duncan said his time with MCYA is very valuable. He said he’s enjoyed great fulfillment in all the little successes.
“There ain’t nothing like it,” said Duncan. “It’s rough and it’s tough. Even when the kids mess up — oh well, you know. But when you sit there and you practice so much, and you have the little bitty kids and you go out there and they actually do it all right, put it all together, and score a touchdown. There ain’t nothing like it.”
