Lawerence Estes, a local football stand-out and former NFL pro, came back to Louisville to carry out the lessons taught to him by his former football coach and teachers. Estes was a member of the Trojan football team, and he was mentored by their coach, who taught them to give back to the community. Not only is Mr. Estes a member of the Trojans 4 Life community organization, but he would go one step further and organize the local youth football league, the Winston Chiefs.
Estes graduated from Alcorn and would eventually play with the Kansas City Chiefs. Earlier this year, when the Trojans honored their former coach, Estes proudly wheeled him into what is now Eiland Middle School.
Estes took the advice of his former mentors and decided to organize a “pee wee” football league here in Winston County. The team, which Estes began organizing in 2014, would eventually become the Winston County Chiefs. Eventually, they would add a cheerleading team so that young girls could become a part of the fun.
The Winston County Chiefs encourages youth aged twelve years and younger to participate.
The Chiefs has been instrumental in training young players that often go on to play at area schools, and many of them have found themselves on the Louisville High School team, which has won multiple state championships in football.
The Chiefs plays as a part of the Power House Youth Football Association, which includes teams local to Central Mississippi. It’s likely that many of the current members will eventually play against some of the same individuals they play in the youth league. Nine teams total make up the association.
During the first years of the Winston County Chiefs, ballgames were played at a local city park. Estes worked with Mayor Will Hill to get any games played “at home” to take place at Mr. Estes’ former school, the Camile Street High School, stadium.
Soon, the Winston County Chiefs team began to grow, and watching the young talent play became very exciting, not only to family support, but to the community as a whole. Estes pulled Mr. Stacy Thames to help organize teams. To date, the organization has continued to grow and been a positive light in the community. There are often as many as fifty cheerleaders and 120 footballers each year.
The Winston County Chiefs will open registration on May 22, 2024 for boys and girls in the county. The goal of the organization is found in the inspiration of Coach Hudson and Coach Goss, who taught their young Trojans to give back and make the community stronger.
