Two basketball games this Saturday in Dayton will likely have the Liberty County Sheriff’s Office calling for backup. That’s when Sheriff Bobby Rader and his deputies will take on the special-needs athletes that make up Just Amazing Youth Sports (JAYS).
This year, for the first time in the four-year history of the Cops Vs. Kids games, two games will be played as the organization has grown, said Jay Matlock, founder of JAYS. The first game will feature young special-needs athletes who are relatively new to the sport and the second game will be played by the more seasoned and older special-needs athletes.
While the youth teams will be switched out after playing two 8-minute halves, Sheriff Rader and his deputies have committed to playing the two back-to-back games. Going up against the fatigued law personnel should give the youth teams a better advantage, not that they need it considering that they have won every Cops Vs. Kids game for the last four years.
Sheriff Rader admits his team’s chances of winning are slim.
“This year we know how to spell basketball, but we still may not be able to play it. They will still probably beat us,” he said with a chuckle.
The games will be held at the Dayton High School gym. Entry is $3 per person regardless of age. The gym opens at 9:30 a.m. and the first of the two games starts at 10 a.m. sharp. The second game will begin at 10:50 a.m. Throughout the event, there will be a silent auction featuring more than 130 items, including a wide assortment of Houston Astros memorabilia.
Matlock, who also manages the largest Facebook page for Houston Astros fans – Houston Astros Nation, says that a few of the auction items were donated to the organization that came from the Roy Hofheinz estate sale. Hofheinz, a former Harris County judge, is credited with bringing major league baseball to Houston and for the development of the Houston Astrodome, where Astros games were once held before moving to Minute Maid Park.
“We will have a bunch of Astros stuff up for auction, including some old Astrodome memorabilia,” said Matlock.
Funds raised by the auction and through entry fees is used to pay for equipment, uniforms and other items needed by JAYS athletes throughout the year. If you are unable to attend the event, you can still take part in the auction by joining Houston Astros Nation on Facebook. The auction items will be listed on the Facebook page. JAYS will have people monitoring the page and taking down the bids at the event as they come in.
On Facebook, go to Just Amazing Youth Sports, Inc., at https://www.facebook.com/JustAmazingYouthSports. To join Houston Astros Nation, go online to https://www.facebook.com/groups/HoustonAstrosNation.