Jason Billings is coach for the Packers, a Twin City Youth Football team. Sponsored by the local Les Schwab, the Packers are a team comprised of Centralia-based fifth and sixth graders. The team is in for a big day—they’re playing in the championships this weekend. The title game takes place this Saturday, October 29, at Tiger Stadium in Centralia, and will conclude the 48th season of Twin City Youth Football.
For the better part of the last 15 years, Billings has been one of the league’s coaches. A win in the championship game would—of course—be nice, but for Billings and the other coaches in the league, the real rewards come from working with the community’s youth. And for Billings, his ties to the local youth start with his own family.
“I had no choice,” Billings said with a smile about his involvement in coaching youth football. “I have five children. There was no escaping it. I had a little gap (in coaching) for a while, but came back into it five years ago. I love it.”
Billings’s 11-year-old son, Thomas, who plays quarterback for the Packers, is the youngest in the family, and the last of his offspring that he will coach.
But that doesn’t necessarily mean Billings will be calling it a coaching career.
“I do have a grandson,” said Billings. “I thought this was going to be my last year, but I found out today I’m coming back. We’ve really tried to brand [Twin City Youth Football] this year. We did a lot of promoting. This thing has become really big. In two years, it will be the 50th anniversary of Twin City, so I’d like to be around at least for that.”
Billings added, “We all dedicate a lot of hours coaching, but it’s great being out here. Our coaching staff has been together for four years. We all have sons playing. It’s just prepping them and getting them ready as they move on to middle school.”
According to Billings, who in addition to coaching also serves as the league’s vice president, more than $30,000 was raised for the program this year through fundraising, including the annual spaghetti feed, which generated $10,000 in donations, with each team having an individual local business as a sponsor.
The list of sponsors includes I-5 Toyota (Chargers), Lincoln Creek Lumber (Lumbermen), Ernies Rapid Lube (Oilers), Washington Orthopaedic (Steelers), Thorbeckes (Panthers), Security State Bank (Tigercubs), Sierra Pacific Industries (Timberjacks), National Frozen Foods (Titans) and Les Schwab (Packers).
“Les Schwab was a great sponsor last year too,” Billings said. “They helped sponsor the benefit dinner. They help sponsor the team. They’ve been great. The community has been incredibly supportive of what we do here. The players coming in next year will actually have new equipment and new jerseys. It’s really taken a step up.”
The league is broken down into three divisions – fifth and sixth graders, third and fourth graders and first and second graders who play flag football.
“I think every kid should go through the flag football program,” Billings said. “It’s become really popular. We had six teams out here playing today. It’s a great way for kids to be introduction into the sport. This league is about teaching the kids the right way to play football. It’s a key thing for us.”
Next season, signups will occur in June with playing costs between $45 and $65. The league puts on a camp in July at Tiger Stadium with practices beginning in mid-August.
“I think it’s just something (the coaches) just love doing,” Billings said. “I work a lot of hours, but when I get home after working you can usually find me sitting in my chair for the next two hours drawing up plays. We all love doing it.”
For more information about Twin City Youth Football, call 360-237-4006. For game schedules and to see what’s going on with the league, follow them on Facebook.
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