Team's gear, truck stolen

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yranaivo@journalnet.com

CHUBBUCK -- The West Highland Chubbuck Raiders had booked their ticket to Las Vegas.

The Pee Wee team, which consists of 25 seventh-graders, won every season game this year before losing the championship match to the East Highland Vikings.

But it didn't matter. The Raiders finished runners-up, which was enough to qualify them for the Thanksgiving football tournament in Las Vegas.

The only remaining obstacle was money. The Raiders needed to raise enough funds to pay for their trip.

And the team succeeded. It raised $7,000 by selling gym memberships, pies and raffle tickets.

The Raiders went to Vegas and tasted victory when they defeated a Pee Wee team from Colorado 14 to 13 on Thanksgiving Day.

Then disappointment struck on the morning of Nov. 28.

The Raiders were staying at the Excalibur hotel, and some players had stored their football gear inside a team trailer. The trailer was also attached to a truck that belonged to one of the player's family. All of the players drove to Las Vegas with their families.

Jessie Thompson-Kelley, one player's mother, said she received a phone call at about 8:30 a.m., with the caller informing her that both the truck and trailer had been stolen.

The Raiders were scheduled to play another game on that Saturday before returning home.

Thompson-Kelley said the team and parents spent most of that Friday after Thanksgiving looking for ways to keep the Raiders in the tournament. She said about seven or eight of the players lost their playing equipment, which was left in the stolen vehicles.

Thompson-Kelley said the parents were able to purchase practice jerseys from a sports apparel store in Las Vegas. She said the jerseys cost $15 each, but the store printed the team's name and player numbers on the shirts for free.

Furthermore, the Pee Wee football league in Las Vegas lent the Raiders equipment, such as helmets, pants and pads.

The Raiders had matching pants and jerseys, but different colored helmets.

The team lost its game on Saturday.

Thompson-Kelley said police recovered the truck about two weeks ago, but informed the parents the trailer might never be found. She also said the hotel has yet to reimburse the team and the families for the stolen gear, despite previously promising to do so.

"At the beginning of the season, the team rents its equipment from the Southeast Idaho Football League," Thompson-Kelley said. "But a lot of the kids use that equipment to practice, and invest their own money into the actual game equipment."

Jacob Andrus, who plays safety for the Raiders, said the theft was disappointing, but did not overshadow their spirits when they took to the field during the second game of the Las Vegas tournament.

"I think it went pretty well," Andrus said. "I thought it was a little unfortunate (that) we got our stuff stolen, but I think we should have won our second game. ... I think we still had fun. It was a good experience."

By Yann Ranaivo

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