MONTREAL - The Sun Youth Hornets bantam league football team is going strong almost six decades after the community resource was started by two ambitious preteens.
Sun Youth was launched in 1954 when Sid Stevens and Earl De La Paralle started writing the Clark Street Sun newspaper by hand, selling it for two cents a copy.
It eventually snowballed into a large community resource which helps thousands out. It also fields a pretty good football team.
De La Parralle, now the Director General of Sun Youth, notes that there was a lot of teamwork required to make Sun Youth a success.
“There was a whole bunch of other people involved,” said De La Parralle. “We lived in this area and decided to do it, Sid was 12 or 13 and I was nine.”
Sun Youth considers its football team a good outlet for kids and volunteers. Players learn teamwork, make friends and see their mutual efforts come together on the gridiron.
“It’s one team, one family,” said Coach Zach Da Costa. “That’s how we are and we try to tell the kids that from the beginning right to the end, ‘don’t give up. You’re together all the time and let’s stay together and good things will happen.’”
One player has found support from the team in difficult times. Marcus Mitchell lost his parents five years ago.
He is one of seven kids in a family making it and prospering because of the love of the Sun Youth community.
“When I was depressed everybody was supportive. Every time I go on the bench they say ‘good job,’” said Mitchell.
The Hornets’ quarterback sees the group effort as something that transcends sport.
“Sun Youth is like a family. We have all come together, we play football we all get to know each other and it’s more like a family activity and everything,” said Vaggeli Zoubris.
On Friday the Hornets played the West Island's North Shore Lions and lost their first game of the season by a score of 53-46.
